http://onwardstate.com/2011/11/01/10-questions-the-willard-preacher/

So for those who don’t know this man, walk by Willard during the day and you will probably see him out preaching. Known to Penn Staters as the Willard Preacher, Gary Cattell preaches to the masses every weekday. During the hour that I watched him and talked to him, he didn’t take even a sip of water, so I have no idea how he manages to stay hydrated and keep from losing his voice. Gary was a hard person to interview, because his beliefs differed from mine in some key respects. He also seemed to only want to talk about his own beliefs, which I noticed because he would constantly interrupt me. That was very frustrating, but I tried my best to ask him questions that led off of what he said or continued the conversation. As you may notice, this blog is noticeably different from my previous blogs, because I expressed some of my own beliefs when asking him questions. This is because I wanted to establish the grounds for the next questions that I had. If you have any questions about Gary’s beliefs on feminism, he is more than willing to talk to anyone who comes up to him.

What do you think the definition of feminism is?

My definition is you can’t be a real top-dog feminist until you have at least had three abortions and converted to lesbianism. I think Feminism has devolved into sex. I mean there’s still a little bit here and there about a woman not earning as much as a man, but the vast majority of it is about sex and abortion.

So you wouldn’t consider yourself a feminist, I’m assuming.

Well, I think if women are doing the same jobs, they should get the same pay, but other than that, and I think women should have the right to vote, but these things have basically been won for the most part. But with modern-day feminists, it’s all about sex and abortion.

Do you believe that men and women are equal?

That depends on what you mean by equal. I don’t believe anyone is really equal. I think men and women are different, and they have different strengths and weaknesses inherent to their sex, and different strengths and weaknesses compared to who they are. So, you get the best male powerlifter in the world and the best female powerlifter in the world and the man will always lift more weight. Women aren’t going to be able to line up as attackers in the NFL. Ment tend to think more linearly. A B C D Conclusion this is it. Women tend to think more intuitively and relationally. Now that doesn’t mean there is no man that is more intuitive and relational, and no women that is more linear, but the most linear man will be more linear than the most linear woman, and the most relational and intuitive woman will be more relational and intuitive than the most relational and intuitive man. So I think there are these two differences and that another thing about feminism is that feminism is all about wanting to be like men. Everything is about, “Well men can do this. Men can do that. Men are like this. Men are like that” Why can’t women just be happy being women?

Well I think one thing feminism stands for is the fact that the genders are equal and I personally don’t think it’s all about women wanting to be like men. For example, I think Feminists should be fighting against the fact that when men turn 18, they have to sign up for the Selective service. Either both men and women should be forced to sign up, or nobody should. It’s not fair to have one gender have to sign up, and not have the other. So I don’t think that feminism is all about women wanting to be like men, it is about putting everyone on an equal playing ground. At the beginning of everybody’s life, they should all start at the same platform, and then you should be judge on your own merits.

But we’re not on the same platform. Men have more testosterone than women do. Women have more estrogen than men do. Men are more likely to be fighters. Men are more likely to want to go into battle and fight because of that testosterone. Women are more likely to want to protect life, especially children, and others because of their estrogen and that sense that women have to nurture. So I don’t really agree with that, I think you ought to look at men and women, recognize their differences, and let them each exalt in what they do best. If there is the occasional woman who has more testosterone than normal, and she would make a good fighter, that’s fine. But to expect all women to do that… women are really not made for that physically or hormonally. It just doesn’t seem to be rational. It seems like we’ve got this view of equality and that trumps common sense.

You said you can’t expect every woman to fight because they don’t have as much testosterone, but how can you expect every man to be willing to fight for their country? Why do we make one gender do that, and not the other?

Well if a man doesn’t want to fight you can put him in a clerical job, not everyone fights in the military. Feminists tend to think this is all a grand conspiracy to keep women down. But no, men have always gone out to slay the wild beast, they have always gone out to hunt, they’ve always been the protectors of the family, because that is what’s natural to men in our current state of beings. Women have always wanted to stay home and make sure the home was good, and make sure the children were taken care of because of that nurturing sense. It’s the woman who carries the child in her womb for 9 months. It’s her that bonds with the child while it’s in the womb. It’s her that has breasts to feed the child. She’s got that nurturing instinct for a reason and to just ignore that and say that women and men are the same is to just put common sense aside and to just go with an ideology.

