One of the most heated debates that
I’ve ever had was one about feminism, which
I had with a young brother who was a Queen B
fan. He argued that superstar Beyoncé was a
feminist because she was a strong, Black
woman who was outspoken and made her own
money. Darryl obviously didn’t know the
definition of a feminist. It was time for a
teachable moment.
The working definition of feminism
is the belief in full social, economic, and
political equality for women, and the
willingness to fight for those equalities.
In some quarters of the feminist movement,
gender is not an automatic prerequisite to
being a feminist. This means men can
self-identify as a feminist and embrace a
feminist ideology.
My short response to Darryl was
that yes, B is outspoken (when she wants to
be). Beyoncé is quite okay with her body
being a commodity and her talents being
monetized. The average ticket price for one
of her concerts ranges between $200-$1000.
Her billions are not being used to transform
capitalist society, let alone the cut-throat
music industry. She benefits from the
capitalist system and is a cog in the wheel
that keeps it humming.
This feminist lesson was sobering
for Darryl. He reluctantly agreed that Bey
didn’t fit the definition, but that he still
loved her music. I reminded him that our
movement uses objective universal truths,
not subjectivism. It’s a contest built on
popularity and not principle.
When one begins the feminist
journey, one quickly realizes that the
social, economic, and political inequities
are germane to capitalism. The devaluation
and exploitation of women is a necessary
part of maximizing profits that fuel and
expand capitalism and imperialism. It’s no
different from racism’s vital role in
extracting and exploiting capitalist
profits.
A discerning look at the U.S.
capitalist system leaves no room to believe
that once a female is in positions of power,
everything changes for the better. I started
thinking about this more as we’ve had to
endure the racist, macho antics of the women
in the trump regime.
Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Karoline
Leavitt, Susie Wiles, Tulsi Gabbard, Linda
McMahon, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Alina Habba,
Kelly Loeffler, and Brooke Rollins are all
from the same cloth, regardless of race, and
fit comfortably in the patriarchal system
that keeps women exploited and oppressed.
When we see how other MAGA women operate in
other spheres of social, political, and
corporate life, it’s a sad replication of
women who are committed to keeping racial
capitalism propped up at the expense of the
multiracial working class.
There’s a tendency to believe that
plopping a woman or a person of color into
the mix will bring some empathy, some
sanity, and a sense of reality. That only
happens if the woman understands capitalism,
and that her fight to achieve genuine
equality starts with an anti-capitalist
worldview.
This is not the same as liberal
feminism, which is limited in its liberatory
reach because it believes capitalism can be
reformed - a tweak here, a tweak there.
Liberal feminists believe putting women in
the workforce, electing women to office, or
giving women more education means that we’re
on the way to full equality.
Radical feminism will inform a
policy to restrict the detention of women
and children in immigration centers. Radical
feminism will shape a foreign policy that
starts with negotiated shared interests for
the country’s people. Radical feminism will
illuminate a pathway to healthy and
affordable food that is distributed to
families throughout this country.
I am a self-identified Black
feminist, but I do not rejoice just because
a female gets a new position or a skin folk
is the first to step into a role previously
guarded by someone white. Gender is not a
deal-breaker. Women, without working-class
feminist consciousness, will only perpetuate
the barbaric capitalist system that benefits
the few. It’s something to think about
during Women’s History Month.
By the way, does anyone know
Beyoncé’s stand on the Iranian war, on ICE,
on voter suppression, on…?
