Ok, class project!
As regular readers of this blog know all too well, the manosphere has a rather distorted version of feminism. Indeed, MRAs, MGTOWers and other misogynists spend a lot of their timedoing battle against feminists of their own imagining, whose alleged beliefs only have a tangential relationship with anything you or I know as feminism. It’s not always clear if MRAs know they’re battling straw feminists or not, and I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to figure that out.
In the meantime, I’m trying to assemble a little guide to this straw feminism.
I’m wondering what you all think are its central tenets?
(Specific examples and links, to posts and/or discussion on this blog or elsewhere, would be great if you can provide them.)
Take a look at Kate Beaton’s amazing “Straw Feminist” cartoon if you need inspiration!
Ironically, the gang over on the Men’s Rights subreddit had a whack at the “straw feminist” question the other day. They didn’t do too well, with the OP basing his “refutation” of accusations that MRAs spend much of their time attacking straw feminists … on a list that incorporated some not-actually-real feminist quotes. (I factchecked a similar list of EVIL FEMINIST QUOTES here.)
Straw feminists also really like the phrases “strong, independent women” and “grrrrl power.” They use them in all of their interactions.
@Bagelsan
And sometimes Strawfeminists have NEVER given any consideration to racism or classism, and sometimes strawfeminists spend ALL their time worrying about the problems of poor single moms (on welfare, dating thugs).
(This contrasts with real feminists who have serious issues with race and class, but are often trying to get their shit together. Basically, they are real people who often fail, but are a diverse enough group that they don’t always suck.)
Straw feminists think they are better because they can give birth.
This is why, every once in a while, an MRA busts in here to post a link to some questionable article about scientists developing artifical wombs. That’s their way of saying, “Haha, one day you’ll be obsolete (you know, like when sex bots are finally invented) !” They don’t seem to get that our identity isn’t soley defined by our parts, or that pregnancy — and all it entails, can be a burden…or that many of us don’t want to be moms.
But they think biology is a contest. They also like to throw-up menopause as one of the way they are superior. ‘Cause you know, once you can’t have babies — well, you’ve lost, or something. They kind of sound like this, “Hahahaha, we can still produce sperm when we’re older than dirt! And finally, this spokes into their fantasies of being old men knocking up young chicks, ’cause, that’s what biology wants…nevermind the problems with old sperm or the fact that many young chicks don’t want to start a family with grandfather substitue.
Straw feminists want to abolish sex and/or think all sex is rape.
Straw feminists give women money just for being women.
Straw feminists somehow have a lot of money.
@katz, they have a lot of money because they got it from MEN!
Straw feminists constantly put extra Ys in words.
Straw feminists want women to have as many abortions as possible.
Straw feminists hate marriage and want to destroy families.
Been lurking here for a bit – thought it was time to say hi.
Hi!
The ability to embody two or more completely contradictory notions at the same time (“women don’t want to be responsible for everything/women are responsible for everything” from Tulgey Logger and “women want all the good jobs/women don’t want to work at all” from Karalora) seems to be the most consistent StrawFeminist concept from MRAs. I’d add “all women want to deny sex to men/all women are sluts” to that.
I’m sure there are more, but my brain is crying out in protest for more kitty vids. As a person who makes an attempt to be rational, logical, and reasoning, I find holding several contradictory notions at once to be too much like watching Fox News: headache-inducing.
@katz
But they also seem to want all women on birth control (but they hate the idea of male birth control). This plan (maximum pill usage ->??? -> maximum abortions) probably makes sense to the strawfeminists.
Oh, and this one, bizarrely — Straw feminists are all about marriage.
Which proves they don’t know jack about the movement, and that instead of reading history (which explains marriage was invented to keep women in line and develop ownership of children), they choose to believe the overblown marketing strategies of the multi-million dollar marriage industry that invented Bridezillas and whatever.
When they keep promising to go their own way, they think they’re hurting us personally for not willing to pair up with a woman. Strangely, I think they’re more into marriage than they’re pretending to be.
But see, at the same time, feminists ruined marriage too — because we decided wives shouldn’t be servants, and that a woman has to have mutual feelings toward the man before she agrees to marry him.
Oh, yes, @Some Gal is right, straw feminists hate the idea of male BC. The very suggestion that it is a possibility will turn them apoplectic with rage.
Straw feminists are whoring/cuckolding penguins who like scented candles and creating hard chairs that only men have to use.
Straw feminists all watched Sex And The City.
Straw feminists also want to prevent creepers from just being themselves. Gasp!
They think all sex is rape.
They want written contracts prior to sex.
They will never consent.
Straw feminists only go to typically male orientated events like Comic Con to fuck everybody’s shit up. The non-feminists go just to get attention and tease prick.
Strawfeminists all read 50 Shades of Gray, thus proving all strawfeminists secretly want to be dominated.
@Shiraz
Strawfeminists only apply the term “creep” to men who are on the autism spectrum and/or to unattractive men.
(Again, I’m not excusing any of the actual ableism in feminism.)
Straw feminists are really into Valerie Solanas.
They are incredibly well organized and work on their Ebbul Agenda all the time to oppress and enslave men.
Straw feminists actually control government with the evil death beam known as political correctness.
Straw feminists have successfully infiltrated all mainstream Western religions, therefore all trad-con women are actually straw feminists.
Straw feminists call men “creeps” in order to shame them for having a libido. Straw feminists think male sexuality is evil, and that men are evil for not swearing oaths of celibacy.
They hate voluntarily celibate men for refusing to fall into their evil spermjacking divorce-rape scheme.
They wail and gnash their teeth at the thought of MGTOW because then they will have no one to subsidize their slut lifestyle.