Feminism makes women 'victims'? I think you've mistaken us for the sexists

[theHandpuppet]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/30/feminism-makes-women-victims-sexist-women-against-feminism
Feminism makes women 'victims'? I think you've mistaken us for the sexists
Women are victimized in our society. #WomenAgainstFeminism doesn’t change that terrible reality
Jessica Valenti
theguardian.com
Wednesday, 30 July 2014

An old canard about feminists is that, in addition to being hirsute bra-burners, we want to turn all women into “victims” – and thanks to “Women Against Feminism”, this particular accusation has gained some moderately mainstream traction in recent weeks.

But feminism doesn’t make women victims. Sexism does.

That inconvenient truth hasn’t stopped conservatives and anti-feminists from using this supposed victimization to bash a movement that won women the rights to vote, have credit cards, not be legally raped by their husbands, use birth control and generally be considered people instead of property, among other things.

Admittedly, to those unfamiliar with stereotypes of the women’s movement, the #WomenAgainstFeminism meme may look more like a parody than anything of serious concern. Many of its participants show a baffling level of ignorance about what feminism actually is – signs reading “I don’t need feminism because my boyfriend treats me right” or “I like men looking at me” are cringe-inducing, for instance. And I’m skeptical of how many new “women’s” Twitter accounts suddenly popped up in the days surrounding the meme’s creation....

MORE at link provided above.

[BainsBane]

1. The second panel presentation in Redqueen's OP

about sexual violence and historical materialism takes on this very issue. It describes this argument of "victimhood" as part of a neoliberal backlash against women's equality. It's a comment we see often by some on this board (mainly women) who are hostile to any discussion of sexism or women's rights. I had previously imagined it as part of a psychological issue on their part to distance themselves from other women in an effort to identify with power, but I had not realized it was connected to an systemic economic and cultural project to oppress women for what the speakers at the conference describe as the economic and social goals of capital under neoliberalism.

[theHandpuppet]

2. Yes, I thought this article tied into it quite nicely

RedQueen's OP has really stirred my interest in this whole subject of neoliberalism.

[oldtime dfl_er]

3. definition of feminism

fem·i·nism noun \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\
: the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities

[eridani]

6. I've always been partial to Rebecca West's definition

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rebecca_west.html

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.

[Phentex]

7. Perfect!

Why it has taken on negative connotations is beyond me.

[ismnotwasm]

8. Oh those idiots

There's is significant buzzing in the blogosphere that the hashtag was started by MRA type men. It's getting far to much attention. It will go away. Besides, Dave Futrelle has the perfect cat campaign in response:

From that other blog of mine

So I did an interview about my Confused Cats Against Feminism blog with Catster.com, a site that devotes itself to collecting “helpful and hilarious information for the worldly but still infatuated Cat aficionado.” Alas, as a result of publishing this interview with me yesterday, they now seem to be collecting angry MRA commenters as well.

Here are some highlights of the, er, debate so far, which I’ve waded into myself, perhaps unwisely. (These are selections, with a bunch missing, though the comments that look obviously like they are responses to other comments, are.) Maeve Connor is the author of the post about me.

http://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/08/01/the-catster-debates-or-i-inadvertently-bring-mras-to-an-innocent-cat-website/

[AverageJoe90]

9. And yet, the RWers never seem to get.....

that a good number of feminists.....happen to be men.