Longtime antifeminist crusader Erin Pizzey recently did an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit. Here are some highlights — by which I mean lowlights — from her answers.
Ms. Pizzey wants to ban feminism as a hate movement:
Personally, I would like to see the feminist movement described as a hate movement, so that we can then ban them from the government, from university faculties, from anywhere where they can destroy the minds of young women and men.
It’s just a teensy bit ironic, I would say, that she characterizes feminism as a hate movement at the very same time that A Voice for Men, a site she has very publicly aligned herself with, is leading a hate campaign against an individual feminist activist. (More on this to come tomorrow.) Indeed, Pizzey herself adds to the vilification of the activist here.
And speaking of A Voice for Men, she apparently agrees with AVFM’s Paul Elam that feminists are only interested in the issue of rape because they have rape fantasies and are angry that they’re not getting enough attention from men:
If you’re referring to Paul’s statement that many or most women fantasize about being taken, I’m sorry but that’s the truth. That doesn’t mean they want to be raped, but it’s a fantasy I think almost all women have. And I think he went on to say that feminists like Andrea Dworkin who were and are so obsessed with rape are really projecting their own unconscious sexual frustration because men don’t give them enough attention. Andrea was a very sad lonely woman like this–I didn’t know her but I knew of her, and I knew Susan Browmiller and you can just read her stuff to see it there.
Yeah, I’m thinking that Dworkin’s “obsession” with rape might have had less to do with her wanting “attention” from men than it did with the fact that she had been raped.
In response to a question about using Title IX to increase the number of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Pizzey argues that most women’s brains aren’t equipped to handle all that sciencey stuff, and that most women would rather be raising children:
what will happen is that a few women will come out of that world in those areas that suit men’s brains better than women’s, and do well, but most of them won’t, and they’ll just leave and go on to other professions or to have children or family. That’s what’s been happening all the time when they’ve had quotas.
But what about the men who get excluded because of that? That’s the tragedy isn’t it, and the waste of money. Harriet Harman has proposed quotas for women in parliament, quotas for women in all the high-status fields, and women have flocked in but do not want the gruelling hours that men are willing to put into their professions because most of them–MOST of them–want to be spending time with their children at home, and that God for that.
Pizzey believes that most feminists are “mental patents” who deserve only condescension:
Personally, I don’t get into arguments with mental patients, which is what most feminist women are. Look at them with pity and compassion if you can, speak the truth as you know it.
But if you want a real reaction, pat her on the head and tell her not to worry her pretty little head about it. That’s what I do! I think men have to start using their sense of humor as a weapon. You must get past any sense of anger when you do such things though!
She believes most prominent second-wave feminists were feminists mainly because they hated their dads:
One of the early mantras of the feminist movement was to make the personal political. Therefore, those women who had bitter and violent experiences of the first male their lives (e.g. their father) then branded all men as violent and dangerous. They are also what I call the walking wounded. As far as I’m concerned the prominent feminists of the day virtually all had appalling relationships with their fathers. So if feminism grew out of a justified sense of grievance, and created a platform where they did not attempt to heal their own damage, but to project onto all men… so yes it’s very cultlike that way. But it’s any cult group that works that way, they all have either a figure they adore or a hate object that keeps them together. And their hate is against men, even when they deny it.
Yes, that’s right, she says all this and somehow does not notice the hatred of women amongst the MRAs she’s aligned herself with.
While she dismisses feminists with “daddy issues” she urges those who have been abused by their parents to forget the abuse they’ve endured, forgive their abusers and “move on.”
[T]each yourself that the past is truly the past, it is done and you cannot change it, all it is is a loop in your brain that needs to be closed down so that you can move forward. Because those patterns are deep within you, it takes a lot of hard work, but in the end you FORGIVE YOURSELF and you FORGIVE YOUR PARENTS and move on.
Meanwhile, she thinks that it makes sense for men who don’t like feminism to “head for the hills” and Go Their Own Way.
