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.
@cassandrasays
O_o It did? I don’t even know what it is? Should I google? (or if you guys wanna explain I’d like that, just leaving google as an option if no one does.)
Marie: you should probably google.
And if everyone got the booster shots when they were supposed to it wouldn’t be coming back. And not vaccinating your kids means that both they and the older adults in your community are at risk.
The idea of just not getting your kids vaccinated (and thus compromising herd immunity as well as risking your own kids) because of a (not true, but even if it was) risk of autism is really fucking offensive because what those people are essentially saying is that they’d rather have a dead kid than an autistic kid. That’s fucked up.
Not that I don’t want to explain, but there’s better stuff with more detail than what I could give you.
@hellkell
Kk. Googling now 🙂
Cassandra, no argument here. Vaccinate your kids, people. I want Jenny McCarthy to STFU forever.
She has offered that to me. I’m sure she would love to have me stay with her as she’s also worried about me and misses me a lot. I usually only get to see her once every year. I’ll take her offer only if I have no choice, though, because I don’t want to potentially burden their household by staying there. Maybe if I have a flexible job as a web developer staying there wouldn’t be such a bad idea – but that won’t be for a while.
This is really personal for me right now because Mr C has a niece who’s right in the age range in which kids tend to catch all that stuff, and there are anti-vax people all around us. There was an outbreak of whooping cough a few years back. It got bad enough that there were signs outside Walgreens begging people to get their kids vaccinated.
Is there any other work you could get there, part time or something? (You’re studying, yes?)
I GOT whooping cough a couple years ago. No fun.
Cassandra, has Mr C’s niece been vaccinated?
That’s horrible. I’m sorry if I managed to upset you. Perhaps I’m sounding overly apologetic because I’m very biased towards my mom (despite the fact that I’m vehemently pro-vaccine).
Also, I think part of the problem with the vaccination issue is that a lot of people our age and younger never saw any of the old childhood diseases in action, because past vaccination campaigns were so effective. So they have no idea just how bad it was, and they’re not making a realistic assessment of the risk.
I worry about my MIL too. She’s in her 70s, and although her overall health is pretty good, a lot of that stuff could kill her just as easily as it could kill a kid. Elderly people are a risk group that people seem to have forgotten about, but if any of those diseases made there way into a retirement community it would be really, really bad.
Yep, I’m still a student. I guess I could do part-time work while living there, but I need to work on getting a career that will help support me fully in the long run. And the schools I want to go to aren’t in Colorado, where my mom lives. Perhaps there are some good nursing programs there, but I don’t know when I’m going to start my nursing education. (Nursing is the career I eventually want – web development is just a side job that I hope will help get me off my feet).
My niece is being vaccinated against everything, thankfully. She could still pass something on to her grandma, though.
(Grandma is a new age person too – good thing she doesn’t get to make medical decisions for the kids.)
@cassandrasays
Wow. 🙁 I knew about the anti vax stuff, I just assumed it was a heck of a lot less common.
Aaliyah – that sort of squashes the idea if none of the schools are in your mum’s area. 🙁
I was thinking of the usual student jobs, just something to bring in some cash so you could contribute to the household, not A Job with any sort of permanency about it. Is there any sort of support payment for students in the US? We have AusStudy, which is a pitiful little payment from the government, but at least it’s something.
@ Marie
I think it’s regional. Some areas seem to have a much higher concentration of anti-vax people than others. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be in an area where that idea hasn’t taken hold.
@cassandrasays
I hope it hasn’t. I heard about it from my mom, who was ranting about it for the obvious reasons, with a side dish of her being a scientist, so scientist rage behind that. 😉 But I haven’t been getting out as much, so I can’t say whether it’s a regional thing. I always just assumed it was a fringe thing 🙁
It seems to correlate with hippie and new age beliefs in general, which is why it’s common here. Which I find extra frustrating because to a certain extent those are my people, and I like the fact that there are so many of them here, but at the same time I think that they should be forced to follow standard vaccination protocol, especially if their kids are in public school.
I’m not sure. But if there’s a good nursing school in Colorado, moving back in with my mom is a great plan. I’m very fond of the idea, and I’m glad you reminded me of it.
Another reason I’m so fixated on getting a strong career early on is that I want to be on my own as soon as possible. I feel that’s best for me even though I know my mom would have no problem with me staying with her, my step-dad, and my little step-brother.
Re: whooping cough vaccine booster for adults — get DTP instead of just a tetanus booster, it’s diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) except in France and the Netherlands where the P is polio.
As for MMR’s…fucking motherfucking idiots. German measles (rubella) in pregnancy can cause congenital blindness — utterly fucking preventable, definitely actually causes it, unlike MMR’s “causing” ASD but noooo…vaccines must be evil!
I know the older regulars know this, but let me brag? The autistic kid in Dear John is my cousin’s son, his younger brother was never vaccinated after their mother (my cousin) went all anti-vaxxer. So it’s personal. Yeah the older boy has no concept of white lies and gets royally upset if he finds out he’s been lied to, and refuses to let anyone else win because games of skill should be win by skill! But seriously? You’d risk congenital blindness to prevent his differences? And yeah, he’s “high functioning” but really? There’s no link.
Really annoying part? That cousin is a lactation counsellor, explained to my mother way we have those and my usually conservative mother was appalled that breast feeding is seen as sexual or a luxury and we were bottle fed. Like, feminism, w00t! Anti-vax, noooooo!
/rant
Back in 5 with my monthly polio eradication update 🙂
Usually I lurk, but I have to say that I love you all for being pro vax! So many places I go, both online and IRL, have tons of anti-vaxxers. It’s worrisome. Whooping cough is all over here (Oregon). (I’m pro vax, *and* a Unitarian Universalist secular humanist/atheist.)
Erin Pizzy- I just can’t comment on her. She is the worst kid of awful.
@Argenti Aertheri
Polio stayed eradicated, right? Please say it did. ::makes best
puppykitty eyes::