I don’t think feminists say that women are the same as men. They recognize that there are differences, but they are saying that women and men should have the same opportunities.

Look, like I said, if there is the occasional woman who is more like a man, they usually convert to lesbianism anyway, but there is the occasional woman who is more like a man, that is fine. If she wants to try to do some of these things, I’m not saying there should be laws that keep her from doing them. But what I am saying is that I think the feminist view of men and women is skewed, because they see men as the standard, and think if they are going to be truly women, they have to be like men. Every time I talk to a feminist, it’s always “Men can do it. Men can do it. Men can do it.” But when I talk to men, I don’t hear them saying “Women can do it. Women can do it. Women can do it.” So it’s not men that want to be like women, it’s women that want to be like men.

[Random spectator]: People don’t really restrict men now. The only real restriction is that someone would tell you that you are doing something that’s gay.

Well yeah, if a man starts to act more like a women, then yeah most men are going to look at him and tell him “man up dude, you’re supposed to be a man, not a woman.” The feminists are always like “we want to be like men. If men can do it, we want to do it.”

How can you say a woman can’t do something that a man can do?

Like I said, there are the exceptions and there are some women that can do things that a man can, maybe not as good as the best man can, but maybe as good as a lot of men can do it. That’s why I’m saying there shouldn’t be law restrictions against them. But there shouldn’t be this understanding that men and women are the same, and therefore, you know trying to force women into this picture mold of being something they’re really not, or trying to force men into that by making them more effeminate.

[Random spectator]: So there is an obvious huge discrepancy of men and women in the STEM fields. There are big things now when women are younger to give them more toys that are more like legos and stuff to build up so they think it is an acceptable job to go into STEM. Would you disagree with this push then?

Yeah I think they are trying to make women like men. Make them play with boy toys.

[Random Spectator]: Is there something essentially masculine about playing with legos or being a scientist?

Well I think men tend to think in that linear, logical way, whereas women tend to think in the intuitive and relational way.  Because of feminism, our country has said the linear and rational way is the better way. If you tell a feminist women tend to think in a more relational and intuitive way, they immediately say “oh no we don’t, no we don’t” as if that’s bad. It’s not bad, it’s just that the feminists have made it bad, because the feminists have the standard of men. And because men think like that, that must be the good way of thinking, and so women should think like that, or at least have to be encouraged to think like that. Why can’t you just let women be women, and men be men?

Unfortunately my phone ran out of space to record the rest of our conversation. What came before this was recorded, and I typed it out word for word, with minor edits to take out verbal fillers. Here is a little paraphrase of what he said, and this is just from my own memory of what he said. Feel free to talk with Gary to confirm any of these next statements:

Gary continued on to say that he doesn’t believe that there is a rape culture at Penn State, and told me that feminists are trying to beat a dead horse. Essentially, he said that Feminists were fighting for equality, but once they got it, they still wanted to fight about something. So now they are fighting for things for the sole purpose of an adrenaline rush that they get from fighting for things.

This is Rebecca Cobes. Rebecca is one of the nicest people I know, and probably one of the smartest too. She is so sweet, and has such a giving heart. Moral of this story? If Rebecca thinks something, you should probably at least check out why she thinks that. If a person is intelligent, they know why they think certain things. Rebecca has often shown me that she cares more about other people, than for herself. So she wouldn’t make a decision that hurt other people. Read what Rebecca has to say about feminism, and comment below any responses you might have!

1.) Are you a Feminist?

-Does Penn State get cold in winter? Are puppies cute? Is Coke better than Pepsi? Yes it does. Yes they are. Of course it is! Yes I am a feminist!! 🙂

2.) What is a feminist?

-Anyone and everyone who believes that women and men should have equal opportunity in every area of life. On a slight tangent, a lot of the time I feel like people opt out of labelling themselves feminist by saying that they would just prefer to refer to themselves as an equalitarian. However, feminism is more than just equalitarian. Feminism is an effort towards equality that specifically calls attention to a sector of where equality is still lacking. Calling feminism the same thing as equalitarianism is like calling a recycling effort being environmentally friendly. Yes you’re being a friend to the environment, but it’s a lot more than that too.

