Sunday, July 31, 2011

In The Name of Feminism, Antifeminism?

http://www.singleblackmale.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/misogyny_hard_to_spell.jpg
image is from here

I just found a post online about a radical lesbian feminist. (I'm not linking to it.) The allegedly radical and lesbian and white feminist author of the post calls for the public humiliation of a radical lesbian feminist activist; she endorses all sorts of unnamed forms of retaliation against that activist because the two women disagree on the politics of food.

Wow.

Is this what radicalism and feminism currently means on the internet--on blogs especially? That we can all call for the public harassment and humiliation and physical violation of women?

I sure hope not.

Critique of someone's values and behavior is one thing. Calling for violence to be done to them is something else entirely, and the last time I checked it was called the "patriarchal abuse of women".

We all experience disappointment and betrayal. Sometimes we feel it when it hasn't happened; sometimes it has happened and we don't feel anything at the time. How our feelings get acted out publicly is and ought to be a concern for all radicals.

In the last five years especially, I've seen all manner of hurtfulness, insult, and verbal violence against women being passed off as "feminist" and "radical". From women being called "the b word", to some radical feminist women being structurally silenced, to invasions against Lesbians, to calls for some women to be publicly assaulted, I won't support any of that happening or be silent in the face of it.



2 comments:

  1. I adore your blog, will be back to read more of your posts! Keep up the good work!!

    All the best,
    Voe.
    _____________________
    http://lipstick-and-pearls.blogspot.com/

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  2. Hi Voe!

    Thanks so very much for your comment, and for reading here!

    Take care. :)

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