Who are you calling a Feminist?

In this post, Ann Althouse recently called for feminists to critique sexism in the blog world, prompting this post by Echidne. While in my experience few students will raise their hands if you ask them if they are "feminists," the principle of equality between the sexes that "feminists" work for seems widely accepted.

This question is for my students: why do you think people hesitate to accept the label feminist? What is your impression of modern feminism? Anyone willing to accept the label? To start thinking about virtual rhetoric and online communities, the assignment for Paper Four, read the comments at Atrios's blog and at Kevin Drum's as well. How is this online political community reacting to or policing such speech? Is this an example of dysfunction or a healthy airing out of an issue of concern to many?

The comments are from the generally obstreperous Little Green Footballs site, but here is a sample.