Read an Extract from Saving the World:
It is important here to reflect briefly on the word ‘feminist’ and its implications. Very often, negative connotations are undeservedly attached to the term. In discussing the subject with a Member of the Italian Parliament of my acquaintance, I was confirmed in my belief that there is considerable confusion as to the actual meaning of the word. In commenting on yet another case of violence towards a woman, I said it would be nice if, after death, there was a feminist paradise where the souls of all women could find peace for themselves. He agreed that it would be nice for them, just as a ‘macho’ paradise would be nice for men. Looking at him in astonishment, I explained that there is a huge difference between the two terms: being a feminist doesn’t mean being against someone; it is rather about promoting respect for women’s rights. Being ‘macho’, on the other hand, means rejecting equality of rights between the genders.
‘Feminism’ is virtually a synonym for parity and equality. A man who believes in the values of freedom and fairness can himself be thought of as a ‘feminist’. Machismo, on the other hand, champions male primacy in support of a patriarchal society. If this simple distinction is not clear to a representative of the state, I thought, whatever must be the understanding of most of the population? Historically, feminists have been hostile and even violent towards men on occasions, but this was only when men had sought to perpetuate a culture of oppression and violence. We owe much to the women who fought against all odds for those rights, such as votes for women, that we now take for granted.
