Now, I haven't actually seen this documentary in full. I don't live in the UK, so I don't see a lot of the amazing documentaries they make on BBC. This one in particular was made by Vanessa Engle who "turns her attention to sexual politics in a three-part documentary series about feminism and its impact on women's lives today."
I find that in this short clip we see all the tension between this woman and her parents, without them even being in the same room as each other. Her parents' response seems to be typical - that their daughter's feminism is just a phase, something she picked up at university (even though she's been out of university for a while), and that this anger will subside. They seem to be more threatened by her anger than her passion for women's rights. Her father even mentions that she has a "charmed" life, and what does she have to be angry about?
Even though this woman, yes, has white privilege, seems to have a pretty wealthy/upper middle class lifestyle (kickboxing classes, a nice home in the suburbs, a job, a university education), but she does have a right to be angry. Even though she has this upbringing, she can still understand and feel injustices - this is why she is a young activist.
Her parents, it seems, may be more distraught over her general rage (inappropriate for a young lady...) than the fact that she is a "feminist". I feel like I get a similar impression from my family, or rather that I am wasting my time with being angry and passionate when I could just be complacent and accept everything as it is. I think what's really important about this video clip is this refusal for apathy.
Her mother may be terrified of the F-word, but this young activist isn't.
posted by moi.
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