3.) Why are you a feminist?

-Once I realized what feminism was, I had no reason not to be a feminist! I like equality and I like helping support equality where it needs help the most. Plus, feminism doesn’t just help females. Feminism, when executed correctly- helps everyone!

4.) Why do you think there is so much negativity associated with feminism?

-Media media media. I feel like there’s a lot of negativity associated with feminism because the media tends to focus on feminism in a negative light. As with anything, negativity, for whatever reason, tends to draw a crowd. Just think about the last time you saw a majority of the news be positive- if you can even think of one. Because media sources profit from exposure they play on any negative connotation they can give to a movement or event such as feminism. Consequently, people draw conclusions about the feminist movement that are scripted and that sometimes appear a lot more negative than what the positive reality actually is.

5.) What can we do to change that?

-We can continue to be examples and advocates of and for what feminism and feminists are really all about. I don’t want to say that something will radically change and eradicate every negative misconception of feminism within the next day, because that is almost impossible. Besides the sheer improbability- I don’t know if that’s the best option anyway. Effective change takes time, one patient and determined person at a time. Clichés are true for a reason.

6.) How can feminism change the world?

-How can’t feminism change the world? It already has! From women gaining the right to vote to current female presidential candidates (and countless things in between!)… Things are a long way from perfect but we’re getting a little better each day.

7.) What is one inequality that makes you mad as a feminist? (e.g. Wage gap)

-Street harassment and or catcalling. From personal experience I have found females much more likely to be catcalled or harassed than males. Neither is remotely okay. Even in places like Penn State where it is relatively easy to think that this doesn’t happen- it does. I personally have been catcalled on our campus. Moreover, if I’m walking alone at night I do feel uneasy and on edge. However, when I’m accompanied by one of my male friends I never think twice- and there within lies the problem.

8.) If you could say one thing to people who are against feminists what would you say?

-*insert peace emoji here* ✌?️

When thinking about a possible blog topic, I ran a couple ideas through my head, but the two that stuck out were feminism and a Humans of New York style blog. I thought about each of these, and how I would be able to incorporate either of them into a blog situation. I really thought that I would enjoy writing about either of these, and couldn’t decide which one I would like better. So I thought, “Why not do both?” And so, I present to you, Feminists of Penn State.

I decided for this first week’s post that I would just introduce myself, and my opinions and beliefs. I promise that I will not change other people’s words to fit my opinions, and that I will not exclude others based on their opinions. So if you, or someone you knows wants to be interviewed for a little blog, let me know! The first rule I have for this blog, is that you don’t have to be a feminist to be included. I am interested in learning about people’s opinions on feminism more than anything, and I hope that will be interesting for you to read as well. So, here we go!

My name is Lina Ruth Duiker, and I am from State College, PA; yes I am a townie and yes I love Penn State. We Are!

What is a feminist?

To me, a feminist is a person who believes that everyone is equal, regardless of gender. This means that feminists aren’t just fighting for women’s rights. They are fighting for men’s rights too, if they are being deprived of certain rights. Many people say that Feminists are Feminazis. I think there are feminists, and then there are feminot-sies. Some people say they are feminists without really understanding what a feminist is. PSA- don’t try to claim you are a part of a group if you don’t know what the group stands for; you will probably embarrass yourself at some point if someone asks you about the group, and you don’t know what you are talking about.

Are you a Feminist?

YES! While I may not agree with all of the policies that most feminists fight for, I do believe in equality, and therefore identify as a feminist.

Why do you think there is so much negativity associated with feminism?

Personally I think this is because people object to change, and the fact that an entire group of people is fighting for change scares them. I also believe that feminot-sies are really undermining the efforts of feminists.

What can we do to change that?

First of all, know your facts! Or if you don’t, admit that you don’t! Second of all, don’t force your opinion on others. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. If you want people to respect your opinions, respect theirs as well.

If you could say one thing to people who are against feminists what would you say?

At least have an open mind, and listen to the arguments that feminists have. It is okay for you to disagree, but we can all act like adults, and disagree politely.