One common argument feminists will hear is "If you believe in equality then why not call yourself an Egalitarian instead of a Feminist?" It has become a rather popular buzzword among anti-fems in the past few years.
Response #1 Feminism IS a movement that falls under the umbrella of Egalitarianism and have not only advocated for women but many other groups as well, such as men, LGBTQ, racial minorities, the poor, the disabled, etc... I gave examples in my "What have Feminists done for men?" post.
Response #2 Someone saying "I am an Egalitarian" means absolutely nothing to me. I believe it is a hollow position because it does nothing for anyone. There are two problems with Egalitarianism as I see it. The first is that they don't actually do anything. My favorite analogy has always been to compare Egalitarians to the United Nations. Now don't misunderstand that statement, I think the U.N. is a great organization and they have good intentions. However, let's be honest. They just are not very effective in actually solving serious problems. This is because they don't actually do anything other than talk about their approval or disapproval regarding something that happens in the world.
The first problem is a direct result of the second problem, which is that they don't accomplish anything because they have no focus on any specific groups. Another appropriate analogy would be comparing Egalitarians to Occupy Wall Street in terms of how they fail as a force for positive change. Much like Egalitarians, OWS accomplish absolutely NOTHING because they had no focus on anything specific. They showed up and advocated for a myriad of different positions rather than just focusing on one specific thing. OWS could have potentially changed society as we knew it if they
would have focused on one clear message about income inequality and had specific goals in mind. Instead their main message was lost in the cacophony of people yelling about countless other issues.
The video below pretty much sums it up...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocI07Mzopjw
Anyway, Egalitarianism is very similar. They don't focus on the issues of any specific groups so they can't accomplish any positive change in society for any of them. Its nice if you believe that all people are equal but talking about it does nothing. You first have to actually recognize that some groups have different problems and have the passion to create change for those groups. This is why activist groups exist. Activists narrow their focus on one specific group and advocate for issues that affect them.
The reason why I made the Egalitarian comparison is because they are also not usually the driving force behind any major positive changes for specific groups in society. As a feminist, I support equality in general but recognize that there have always been issues that affect certain groups more than others and that is why activist groups have always been needed. Yes, Egalitarianism is a good thing but it just hasn't accomplished much for individual groups. Activist groups have always been the ones with the passion to fight for the rights of these people. It was the feminist suffragists who were willing to be spit on, attacked and thrown in jail for fighting for our right to vote. It was the black civil rights activists who did the same thing for their cause. Its LGBT people now who were fighting the same battles for their own equality. Activist groups are needed for people like women, LGBTs, racial minorities, the poor, atheists, religious minorities, etc... We are needed because these groups still have several issues that need to be addressed.
I promise this is the last analogy but another good comparison is the "All Lives Matter" response to Black Lives Matter. Yes, all lives do matter but many feel (rightfully so in my opinion) that not all lives are treated equally in society. BLM exists to address how black people feel they are treated in society, especially by police. Saying "All Lives Matter" sounds good but it does nothing to help address issues. Its just empty talk.
I believe in equality for all but I am much more than an Egalitarian. I am a Feminist. I am an activist for racial equality. I am an LGBT activist. I am an atheist activist. I am an advocate for the poor. These are the groups with serious issues (from my perspective) that need to be supported and I have the passion to do so. You can talk about how you, as an Egalitarian, believe in equality, but it doesn't really matter if you don't have the interest to actually do anything to solve the problems faced by various groups in society.
From my point of view, you're just the United Nations. You may have good intentions but the real work is better left in the hands of the activists. Personally I hope for a day when none of these groups are needed anymore, including feminism. I don't think that day will ever come but I can dream.
Response #3 This one is my personal opinion but I also believe that many of the people who claim to be Egalitarians are far from it. One problem I encounter frequently with some people (especially on YouTube) who claim to be Egalitarians is that I never see them actually promoting equal rights by discussing any issues. Instead they seem to be obsessively attacking the issues advocated by women, LGBTQ, racial minorities, etc... They seem to just want to silence us about women's issues, unless those issues are located in the Middle-East. That seems to be the only time they want us discussing women's issues. lol I find that interesting. And on that note....
Response #4 This one is opinion as well but I also find it interesting that I never see them on MRA channels telling them that they should call themselves Egalitarians instead of MRAs. I can say the same about LGBT activists, African-American civil rights activists, Atheist activists, and pretty much every other activist group in existence. They only seem to use this argument against Feminists. And yes, I spend a lot of time doing research on various activist sites and channels (even MRAs) and I have not once seen this argument used on any of them. lol
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