Consistent, predicting, explanatory and useful definitions are also required in mere narrative interpretative fields of knowledge, not just in Real Sciences. Don´t worry, there are accepted definitions quoted at the bottom of this post of mine.
I do not authorize psychological nor psychiatric formulations, interpretations nor diagnosis, etc. I do not authorize any Religious use of my texts. Rights Reserved.
I start from a definition which to me seems to elude the problems with some forms of Activism, my guess, as many definitions of Feminism do. Same as many definitions of Machismo do too… but that´s my guess…
As such, what if we start from a different definition naïvely?:
Feminism is a form of activism searching for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members having a Pair of sexual X chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, I can see it can explain other things?.
Same as machismo:
Machismo is a form of behaving searching for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members not having a pair of sexual X chromosomes, but having an XY combination of sexual chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, I can see it can explain other things?.
Then we can compare:
Since not all machos are activists, questionable given we, despite, still are pretending to be social Primates, then maybe there are some feminists who are not activists:
Feminism is a form of behaving searching for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members having a Pair of sexual X chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, I can see it can explain other things?.
Ok, it seems not to change much, but how about if neither requires behaving nor activism, but mere thinking?:
Feminism is a form of believing in search for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members having a Pair of sexual X chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, and with a notorious and regular tendency to act in said manners on mere Beliefs, reality notwithstanding, i.e. Reality has no say in the matter (it has no standing), then I can see it can explain other things?.
But, in equity and fairness:
Machismo is a form of believing in search for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members not having a Pair of sexual X chromosomes, but an XY combination of sexual chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, and with a notorious repetitive nearly obsessive compulsive tendency to act in said manners on mere Beliefs, reality notwithstanding, i.e. Reality has no say in the matter (it has no standing), then I can see it can explain other things?.
And it can go on:
Feminism, inclusive not exclusively, is a form of believing, behaving or activism, among others? (!?), in search for better outcomes for Homo Sapiens members having a Pair of sexual X chromosomes.
Then human beings being sufficiently irrational, uncaring, selfish, violent, lawless, spiteful, hateful and not truly endowed with the power of predicting their own fates, and with a notorious repetitive close to obsessive compulsive tendency to act in said manners on mere Beliefs, reality notwithstanding, i.e. Reality has no say in the matter (it has no standing), then I can see it can explain other things?.
Etcetera…
But, let us see how Feminism is defined:
From The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition via Wordnik:
feminism
Belief in or advocacy of women's social, political, and economic rights, especially with regard to equality of the sexes. [especially, but not exclusively]
The movement organized around this belief.
A social theory or political movement arguing that legal and social restrictions on females must be removed in order to bring about equality of both sexes in all aspects of public and private life.
Close enough right?, the three definitions share the searching for better outcomes for women, either believing, being an activist, joining a movement or not, or just moving...
And my point is: if one just goes with that and not see what it intends and its context one might miss the possibility, probability or fact something went wrong, specially for someone else...
But, here´s Wikipedia´s!:
"Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern societies are patriarchal—they prioritize the male point of view—and that women are treated unjustly in these societies. [this is news to me, I did not understood feminism as a form of magical thinking trying to explain the world with mere words excluding rational and causal considerations] Efforts to change this include fighting against gender stereotypes and improving educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women." [ah!, outcomes, reality, fighting, campaigns: rally the troops!]
But then, what is machismo?, not Patriarchy:
machismo
A strong or exaggerated sense of traditional masculinity placing great value on physical courage, virility, domination of women, and aggressiveness.
An exaggerated interest or devotion to something, often accompanied by a sense of superiority. [maleish, right?]
A strong, and by some considered exaggerated, sense of manly pride, associated with an attitude that the proper expression of masculinity includes virility, courage, and an entitlement to dominate, especially over women.
From Wikipedia:
´Machismo ... from Spanish macho 'male' and -ismo) is the sense of being "manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity".´
Ok, some word play:
FeminismO ... from Spanish fémina and -ismo) is the sense of being "feminine" and self-reliant, a concept associated with “a strong sense of feminine pride: an exaggerated femininity”. Like the metaphorical Boudicca or the Female Vikings thumping their naked breast with a naked, and I imagine, cold sword…
It works either way, both can be an exaggerated, aggressive, unrealistic, pernicious and harmful ways of among others, really among others, of believing, behaving or being activists.
Or just moving along…
And machismo does have some of the elements in feminism: self-reliance, pride, independence, protection, grandstanding, dominance, aggression, and an inability to nurture.
As all Ideologies have such Potential because they come from and act on Humans, including the search for domination and control even if by mere rhetorical means, hence the need, the requirement, the necessity to evaluate each qualifier not with overarching abstract words as Matriarchy, Patriarchy, Machismo and FeminismO, but on the specific articulable, concrete actionable facts, not on Ideologies.
Even the Real Police knows that!.
Without it such is Magical Thinking… like the Devil…
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machismo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_suspicion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probable_cause
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchy
Note: Depriving someone of their Human Rights, their Dignity, requires more than ´an "inchoate and unparticularized suspicion or 'hunch'"´. Obviously the use of Patriarchy against anyone does violate the presumption of innocence. The same as Machismo and FeminismO as I defined it, and perhaps beyond...
Thanks.
Federico Soto del Alba.