Francesca, 11/13

To call someone a radical feminist has rather negative implications. This term conjures up images of butch lesbians seeking to castrate the male race as they burn every bra in sight. However, the very definition of the word radical proposes a different perspective. Radical is defined as of or relating to the root of something, affecting its fundamental nature. As we ascribe meaning in accordance to our comprehension of words, we demonstrate that language is subjective. Meaning is derived from a person’s unique experience with a particular word. By utilizing speech, we provide a context for people to recall instances associated with a given word, and thus validate its definition by means of confirming their preconceptions. Therefore, if someone’s preconception of a feminist is the image I have described above, then the mention of the word will call this description to mind. The subjectivity of one’s definitions are influenced by others experiences with the word. These preceding experiences provide a paradigm for the formation of one’s mentality. So, if society consistently presents feminists in an unflattering and biased light by depicting only sensationalized accounts of those who comprise the insane end of the spectrum, it is these images that will serve as the paradigm for many experiences with the word. Furthermore, it is this means of deriving meaning for a word that posits a problem. Feminist is merely a word. The negative implications the word has come to entail is a product of language’s subjectivity. At the root of this problem, is the word itself. Feminism is an inherently radical concept as it maintains the need for society to reevaluate the injustices of fundamental ideals. Yet, as Helene Ciouxs would agree with me, perhaps it the means by which we create these ideals that must be reconsidered, language.