Racism and all the other 'isms' grow from primitive tribalism, the instinctive hostility against those of another tribe, race, religion, nationality, class or whatever.
I recently had a conversation in which someone else I respect immensely said they reject 'isms' too.
As for me, I think I reject this "all these things" generalization. Oddly enough, it resembles, itself, the reasoning for rejecting this ism or that: that the ism reduces all members of some (possibly imaginary) category to a limited (possibly imaginary) definition, and is therefore invalid.
I'm a feminist. It tires me out to endlessly encounter, in this day and age, the prejudice and pejorative assumptions people have about those who are feminists, and the meaning of the term itself. "Post feminism" and Buffy Studies and Girl Power and all the women's studies terminology and finer points of observation mean perhaps less to me than those who practice them might like, and far less than those those who hate them may assume. Feminism isn't some limited club, for which specific requirements are expected before admission may be ratified.
It's also not a predictable stereotype.
Even in the 2010s, there are those who still imagine feminism defines a woman (men, these people would presume, cannot be feminists at all) as a man-hater. Even in the 2010s, there are those who are frightened by the perceived implication of anger the word "feminism" still carries thanks to generations of propagandistic, proselytizing foolishness precisely designed to cause this fear. Even in the 2010s, the understanding of women fighting simply for human rights remains terrifyingly unsophisticated, and relentlessly negative.
I say the words "I am a feminist" and I can tell you, people screw up their little faces just as much as they do when I use the charged term "I am a secretary" or admit my dastardly habit of kitten-torturing. Oh, wait ...
"I am a feminist" causes cognitive dissonance. "But you are nice," I can almost HEAR people thinking. And it's not just men. Women have bought into the calumny wholesale - have been trained as part of the good and patriotic populace (of many cultures; not just my own) that they don't want to be different. They don't want to be unattractive (what is less attractive than an uppity man-hating selfish person spoiling for a fight, after all?). They don't want to rock the boat. For that matter: nobody wants to have to WORK.
Feminism is work.
I'm not as much a witness for my hideous, humanist religion of women's rights as the legion of those who have sold the world an image of feminism-as-*unwomanliness*. But I do hold my beliefs, I do speak of them, I do try, even passively, to embody an understanding of something far deeper, far more important than the cartoon stereotype of a bra-burning, man-wannabe-ing, aggressive and ugly pugilist. I am dismayed at women who push the label "feminist" away like it was a tattoo advertising "I am undesirable!" I am dismayed at men who believe in the simple human rights we all should have, who won't adopt the label (I don't mean you, you whom I've discussed this with most recently; there's someone else this is directed toward) because, even knowing better, the illusion of the archetypal feminist still repels them.
Rejecting an ism, even knowing its actual face, because others find it ugly condones the perception of ugliness. "Yes, that is ugly - whoo - that's not me!"
Rejecting an ism just because it's an ism, even though that is a principle of valor, still gives the "ugly" crowd a win.
Wisconsin has rejected its own wellbeing because enough money went into a short-notice election that, even with astounding mobilization and a viable option, a false perception was screamed loud enough at the populace they voted to agree with the perception even against their interests. They were bombarded, inundated, with beautiful beautiful money which told them "you think this" and the message ... well, prevailed.
The inundation of cultures and societies throughout the world, with repeated mantras, "ALL (THIS) ARE (THIS)" has bought and paid for power enough to pass for persuasion since language began. It's crippled our culture, certainly, in recent decades, giving rise to the primacy of Wall Street and those Have's who are satisfied to continue draining to the dregs the massive majority of Have Not's - who have been so entirely saturated with misdirected messaging (staunch "morality" successfully masking a movement more dedicated to finance than any tenet of decency) they eagerly and angrily support the powers who will happily destroy them utterly.
Feminism's just a *part* of the array of principled movements smeared, tarred, rabidly detested by those who have (let's face it, usually monetary) "reason" to fear it.
Of course, in order to defeat principled movements, fear must be employed. And so reason must be stifled, if at all possible.
And stifled it is. Money is able to create deafening volume, in any society, these days. Just ask Tom Barrett.
Just ask a feminist.
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