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.)
Actual Canadian moshpit. (Disclaimer: I might have been there.)
Erm, this pulled up the wrong video.
Straw feminists do not want to have sex with men – they have replaced them with pleasant-smelling wax dildoes that can be ignited for more exciting uses.
/unwraps and eats her one internet
Well, I have a feeling these items all wrapped together will become one of the most epic scarecrows the Intertubes will have stuffed and mounted on a stake. I also propose that the tie that will bind it all together is the overarching belief that straw feminists are the reason MRA’s aren’t entitled to getting laid by whoever and whenever they want. And that straw feminists are what keeps them from crying themselves to sleep at night.
Hypergamy? (headdesk)
Oh hey look, Things Happened while I was asleep. DL Calvin, let’s take walk through your “damaged goods” comment.
1) I’ve seen several commenters refer to you as “she” so I can only assume you revealed that you are a woman at some point when I wasn’t paying attention. Do you not see how dehumanizing it is to refer to us as “goods?” Goods are things, not people. Things for purchase. In this case, they are sex & love makers for men to buy.
2) Hey look! That sex & love maker is damaged. It’s broken, it’s useless. No point buying that one unless there’s a significant discount! Is that what you think about women who were treated badly? How do you think that description feels to a survivor of abuse?
3) As a survivor of abuse, let me answer that question for you: it feels shitty. We can trust that several people took what you said personally like I did, because any group of this size will have several survivors of abuse in it. It’s not exactly uncommon.
4) Do you not see how misogynistic it is to frame the abuse of women in terms of how it affects the men who might try to fuck them later? Like, aw, poor lamb, she’s been so damaged; that sure will suck for her next boyfriend.
5) This is poison. Yes, people who were abused as children can be more likely to experience other abuse later in life. This is because abusers target the vulnerable, not because child abuse victims love wrong. This is some really disgusting victim-blaming bullshit, you should be incredibly ashamed.
6) Abusers don’t wear giant “I like to manipulate and hurt my partners” signs, for goodness sake. We are attracted to what they present when we meet them. They introduce the abuse slowly once they’ve established a relationship.
7) I think you, as “undamaged goods,” (do you seriously not see how dehumanizing that is?) are trying to convince yourself that you would never be so stupid as to enter into an abusive relationship. That’s not how it works. It’s not about stupid. It’s about whether you’re unlucky enough to be targeted by someone who is an abuser. I sincerely hope it never happens to you.
8) Yeah, all I’ve got is “fuck you.” “Major psycho issues” indeed.
The point is that she was hit with way more vitriol than a man would have been.
Apparently the X-Men are straw feminists.
http://nesvictory.tumblr.com/post/19586895251/the-x-men-are-jerks-x-men-arcade-as-featured
@Viscaria: (clapping)
Oh god, yes, THIS.
I am nobody’s goods, damaged or otherwise. How dare you assume that my worth has been depreciated by predators. How dare you attempt to them that power. And THEN how dare you give that passive-agressive, backhanded “apology” to justify it.
My first sexual abuse that is still somewhat fuzzy in my memory happened when I was around 4. The first sexual abuse that I can CLEARLY remember happened when I was goddamn 6. That doess not mean that I might find abuse attractive, and it didn’t happen because there was anything wrong with DAMAGED ME. Hypothetical Bullshit Land sure pales with reality, doesn’t it?
How fucking dare you. FUCK RIGHT OFF.
Holy shit.
Arriving back to the party quite a bit late, and here’s DL. How fucking lovely is that. (I’ll be rude and answer myself. Not lovely at all. More like stepping in something.)
Viscaria, may I offer you an Internet? That was amazing. I join Howard in the applause.
DL, in case you missed it, that was The Big Foam Cluebat making contact with your thick skull.
Sorry I missed Phil. I always miss the really dumb trolls. 🙁 Troll during working hours, you stupid trolls!
I see DL has an advanced case of Not Getting It. DL, why do you think you can tell us to stay on topic and that we should accept your not-pology?
In short, fuck off.
@Dagrabbit, I’m sorry you had to endure that. Not your fault, and some people just are just flat-out evil.
Yay, Viscaria!
Also, from today’s post: Strawfeminists all have tattoos.
Well done DL! You’re doing a stellar job at being a patronising shitwig. You should piss off and give yourself a well-earned rest. 😀
@ Viscaria – . wow. Yes.
@hellkell
Plus, my topic was basically “this is why I am pissed the fuck off” so I stayed on that pretty well, imo.
Straw feminists never stay on topic and devolve into such mudane topics as cats and recipes and hair!
(Pecunium, was right, braided is easier to deal with by enough of a margin to make the annoyance of braiding it worth it)
Viscaria: ::applause::
This is one of the reasons I would like to see Dirtbag Leech Colvin banned.
We appear to have a Code Red.
(It’s funny because rubies are red and this is kinda similar.)
1: Straw feminists believe bad sex = rape.
2: Straw feminists think all male/female sex is bad.
3: Straw feminists think all men have easy lives, because of, “privilege”.
4: Straw feminists think appreciating people is objectificaton.
4b: Objectification can only be done by men.
5: Straw Feminists believe feminists can do no wrong.
6: Straw feminists want to outlaw “traditional” relationships.
7: Straw Feminists want to outlaw marriage.
8: Straw feminists love to change spellings, e.g. Womyn.
9: Straw feminists don’t care about women in other countries.
10: Straw feminists love abortions. Abortions turn them on.
11: Straw feminists think the gov’t owes them something, so men need to be made to pay for it; just because they are men.
And the most important tenet of Straw Feminism: It is diametrically opposed to whatever the anti-feminist believes.
@pillow in hell: I love to point my dad out as a man who got custody of his kid. His first wife (my mother was his second) was a drug addict, so my dad got custody of their son. This was back around 1970. Any MRA or Strawfeminist would say that he’s the exception that proves the rule, I suppose
@Kiwi girl: My cats are not ragdolls, but I seldom get to go to the bathroom by myself, too.
@The Kittehs’ Unpaid Help: Kitties (ahem, kittehs) are indeed trying to take over the world, but nobody really minds since that just leads to more furry luvvins. My cats get very upset if I come home and don’t give them luvvins right away.
They aren’t so keen on the corporal cuddling, though (I hope this embedding works, apologies if it doesn’t).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXBL6bzAR4&w=420&h=315%5D
I’m being the YouTube genie again:
Aw, that’s a cute video Ellex. Just use the regular YouTube URL, and it should embed. Everyone can be a YouTube genie!
I join in giving Viscaria mad props and applause.
As for Colvin’s not-apology…
You know, one of the upcoming Cracks of Sunshine strips is called “How to Apologize.” It had three requirements: Be sincere, show understanding of what you did wrong, and improve behavior so it doesn’t happen again.
Earlier today, I was thinking, “I dunno, this strip seems so obvious, people might find it condescending.”
Then I read DL Colvin’s attempt at a psuedopology and was like, “Oh yeah, never mind.”
As for “Sorry for saying my honest opinion,” Dude. If you say a horrible thing, it doesn’t matter if you truly believe it or not. YOU SAID A HORRIBLE THING. If I say all kittens deserve to be drowned, then people get to call me out on it.
It’s not that you have an opinion that pisses us off. It’s that it’s a HORRIBLE OPINION and deserves to be called out on.
LBT: Those are great tips! I think it’s actually the first one that trips people up. They find themselves in a position where they need to apologize to regain people’s good graces, but they’re not actually sorry. So they make a not-pology and then are all like “Well, what was I supposed to do? I’m not actually sorry but I had to apologize or everyone would be mad at me!”