Of all things German chancellor Angela Merkel has said, this one has to be the most ludicrous. Recently, the politician was at the G20 Women’s Summit where she was asked in a manner as straightforward as possible if she were a feminist. Now, most people would either answer straight up or they would just tick ‘cannot say’ but, Merkel’s response was… Actually, we are not exactly sure what it was.
At the G20 in Berlin, Merkel was asked, “Do you consider yourself a feminist?” and she and the crowd started laughing as if it were a scene from school, where the teacher has asked an uncomfortable question the student is feeling not up to answering.
“I am not afraid of it. If you think that I am one – please, vote on it,” Merkel said. “But I don’t want to adorn myself with these plumes,” she added. Er… What plumes? Is being a feminist similar to being a bird?
But, she didn’t stop there. Merkel continued, “To be honest the history of feminism is one with which I have common ground but also differences, and I don’t want to embellish myself with a title I don’t have.” Perhaps she needs to look up the term ‘feminist’ in a dictionary.
Dear Angela Merkel, there’s no middle ground when it comes to feminism. You either advocate gender equality or you do not. And while we are on that subject, feminism is not something to be afraid of. We need to fear people’s inclination towards “opting out” of being called a feminist.
Here’s is the video:
Moderator to the German chancellor: “Are you a feminist?”
Angela Merkel: #W20 pic.twitter.com/ofotHSTCAh— dwnews (@dwnews) April 25, 2017
