Allison+C’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech=

=Text of Speech=
 * YESALLWOMEN**

Feminism. Uh huh. The look on your faces tells it all. Now I didn’t want to do this topic originally as I felt that too many people were expecting it from me and that I really wanted to talk about the something else, but here I am. I realized it was worth it to talk about something I really care about. And not only to tell you how much I care, but why you should care and why I hope I grow old in an America that cares more about feminism. Now many people are probably already very aware that feminism carries a negative and even “annoying” connotation. I normally get angry when people say things like that because it confuses me. When I was texting a guy (omg yes I talk and communicate with males I don’t hate them) anyway he made a discriminatory comment about women and I pointed out why it was not politically correct and he said “oh geez here comes your feminist side”. This is the way a lot of males and even some females respond to the simple discussion of feminism. As if it’s a “side” to me. No. It is my full being and is in every part of my belief system and isn't some on and off switch. It puts off the important topic as if it is some dumb irrelevant rant. It is not. And anyone disregarding the topic or brushing it off is either too lazy to have a vital and engaging conversation about women’s rights, or is simply afraid of a women getting mad about something important to her and doesn’t have a mindless drone who will agree and bat her eyes at every opinion. Now to define feminism because many people seem to be waaaaaay off with what feminism even is. Feminism is defined as “ the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. ” The only reason “men” is in this definition is because they are the default sex. The one to compare women to. Because men have more rights than women. Now where in this does it say hating men? Or bringing men down? It’s not there. And why is it not? Because it has nothing to do with feminism that is just another way for “society” to turn a political topic into revolving around men. Feminism is a women empowerment and advancement campaign and collection of ideals. Might I add right now that one of my biggest pet peeves is when people say “woman” for multiple women. Like they’ll say “idk who they were I just saw a bunch of woman” Like wtf. Anyway, another common misconception is that feminism is just for women. Now that’s like saying only gay people support gay rights! Does that mean I’m gay?? Never mind. That’s beside the point. Feminism is for men and women. Anyone can call themselves a feminist if they believe in women having equal rights as men in political, economic, and social aspects. In addition they should live their life abiding by that of course because to call yourself a feminist and then turn around and say that your wife should stay home and clean even though she doesn’t want to, is not a feminist. That’s just a sexist lizard. (Most people say sexist pig but I think lizard is better because it’s smaller and less intelligent slithering creature). Now I want to tell you why I want the future America to be more feminist because a lot of people believe sexist things don’t even happen in America that much anymore. I’m here to say that is incorrect. People nowadays say “feminazi” like wanting your gender to be treated like human beings is just like invading Poland. Now there are multiple online feminism phenomenons such as “#yesallwomen” and “I need feminism because…” but there is still an overwhelming amount of horrible things happening every day. Even I have experienced this first hand when walking to school (middle school story is told here) I need feminism because I deserve to walk to school without having to worry about being followed or possibly raped and abducted simply because I am alone and young and a girl wearing a skirt. I need feminism because I deserve to go in some cool vintage thrift store with my friends in LA and not be creepily stared at from across the room and eventually confronted by these admiring and very old men wanting to tell us how cute we were and hangout with us. I need feminism because I deserve to have an argument with a person of the opposite sex and not have his friends yell out at the end “dang! You just got beat by a GIRL!” The world needs feminism because not only does porn immorally corrupt women, it also makes it sexy to degrade them and even makes everything revolve around men as if women do not enjoy sex. Even lesbian porn is made for men. Everything revolves around men. The world needs feminism because women all over the world are told what to do with their bodies, how to dress, how they have a lack of education because they are less than, how they cannot have sexual pleasure so they get their clitoris violently mutilated because they do not deserve pleasure, how they need to stay at home because that’s a woman’s job according to the bible, how they are a slut, whore, loose, tramp or whatever else. They are told how it is their fault they got raped because they were dressed slutty? America needs feminism because women make 77cents to every dollar that men make currently, because i n 2012, the median earnings of American women working full time year-round were about $37,000 while American men earned a median income of about $49,000. America needs feminism because t he number of men working full time year-round increased by 1 million between 2011 and 2012, while the number of full-time working women remained close to the same. America needs feminism because black women earn 69 cents for every dollar paid to African-American men, and Latinas earn just 58 cents on the dollar compared to Latino men. (The gap being even bigger when compared to white men). America needs feminism because it shouldn’t be a common thought that a woman could never be president because she is too “sensitive” or “weak”. Just like we overcame our ignorance with a black person becoming president, we will eventually overcome the ignorance regarding women as well. America needs feminism because if a girl hasn’t had sex in high school she’s a prude and if she has, she’s a slut. America needs feminism because society is more comfortable with people telling jokes about rape than they are with people revealing they have been raped, because in 2010 only 35% of rapes or sexual assaults were reported to the police, because when a girl is sexually harassed or even groped by a stranger in public they are told to take it as a compliment, because 44% of teenage students admit to sexually harassing their peers and didn’t think it was a “big deal”. America needs feminism because girls grow up knowing it is safer to fake a phone number than to turn a guy down, because “friend-zoning” a guy is a horrible atrocity to males, because in an online pole it stated that 75% of respondents said that they had been followed by an harasser on the streets. America needs feminism because I shouldn’t have to walk with my keys in my hand as a weapon and check over my shoulder every couple of seconds when out late at night, because people are tired of hearing about sexism. Well guess how tired we are of encountering it? #yesallwomen because when a girl got raped by star athletes the media talked about their ruined future not her ruined life. #yesallwomen because no means no. Under all circumstances. Because men are afraid that women will laugh at them, women are afraid men will kill them.Because calling someone a "pussy" is a negative term #yesallwomen because 1 in 3 women will experience sexual or physical assault in their life time. America needs feminism because the male’s response to #yesallwomen is #yesallmen once again making it about men instead of supporting women. America needs feminism because this society teaches women not to get raped, instead of men not to rape, because 98.1% of female victims were assaulted by a male and 93.3% of males were assaulted by males. America needs feminism because people like Rick Ross can rap about putting drugs in his date’s drink and taking her home and enjoying her without her knowing, and still makes millions. America needs feminism because men become entitled. Like the shooting at Isla Vista.

In the America I hope to grow old in, everyone is a feminist.

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