OMG, The Rad Fem Blog Crew Displays Sexism!

I’m laughing so hard I can barely type! I popped over to “Lara’s” little blog and found I’ve been the topic of discussion. It seems these anti-woman types — yes, I said anti-woman–thinks that anyone who doesn’t rage incoherently (like they do) but instead speaks with authority instead of cowering must be a MAN!
OMG, their sexism is astonishing! They’ve decided that because I’m “aggressive” and issue “instructions” I’m a man! I might wet my pants I’m laughing so hard! And then they talk about stereotyping. Who’d'a thought? I suppose I could post a photo of my breasts, or describe when I gave birth, or talk about menstrual cramps, but why should I? Let them expose their idiocy and bigotry. These fools hate women!

Good lord.

How blind rage masquerading as feminism hurts women

Ever listen to the right wing anti-feminist fools?  You know who I mean, the Rush Limbaugh types?  They dismiss feminism as man-hating male-bashing lesbians who are foaming at the mouth with their self-righteous rage.  Have you ever wondered where they get the ammunition they use against feminists?  Against women, period?

Have you ever talked to good old Aunt Millie about feminism?  You know, the aunt who says “I thought feminists hated men?”  Ever wonder where that mis-impression comes from?

Just read a few rad-fem blogs.  There’s your answer.  You know, the ones who say you can’t trust men; those who say “most men are rapists;” those who dismiss all women who aren’t like them (ragers and haters) with derisive, belittling labels like “not my Nigel?”  The ones who don’t bother to read opposing viewpoints but jump to conclusions?  The ones who assume because some reasonable evidence is required before labeling all or “most” men as rapists that  fail to “[acknowledge] violence against women hurt[s]” them “in some way?
That women who require more than bullshit are “so damned defensive for men?”  The ones who drip with snide condescension and then project?

Yup, there’s your answer.  They are the anti-feminist/anti-woman hate-monger’s best tool.  And they are tools.  Not only do they do the anti-woman brigade’s work for them, they alienate countless people who would otherwise be allies.

There you go.  This nonsense hurts women and does it big time.  All the while, they’re wrapped in their cloak of self-righteous rage and rush off to fight the crusades.  Against women.

Liberal Feminism

I am a liberal feminist.  More specifically, I am an egalitarian liberal feminist.  Quoting from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

“Egalitarian liberal feminism conceives of freedom as personal autonomy — living a life of one’s own choosing — and political autonomy — being co-author of the conditions under which one lives. Egalitarian liberal feminists hold that the exercise of personal autonomy depends on certain enabling conditions that are insufficiently present in women’s lives, or that social arrangements often fail to respect women’s personal autonomy and other elements of women’s flourishing. They hold also that women’s needs and interests are insufficiently reflected in the basic conditions under which they live, and that those conditions lack legitimacy because women are inadequately represented in the processes of democratic self-determination. Egalitarian liberal feminists hold that autonomy deficits like these are due to the “gender system” (Okin 1989, 89), or the patriarchal nature of inherited traditions and institutions, and that the women’s movement should work to identify and remedy them. As the protection and promotion of citizens’ autonomy is the appropriate role of the state on the egalitarian liberal view, egalitarian liberal feminists hold that the state can and should be the women’s movement’s ally in protecting and promoting women’s autonomy.”

What the hell is “menz,” anyway?

Sanity found on the net

This post makes sense!

Taking the liberty to quote….

In a column in the U.K.’s Guardian, Dave Hill argues that men should embrace feminism — not only for women’s sake but for their own, too. He makes a good case: Feminism is all about — or should be all about — “fair play, freedom of choice” and saving both women and men from “gender policing.” I couldn’t agree more with his ultimate conclusion:

Sensible, grown up, non-sectarian feminism recognises all of this and seeks ways for men to combat it. This is not a matter of asking men to forgo every traditional bond and pursuit in favour of their “feminine side” but of inviting them to see that such distinctions are limiting and very largely artificial. It’s not a matter either of unmanning the alleged essential male, but about men flourishing and developing in all areas of their lives, including as parents and in the home. It’s about making modern, dual-earner, heterosexual relationships work better; more democratically. It’s about a chap discovering that he too can be a nurse in the nursery, a cook in the kitchen and a lover in the bedroom and also, should he be so inclined, wrestle grizzly bears and grout the bathroom tiles as well — and be happy for women to enjoy such freedoms, too.

