Feminist
By: Antonio Moriaty
Tags: Short Fiction, Short Story, Short Read, Feminism

I identify as a feminist. That is the right thing to do in this current day and age. It is 2019 so why shouldn’t I? And no, I do not mean that as a fad, like it’s some accessory or a label for general approval. The advocacy for women’s rights is a necessity. Their discrimination isn’t at an all time high, the power of the internet has brought their dangers to light. Why shouldn’t you be a feminist? Feminism has little to do with who pays for dinner, cooks breakfast and dinner or who does laundry. This is exactly what I have been trying to educate my colleagues.

Twitter is the greatest tool in this current social media age as it has been educating the educated and unmasking the defiant ignorant people. Spending half my day on the app I chuckle at most tweets. The banter is elite. Although deep rooted in misogyny, racism and other discriminatory topics, that doesn’t take away from its rich content. In order to avoid the sensitive populace which is most of the current twitter crop, likes and retweets are avoided on certain tweets.

Being a feminist is great conversation opener anywhere. Always drive your point home. The ignorant label won’t be attached to you and people could like you more, but be honest about it. Bring up those tweets about women missing, being killed and raped in post offices. I educate my male colleagues who argue that women have it better. I let them know almost every woman in the office has been molested, and to touch a few nerves bring up their sisters if they do have, or their mothers.

“If you were in their shoes,” is the easiest line bring anyone to their senses.

It allows a second of thought and then a minute of disdain. The face says it all.

I am a feminist. I debate female struggles with my peers, I bring to light the statistics to the uneducated. I help my peers, women included, understand that the world truly is rough for them and pity is what I feel; heart filled with agony and pain as I bring up tweets about women who suffer from domestic violence, about women being chased at night. I am on your side. I am fighting for you. I will always fight for you.

In the presence of other women I tell my boys that a woman’s duty isn’t in the kitchen and the woman isn’t a subject but an equal. I tell them that though the bible says women should submit to their husbands it also says that we should love our wives just as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her. No stone is left unturned in my short masterclasses.

We talk about sex and the beauty of it. How we cannot control our male urges and love sex. Oh the love! We can’t do without it. Our penises must ejaculate. We stress the importance of sex but at the damn time shame women for having sex. As straight men it is ridiculous. I see my boys taking mental notes and the women are applauding. I am doing it right.

The consistent tweets about women going through the worst make my heart sink deeper ever day. I sigh deeply and shake my head.

“Why can’t women have it easy?” I tweet.

There’s a retweet and a like shortly after. The tweet has 5 retweets two minutes later which gives me the motivation to start a thread. They barely get any attention but that’s fine, I guess. I am not doing this for the spot light. I am doing it for women’s rights.

I am a feminist. I advocate for the equality of women. I won’t stop fighting. I will never stop fighting.

Last night I caught my neighbor’s girlfriend hurriedly leaving the compound.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I held her hand.

This was before I noticed the bruises on her arms and her black eye. She quickly snatched it away from me running into her Uber ®. I got into my car and drove off a bar not too far from mine. My neighbor arrived not too long after and sat on my table. Before our other friends arrived I told him I had seen his girlfriend earlier that evening. He told me what happened. The usual… blah blah… she made him angry… he lost his cool… she wasn’t obedient… blah blah. I nodded all the while he spoke to me.

“Women right?” He said at the end. “Can’t they do anything right?”

I laughed.

“I know right,” I replied. “They are so annoying.”

“You understand, don’t you?” He asked.

“Of course!”

We toasted to each other and continued drinking as the other lads approached our table.. We discuss football, work and women, always women. My neighbor mentions to the group how he had disciplined his girlfriend. My lack of caution has empowered him. I learn it isn’t his first time. I learn he isn’t the only one in the group with such abusive traits.

“That’s the only way to put them in check,” One of us says.

“If you don’t she will take you for granted,” another supports.

“The worst one is when they try to deny us sex!” A married man shouts.

“What do you do?” Asked another. “My wife has learnt, whether she is interested or not, I get what I want.”

“D-LAW,” We all roar.

“What a man,” I salute him.

Not too long after the conversation goes back to football and the Messi vs Ronaldo debate resumes.

Later on that night I pick on my phone to tweet,

“Sigh! My neighbor beats his girlfriend. It’s terrifying. Why can’t men do any better?”

I am a feminist. I advocate for the equality of women. I won’t stop fighting. I will never stop fighting.

📷 — Tim Marshall