Ladies, let’s face it. Feminism, Womanism, Any-ism will never, ever get all of us together, holding hands and doing this:

Nah. Never gonna happen. Plus, soda makes you fat, so nice try, but no fly.

In my newfound zeal to explore more about feminism and womanism, I stumbled across this book: Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman by Phyllis Chesler. And after reading just the first 20 pages, I now why I don’t think I’d ever want women to rule the world. Now, before you get all mad and stuff, just hear me out!

In her introduction, Chesler says:

“The fact that someone is a woman does not mean that she likes, trusts, or works well with other women. Although women may be more emotionally expressive and interpersonally sophiticated than men are, some women also dislike and distrust other women.”

Think Snow White, and the jealous beyach that would rather see her dead than have anyone else be prettier than her. Fairy tale, or allegory? **scratching imaginary professorial beard**

Think I’m just stirring the pot? Hope so. I LIVE for pot stirring. Even the great womanist, bell hooks warned us to “challege the simplistic notion that man is the enemy, woman the victim. We all have the capacity to act in ways that opppress, dominate, wound (whether or not that power is institutionalized.”

I have always had complicated relationships with women. Women either love me or dispise me. Not too much indifference–it’s visceral. I was the girl in high school that girls wanted to beat up because I wore white shoes after Labor Day, breathed through my nose, walked upright, and chewed with my mouth closed. Frankly, there’s more women in the world whom I’m afraid of than men, and I have always, always wondered why.

Now neither I or Chessler let men off the hook. It is true that 90% of violent crimes are committed by men. “I am not saying that woman’s inhumanity to woman is one the same level as man’s inhumanity to woman; it is not. But, women have enormous influence over each others; we have the power to encourage each other to either resist or to collaborate with tyranny. Each time one woman tells the truth–ten more do so. Each time one woman fight back, thousands more are encourage to do so,” says Chessler.

If you think I’m trying to say something without quite saying it, you’d be right. Women are really, really good at that, too.

Let’s be good to each other–or at the very least, fair and civil. Let’s resist the urge toward spitefulness and cattiness.

Besides, the world already has enough cats.

And I’m allergic.