And in the Idiot’s Hall of Fame

we have this guy still proposing the variability hypothesis. This nonsense was debunked a hundred years ago by Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Some folks just don’t get it. What next…women can’t be trusted because of the menstrual cycle? Ho hum….get real.

Blogs that make sense

Feminist Law Professors seems to be sane and hit some important issues.

Feminist Review addresses more than rage, rape, and porn.

Learning to Say Yes has some interesting ideas.

Victimhood is not liberation

Bloggers using radical feminism as a way to legitimize hatred and rage abound on the internet. Many of these women, according to self-report, are rape victims. That is horrific. Rape happens, and it happens a lot. Rape has been sewn into the fabric of our culture as a weapon used against women by the ruling class (i.e., men). No question about it, violence against women of all forms is prevalent and must stop.

But…that does not justify making all men the enemy. The attitude that all men are rapists, but that some have not yet had their chance to rape and others have not been caught, is not justifiable. The “you can’t trust a man, any man” chant is just wrong.

Being cautious, wary even, is smart. No one is disputing that. The extreme attitude on the rad fem blogs is not about being cautious, though. It’s about rage.

That a rape victim experiences rage is understandable and I would be the last to criticize her for that. That she is mistrustful of men, all men, afterwards is understandable. I am not criticizing that. What I am criticizing is making this rage resulting from being victimized in such a horrible way into a political movement. That IS wrong.

Don’t dress your rage in the clothes of feminism. It’s not. It’s the result of being brutalized. By making it into a political stance, you legitimize it. You turn it into a “liberation” movement. You feed it and keep it alive.

Your rage is understandable (as I’ve said already several times). Do what you need to in order to process it, work through it, and hopefully return to a life that is not consumed by the damage done to you.

Don’t call your rage feminism. It’s not.

What radical feminism is supposed to be….and not supposed to be.

Radical feminism is supposed to be a political movement. Quoting here,

“Radical feminism is a philosophy emphasizing the patriarchal roots of inequality between men and women, or, more specifically, social dominance of women by men. Radical feminism views patriarchy as dividing rights, privileges and power primarily by gender, and as a result oppressing women and privileging men.

“Radical feminists tend to be more militant in their approach (radical as “getting to the root”). Radical feminism opposes existing political and social organization in general because it is inherently tied to patriarchy. Thus, radical feminists tend to be skeptical of political action within the current system, and instead support cultural change that undermines patriarchy and associated hierarchical structures.

“Radical feminism opposes patriarchy, not men. To equate radical feminism to man-hating is to assume that patriarchy and men are inseparable, philosophically and politically.” (Emphases added.)

“

That’s what I always thought it was. But more and more I find those touting themselves to be radical feminists to actually be Rush-Limbaugh caricatures of feminists. Believe it or not, they DO sound like rage-filled manhaters. They made me shudder. Blog-land is full of these women it seems. The chant is “all men are evil.”

Here, for example, we read

“Men rape. Yeah. You fuckin heard me. MEN RAPE. Men fucking rape. Men rape women and girls. Subject verb object. Strangely enough, in discussions of rape, the subject seems to have suddenly disappeared from the equation.”

The blogs are full of this tripe. Yes, some men rape. What’s your point? SOME men rape. So you legitimize turning all men into rapists? Get over yourself. Admit your rage is just rage you’ve found a target for.

Rescue feminism!

Feminism is being hijacked by a cult of hatred that legitmizes victimhod and even glorifies it. I’m talking about blog-land “radical feminists” who use feminsim as a justification for rage and hatred.

The purpose of Rescuing Feminism is to take back the movement from the fringe lunatics.

I’ll post when I want the way I want. Don’t like it? Tough.