It was many years ago I was talking to a very eligible bachelor, who was a lawyer, and asked him about American feminists. He laughed and he said “what they never banked on was that men would get together and take to the hills.” This is where that expression comes from. He and his male friends would get together and have a wonderful time, they did not make permanent relationships with women, because they realized they would have too much to lose: their homes, their children, and their money. I always remember this. When 40 year old feminists complain that they can’t find any men to commit themselves, why is it men’s fault? I can’t blame men who feel this way in today’s legal environment. If the so-called women’s movement, the feminists, want men, they have to care equally about men’s desires and men’s need for protection.
This sort of makes sense, given that Pizzey seems to live in an imaginary world in which women, not men, are the truly privileged.
The actual irony of this situation is there is nothing more privileged than white middle class women, who are most of feminists. Very very privileged, because they know when they are born that either the state or a man will take care of them if they do not choose their own career. Men on the other hand are born underprivileged, particularly now, even as small boys they are demonized and discriminated against. …
I cannot see how sane sensible educated intelligent woman can consider that men are privileged. It has always been rich and middle class women who have been protected, and they are the truly privileged.
Indeed, she’s managed to convince herself that “never in the history of the world have men been so unprivileged, if you think about it.”
Naturally, all of her comments were happily upvoted by the Reddit masses, and her “Ask Me Anything” post itself got more than 1200 upvotes. Evidently pandering to Reddit’s collective fantasies about the oppression of men pays off big in the upvote department.
What, your childhood didn’t indoctrinate you in the gentle folkways of competitive door-slamming?
Geography story: In high school, a classmate of mine once raised her hand in a lecture to ask “Where exactly is South America?” The same classmate once replied to someone who said her parents were “halfway around the world” (on a work trip to Japan) to say, “That’s nothing. My father has been three quarters of the way around the world!” We spent some time with a globe trying to show her that would mean he was only one quarter of the way around the world, but she never quite got it. However, her family was filthy rich, so I figure she’s probably done okay.
LOLLLLLLLL. Does that mean getting a cheeseburger in Spain is getting Spanish food?
My favorite coming-to-America story is when I told my new classmates that I was from Scotland and one of them said “oh, is that in England?”.
Them’s fighting words.
Sad way to get a thrill, but you strike me as a sad man.
You think Africa is one country, so I won’t be taking your thoughts on the average N. American seriously.
Ah, the broken noses of Tradition and the joys of flat faces. Door slamming is great!
—
@Umfhweto:
So you’ve gone from “I don’t understand Feminism” to “My mother is awesome” to “I’m African, and stepping in front of women is tradition” to “I’m going to Japan!” to “Ego trip! I love myself”?
… Huh.
Who should I compare myself to to feel better? I need egokicks, too. 😛
/JK
Compare yourself to Umfweto, Fade, and revel in the fact you’re not an asshole.
There’s also Brz over in the other thread if you need another little boost.
Uh-oh. Hope I don’t run into Umfweto in Japan.
@CassandraSays
“It is indeed common among world travelers to believe that “Africa” is a country and all the parts thereof share the same cultural traditions.”
Yes indeed.
I am from Southern Africa. My homeland is mostly populated by the Bantu speaking people who migrated from the Nigerian delta about 900 years ago. Bantu people share a common ancestry with people from the more Northern parts of Africa and have very similar cultural norms.
Bantu people however have split in to many sub-cultures. So like in Europe (where people are from different cultural norms) they share a lot of common ancestry and although they speak a multitude of different languages all of their languages have have communality with the original Bantu language (like European languages and Latin).
I learnt Zulu, Sotho and Northern Sotho at school. All three are Bantu languages. Zulu was my favourite, it’s the French of Africa 🙂 My county of birth has 32 official languages. It’s wonderful and multi-cultural and I am so happy for the time I spent there.
“World traveler”. Ah that’s a sweet way of looking at it. Like on the movies right?
You will know him by the way everyone around him is backing away with a slight frown.
Does anyone have any troll repellant I can borrow? The Off, it does nothing.
So, in which culture is it customary to rush in front of women when they’re walking to the door, or however you described it?
