This is the second time I get to write this rant, as the computer crashed during my last writing of it. But on the bright side, my thoughts are now totally focused.

My original rant - and I'm sticking with it, officer - was about how defining oneself did define oneself. If I stand around and tell you exactly what I am - I could say that I am a bisexual white anarcho-libertarian gamesplayer female with polytheistic pagan-animist tendencies - then you know what I define myself as. But I also take myself out of the larger category of all humans. Consequently, by defining myself to you, I have defined my limits.

This is my problem with many things. But not least of all - and trust me, it'll be all related - this is my problem with feminism.

Feminism today is not about any kind of a tangible issue. It is, instead, about revenge. The revenge is on a large group of people who may or may not deserve it. And the truly sad part of it all is that women are lowering themselves as much as they are to get revenge on people who aren't worthy of it.

See, my thing is that revenge should only be taken on those who are worthy of it. And feminism has decided that it wants the right to fuck the way men do.

Gone by the wayside are such goals as universal childcare, universal healthcare, equal pay for equal work, and any other rights. Instead, feminism is about fucking men now.

It doesn't really make me feel like more of a woman to fuck some guy casually. I don't think I've struck some amazing blow for feminism if I get some guy to lose his mind temporarily and give in to his animal instincts. Yet there are people who do.

And this is how the whole definition thing comes into it. If you tightly define yourself, a) you're an idiot, and b) you limit your options. In more than just the obvious ways.

See, if I take my tight definition of myself that I wrote up above and use it in the context of fighting for my rights, then I have removed myself from any larger category that I could use to build common ground with people. Why do you think it's so important to so many alternative sexuality groups that so and so be included or not included? Because they do or do not want to have a wider appeal.

And this is where feminism and so many other isms fall down. They have defined themselves tighter and tighter to the point that not only are male sympathizers unwelcome at such events as Take Back the Night, but some women can stand around and say and believe that feminism is the theory and lesbianism is the practice.

How much appeal do you think this has to your average Washington lawmaker, who is either male himself or has male constituents to consider (since men still vote in larger numbers than women). None. No one who wanted to be a politician - which, by the way, is a group very good at flexibly and widely defining themselves, would cop to supporting such a group as feminists who were that vocal about their contempt for men.

Basically, modern feminists have become a group that is in active fight against men and politicians. Feminists seem to believe that they gain the same rights as men if they fuck casually the way that they believe men do. Never mind that probably she's doing a similar job for less money and is regarded as not being intelligent enough to make her own decisions about her own body. No, she's got some guy to screw - and screw over - so she's happy.

But men and politicians don't react to this like it's some kind of goddamn battleflag. Instead they regard it as the stupid behavior that it is, the behavior of every little motherfucker who whined about being screwed by "the man" and how they wanted to destroy "the man" so that everyone would have a fair chance.

A) Everyone is defined as "me and my friends."

B) They don't regard it at all.

See, let's consider an analogy. Feminists are currently engaged in a street rumble over a 78 Vega with one brown door and bald tires. Something not very important. But they think that it's important. Men and politicians are perfectly willing to go along with this because they realize that the feminists are distracted, so they can do lovely little things like sanction the Taliban, eliminate abortion as an option in family planning clinics, continue to lower penalties for rapists and abusers, and just generally fuck women over in every way they can think of.

Where women are fighting for the Vega, the other side sees a bright red Lamborghini Diablo. They see the advantages to having women disorganized, fighting within their own label (ERA, anyone?) and unable to get past such stupid behavior as revenge for all the men in their life who ever annoyed them one little bit.

A much more effective way to win the fight is to subvert your label. No one ever defeated "the man" without becoming "the man". See, you take your label, and you share it with yourself and only yourself. Then you go out and act like as much of a heterosexual WASP male as you can. Then, when you get some power, use it for yourself. Use it to advocate your own position and your own goals.

Consider a virus. Or a guerrilla. They both work from within, and don't get all caught up in stupid externals or throw their efforts into the Vega. That's the way to do it. Or at least how I want to do it.

Subverting your labels,

Channon