Some Questions Regarding the Feminist Phrase: “We Want Equal Rights With Men!”
You say “we,” but who is “we”? All women? Why would all women deserve to be on an equal footing with each other? Who said that the daughter is equal to the mother, the wife to the widow, the young to the elderly, the healthy to the poor, etc.? Who is “we”? Who are “you” exactly, and what makes you think you are equally entitled to everything others are?
You say “want.” Well, all of us “want” things. Have you earned what you “want”? Does it make sense for you to get what you “want”? Does your acquisition of your personal “wants” result in a fair and just allocation of everyone else’s “wants” when we take their rights into account? Does this “want” of yours attend to a need or simply to a personal selfish desire of yours?
You say “equal.” Do you mean equally fair, or do you mean rigidly strict undifferentiation? Surely, no one believes in the latter. Not even intra-gender treatment is undifferentiated. Women differ demographically (e.g., age, education, income, etc.), as do men, and those basic demographics influence what rights a person is entitled to. So what is outrageous about believing the same when it comes to gender, whereby each gender is unique in the set of responsibilities allocated to it?
You say “rights.” Rights provided by whom exactly? The government, the community as a whole, people at an individual level, etc.? According to what moral standard do you have a moral claim or right to demand something from all these parties? Why should they be obliged to treat the provision of what you claim are “rights” to you as a moral duty? Why should the moral standard you appeal to even be considered authoritative by anyone? What if other people abide by a moral standard that does not align with yours?
You say “men.” Who told you that all men out there have equal rights among each other to begin with? Many men are treated horribly, and I am not sure you would want them as ambitious benchmarks. Why even use men as a genus as a benchmark to start with? Would it not be better for you to simply identify the correct moral standard out there and ensure that you are obtaining your rights per that standard’s principles instead?