An Interesting Follow-Up
I’m loving the conversation that The Femivore’s Dilemma has created, my husband and I have been discussing it for days. I think I found the original article so irritating because, from the outside, I fit her description to a “T”. Never mind that I’ve been working toward this way of life for the past 20 or more years, if the shoe fits, I’m clearly nothing more than a flaky fad follower, doomed to be little more than my husband’s house pet.
I don’t really agree with the suggestion that the article legitimizes the decision to follow this lifestyle, it seems more like an attempt to belittle it. But it’s hardly a new thing for society at large to feel disdain for farmers or anyone else who has aspirations beyond the latest iPhone App.
I read an article this morning that I think is the perfect contrast to the last one. The author takes the position that people are making the changes necessary to survive in the face of a shifting and less certain economic climate. What do you think?
Apparently, I'm a femivore too. Luckily I don't care what some big city rat-race runner thinks about my choices, but if I did feel the need to justify the space I take up in the world, I'd say I was working to destroy the capitalist growth economy by not earning and spending. And I'm having fun and my family eats well. So there.
I think we should take back the word "dropout". When someone asks my daughter why she's not in school, I think she should answer that she's a grade 6 dropout. Alas, she always says she homeschools. I'm definitely going to have her read The Dropout Economy.
one of my readers pointed out that femivore means someone that eats women. That had me rolling.
B – I love the idea of reclaiming the word "dropout", wouldn't the grandparents love that!
Phelan – I saw that comment – too funny! I guess the author didn't really think through the implications of her title!
Nice blog.
Making the changes necessary to survive? Definitely.
Also sick and tired of paying money to big business and also in tax for services I don't see a use in. Exhausted with all the waste and pollution everywhere.
Looking for a more simple and wholesome life. Like my grandparents enjoyed.
Heya :c) Found your blog randomly last week.
I read that article as well and was left feeling pissy about it. First of all the name Femivore is dismissive and mildly insulting. It brings to mind an image of a feminist eating everything? I dunno – but it's dumb. Another bone of contention was the article makes it seem as if women are opting out and playing little house on the prairie, when they are most definitely not.
Also, while the title could easily fit me (I don't think it was broad enough), I detest being labeled for palatability.
An interesting reaction I had at the end when she mentions the word "precious" is "f**k you…" and then I realized she meant it in a "positive" way. However due to the whole tone of the article I took it to be a belittling "aw isn't that precious!" like we were cute but ultimately useless.
Anyway :c) Thanks for the new link!
Was lovely finding a blog of a fellow Canadian on a similar journey, even though mine is in Ireland now!
<3
I read the article and thought it was kind of humorous. It's interesting to me that we need to label everything, maybe to validate it? The funny thing is that those of us that opt out of the social norms don't care about labels 🙂
And there are people who are growing veg and keeping chickens because it's the hip thing to do, maybe they need a catchy label?
Jennifer – A simple and wholesome life – couldn't ask for much more than that!
Garden Pheenix – I had the same reaction to her use of the word "precious". I'll have to re-read it to see if I can see the positive in it.
How lucky to be living in Ireland!
Chiot's Run – Exactly. It seems a bit silly to step in and tell a group of people that they're all the same based on x,y,z. I think it weakens her credibility more than anyone else's.
I agree with your assessment that it was a tad belittling (and let me add my voice to those who think the word "femivore" is silly). It reminded me of articles written by "fashion-conscious, modern women" on things like the Diva Cup, where they basically just ridicule the whole idea and anybody who would think of using it. It's all so childish, really, and makes me feel even better that I'm taking the road less travelled. The further away I get from consumer/disposable culture the more brainwashed its denizens appear to be.
Well, the article was certainly an interesting and thought-provoking read. The problem with a one-page article like that, however, is that it simply cannot assess all the reasons people choose to grow and raise their own food. Furthermore, any assessment it makes on feminism is mere conjecture. I would say that feminism is always evolving, and like any movement- it should be.
The main point is that you know yourself best, and if you are happy with your choices, I wouldn't let it get to you too much.
I am a late comer to this conversation but I think the lady from the first article didn't know what she was talking about. First off, my family of four makes under 25k a year and I do work seasonally but am stay at home mom the rest of the year. Just because she interviewed a dozen families doesn't mean she has the scope of who all is going back to basics. Secondly, this isn't a "fad" in the Americas. People across the globe have been discovering the joys of being a home provider and caretaker of their environment. Third there is nothing wrong with knowing how the food chain works and what is going into your body. The best way to do this is to raise your own food. Something millions of folks did everyday until the inception of mass agribusiness.
And yes to answer your question, some of it is to deal with the economy. Although I think it is more to do with health consciousness. As you probably are well aware, the chickens cost more to raise then the price you save on eggs but you know there are not hormones or chemicals going into them. And you they have not been genetically modified or diseased. With all the articles in the news about sick animals at factory farms or the possibility of cloned livestock being served in your local deli, people are getting nervous.