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Feminism and its core issues are as relevant as ever. As an idea, it's not outdated. It remains the main form of representation available to women in the present culture. That said, it has been seriously undermined by the mediocre media presence it has acquired.

Feminism has always had to fight its way into the media. Germaine Greer pole axed the social norms of mass media with The Female Eunuch, against every possible grain in the idiot psyche of broadcasting and print. They didn't know how to handle it then, and they don't know how to handle it now. Feminism isn't a spectator sport, and is therefore outside the comprehension of people trained to have the attention span of a used corn flake.

Unfortunately, feminism has shot itself in the foot repeatedly in terms of media presence. What's done is usually not done well, and it's not done at the level of intensity required to make the issues give off sparks to light the fires. By being drawn into the gaping, expensive maw of production and marketing, the costs have gone down, currency is affected by the digestion process, and what comes out at the other end is of corresponding quality.

For example, a billboard will become an issue, perhaps rightly, but the sex slavery of millions of women is never mentioned. Not great for the credibility. Tends to make the relative priorities rather debatable. Misanthropic little ditties, from tiresome overpaid trolls, will become The Face Of Feminism, while the truly heroic work in women's shelters is totally ignored. Imbecile buzzwords like "empowered" will be mindlessly glued onto any subject, "I feel empowered by (insert any noun here)" while Ms. Compound Fractures is dying, to the putrescent silence of a total lack of any sort of comment.

The perceptions are quite treacherous. It is very easy to stereotype feminism. Just add a few clichs, and the eunuch's uniform is retailored. Honestly, some of these people should never be allowed anywhere near a camera, or a spray can, if it's intended to promote any faith in the sincerity and objectivity of feminism. I saw one piece on TV, where I swear by every dearly loved hair on my mother's head that it was impossible to believe that any sort of relevance was even being attempted. The only impression I got from that article was that you could only be called a feminist if you were white, over 40, incapable of making sense, and being paid six figures a year for wearing a suit. It was appalling.

For the love of whatever matters to you, ladies, please stick to your principles, and tell these half witted jelly babies doing the publicity to stay focused and pay attention to the production. Keep an eye on what's being publicized. You're entitled to demand some quality control. You're paying for it, in more ways than money will ever be able to cost you. You are, after all, working for half the entire human race.

Learn more about this author, Paul Wallis.
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