what is a feminist?

LC declared her feminism a few posts ago, and opened a discussion of how we define this term. As we approach our last day of class for this course, this might be the perfect end note. So, my dear students and other blog readers, please respond and give your definition of this word -- what does it mean to you to be a feminist? Or, and perhaps more interestingly, why do you not identify as a feminist?

At the risk of pushing all other posts off this page, I'm going to paste a bunch of quotes that answer this question for me:

Feminism as bumper sticker:

"Feminism is the radical notion that women are people"

Women's Rights Manifesto

Because woman's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and ...for lots and lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history."
-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

"There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
-Madeleine K. Albright

"Considering how dangerous everything is nothing is frightening."
-Gertrude Stein

"It is not possible to address society's needs at any level while ignoring the perspectives, priorities, and knowledge of more than half of the world's population."
-Rosina Wilshire of UNDP

"Women give life. We have the capacity to give life and light. We can take up our brooms and sweep the earth."
-Isabelle Letelier

"Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender."
-Alice Walker

"Violence against women will end when legal, philanthropic, governmental and non-governmental organizations and impassioned individuals unite and stand up to say it is a priority, to say that the time for ending violence is now."
-Eve Ensler

"And ain't I a woman?"
-Sojourner Truth

"Also we've found that when we discuss women's problems, we need the men to be present, so that they can contribute by giving their opinions of what to do about the problem. And so that they can learn as well. If they don't learn, they don't progress."
-Rigoberta Menchu (222)