Feminism is not an issue

No, actually I mean it. Feminism is not an issue any more, not because there is equality but for a completely different reason.

Making feminism an issue - or even THE issue - is to assume that gender is the primary issue of prejudice in our society. It isn't.

Making sexism an issue is based on an assumption that sexuality is a primary issue of prejudice. It isn't.

The primary issue of prejudice in our society is other people, different people, a form of xenophobia. the answer is not to identify gender, sexuality, colour, faith, or ay other aspect of a person. Xenophobic means "a fear of those who are different", while normally used for those from foreign countries, it applies just as much to those who are different in any aspect.

The answer is to simply treat ALL others as human, with respect, with dignity.

The danger of identifying "...isms" as the indicators of prejudice is that people can identify that they are not ...ist, and not ...ist, and it becomes a list of things to not be. That is not very helpful, because there is always some other ...ism to worry about.

Let me be clear, I make jokes and comments that some people would consider sexist or racist or whatever. However I always do this in a humourous way, with people who understand my humour. That doesn't mean that I just say "I'm only joking", it means that those I am joking with know I am only joking too. And I would support these same people against any real ...ism even more strongly.

This joking would not work if people did not know that I was not ...ist. I will NEVER make a comment that is denigrating someone because of their gender, sexuality, race, whatever. This is not because I am very "right on", it is because I do not think that these issues define people. If someone is being a jerk, they are being a jerk because of who they are, not because they are a teenager or a Presbyterian. They are a jerk because they are a jerk.

So if I don't jump on you bandwagon against ...ism, this is not because I am an ...ist. It is because your vision is too small. It is because I believe in treating all people as humans made in the image of God. Even those who are ...ist.

To me that is an even bigger challenge. And, of course, I don't always get it right. But I still follow these principles as much as I can.