Wait… all european languages have latin in common? Or do you just mean most? Because I am doubtful at most, but I KNOW all has got to be not true.
I doubt you’ll be running into him in Japan.
That, and an astounding murder rate and a fascinating history involving nuclear weapons – which I actually mean. First country to abandon its own nuclear research after achieving the possibility of building a complete bomb.
Very impressive, that. *Not* taking the nuclear plunge.
—
See? Random information! It’s not just for blathering on about your own life!
@Cassandra
No, unfortunately I got the African conditioning of sprinting in front of women to open doors. I did watch on enviously as some of the expats gleefully broke noses left and right
Ooh, are we having a random info dump time?
Did you know that the spanish word for church, iglesia, comes from the greek word for church, εκκλησία (ecclisia) via latin?
This proves that I am Greek.
Fuck MRA’s Shit Up Carrot Salad
I have never tried writing this one down but here goes.
(I use the food processor for the whole thing.)
Chop about 1/3 bunch of parsley (remove the bottom part of the stems first).
Hate men
Grate 4-6 good size carrots (after a while you’ll get to know how many to do based on what you get in the end)
Hate men
Demonize Men’s Sexuality Vinaigrette:
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 Cup good olive oil
Tell men they aren’t allowed to stare at boobs.
Stir or shake vigorously all ingredients (I make it in a small jar with a lid).
Tell adult men they shouldn’t sexually pursue pre-teen girls.
Adjust ingredient amounts to suit your taste.
Tell men to stop cat-calling and groping women on the street.
Toss carrots with dressing.
It was cute the way UmBoring was bagging on the woman who’s been all over the U.S. Only someone who’s never done it would look down on it, just like his food snottery. This place is fucking huge.
I have this sneaking suspicion that a. it’s Pell o’clock and b. the closest our not-so-new friend has ever come to experiencing other cultures is singing the Chiquita banana song.
I bake all the time that way! Try making cookies like this:
Blend a stick of softened butter or margarine, or a mixture of butter/margarine and peanut butter or applesauce, with some sugar or honey. Add an egg. Mix a couple of cups of flour (white or a mixture of white and wheat) and a small spoonful of baking powder and add to the wet ingredients, or else add less flour and some rolled oats. Or substitute molasses for the sugar and/or yogurt for the butter/peanut butter/applesauce and use baking soda instead of baking powder. Add more sugar if it’s not sweet enough. Add more flour if it’s too sticky. If you want to roll it out, keep adding flour until it’s a rolling consistency and then roll it out and cut out shapes. Otherwise, mix in chocolate chips, raisins, candied ginger, or whatever else you want, if you like, and drop it onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350, check it starting at 10 minutes, and take them out whenever they are getting golden around the edges.
If the cookies are hard, dry, and biscuity, you used too much flour. If they’re way too flat and get burned around the edges, you used too much butter or margarine. If they taste too bitter, you used too much baking soda or baking powder. You can adjust from there.
@Fade
“So, in which culture is it customary to rush in front of women when they’re walking to the door, or however you described it?”
In much of African culture. It’s a chivalry thing. I almost don’t want to tell you why because it seems so backwards to the Western version of chivalry. In some parts of Africa when an African dude jumps in front of you and let’s himself in first he’s being a “white knight”…
Think about. Cold night on the African Savannah, Lion gets cold and finds a nice warm hut to stay warm in… Traditionally in Africa, the man must walk in first to make sure there are no wild animals inside the hut that would attack the woman and the children.
“Wait… all european languages have latin in common? Or do you just mean most? Because I am doubtful at most, but I KNOW all has got to be not true.”
I guess I mean most. Hard to define Europe these days. And then there’s the crazy English language that is backwards compared to most other latin based lannguage. But that’s because English is Germanic with latin influence. Unless you are my Scottish father who speaks a very heavy version f latin based English and I dunno what the hell he’s saying sometimes.
Thing is, though, when I just go with the way things look/smell with cooking the end results still taste good. I would resent it if my cookies came out terrible.
The Greek language is totally based on Latin. I mean, isn’t it obvious?