Feminism is about a 5 year old, thought.

[Diana]

Obviously the long-lived patriarchy has produced those who wished to perpetuate it. Combine that with ignorance, greed, all the things Blossom mentioned about our society, and we get a bunch of stupid quotes from insecure men about women (posted by relaxo). I also agree with Blossom that I will not be, respond to, or even acknowledge what anyone thinks I am based on ignorance.

The bigger picture is our need as a race of beings to evolve. As women, I think we must empower ourselves. Waiting for someone to save you rarely works out. And beyond that, as a compassionate being, I help wherever I can. I was on the board once of a shelter for abused women. I had to resign because they treated the women like victims and did not empower them, and I saw no way to work within that system.

It sucks to be on the receiving end of any sort of prejudice or disadvantage. But what to do? Some people are activists, and that's great and necessary. You can fight the injustice, and/or interact with it with an empowered attitude. I've given this example before, but I will repeat it here: When I first started out as an illustrator (freelance) in the late 80s, almost all the art directors and business owners I worked with were male. I set my own prices so equal pay was not a problem (and I might add here that unequal pay is mostly an "employee" problem—so my suggestion is to find a way to do your own thing). There wasn't one meeting I went to where I wasn't hit on by my contact (powerful men at the top). I didn't get angry, or rebuff any of them. I simply got the conversation back on point and never responded to any of the "sexist" comments. I didn't ignore them because I was avoiding the issue. I ignored them because I was not the person they were trying to fit me into, and I saw the comments and pick-up lines for what they were. By not responding to such treatment their ignorance and sexism stayed completely in their own minds and actions, and were not empowered by me.

Yeah, men who were illustrators didn't have to deal with that. But I had a choice: spend time fighting the issue, or change the game by not responding to the power plays. What I definitely did not do was complain about it waiting for someone else to fix the problem.

This issue cuts both ways. By being helpless, it plays right into the sexist game. Don't be helpless. Activism is often necessary for change. But let's not lose sight of the idea that change happens within. 

For example if you dropped by - I could be in a lace dress with steel-cap boots and lipstick using my chainsaw - doing carpentry.

I love this description!