shooting4myownhand:

iamateenagefeminist:

If you are talking to your feminist lady-friend and she says something about feminism or expresses an opinion about her own experinces with or opinions on her oppression you do not 

and I repeat 

do not 

do not 

do not 

do not 

correct her. 

In order to make this easier to understand, let’s give an example of something not to do.

Feminist Lady: I think that the word bitch can be reclaimed. I don’t mind when my friends use it around me in a positive manner. 

Dude: No, you can’t reclaim that word because it has such a negative connotation that the word can never really be absolved of it’s original meaning.

This is wrong because the feminist lady has more authority than you when talking about a slur that affects her and *shocker* not you. 

Now, say you are genuinely curious about your feminist lady friend’s opinion. Then you might say something like this. 

Feminist Lady: I think that the word bitch can be reclaimed. I don’t mind when my friends use it around me in a positive manner. 

Dude: What do you think about feminists that say slurs against women cannot be reclaimed because they hold such negative meanings and cannot be absolved of their original meaning and intent? 

Doing this will not only make you less of a douche, but you will not be talking over or mansplaining and you might actually learn something. Awesome, huh! 

^THIS!

YES. All of this. Take notes, people.