The Good, the Bad, and the Feminist
by JustBolger
I hate feminism.
I don’t mean the well-reasoned, equalist feminism. That stuff is awesome. I mean that radical bull aiming to create laws that make it so women have more rights than men. I mean the feminists who hope to resolve some vendetta against men by charging them more for a community event in some misguided attempt to highlight the pay disparity.
Is the goal to hit us back based on gender alone? We’re not all oppressors – I promise. And when did two wrongs start making a right? My bad. I must have missed that memo.
These must be the same women who will use their feminine wiles to manipulate and control the weaker-willed among us or evade traffic tickets by rocking the water works. Weird how we’re sensitive to that, huh? Damn you, hormones and empathy!
That said, there is a whole world of feminists who are doing it right. Anita Sarkeesian, for example, the woman behind FeministFrequency.com.
You’ll find no torches or pitchforks here, ladies and gentleman. She is well researched, reasonable, and levelheaded. She’s an educator first and foremost.
Addressing topics across the spectrum from literature to pop-culture to Legos, Sarkeesian discusses how these things affect our growing culture both subtly and overtly in regards to sexism.
I first heard about her when I happened across her Kickstarter project to fund a series called “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games.” Now, bear in mind I’m a huge gaming fanboy. I went in ready for battle, but as I watched her video introduction to what she hopes to accomplish, my reactions progressed as such:
- I will fight you!
- But, but …
- Well, that might be true.
- I hear you. Please, go on.
- Heck yes! You go girl! (I mean woman.)
Then I donated some money and watched a bunch of her videos. Oh, and I’m writing this. Am I a traitor to the wonderful world of gaming? No, not at all. I’m actually supporting an idea that will bring awareness to a slanted tendency of society and possibly aid in the artistic evolution of my favorite medium, attracting more respect toward each of these.
That’s the power of feminism done right. I was swayed to her point-of-view by diplomacy and reason – swayed “against” something I will always side with.
I put the word “against” in quotes there because she is not fighting with or trying to bash on video games. It’s more an effort to enhance the whole of things – for everyone. That should be how feminists work in general.
Don’t politically or socially punch the everyman in the face just for being male. They might be on your side. Don’t rage-out about it either. This only proves you and your cause to be venomous.
(I encourage you to watch this video for more on what she’s working toward and how she goes about it.)
Nice post! But more than the uber radical feminists, I hate the women who play the opposite more. The woe is me, I’m so weak, I can’t cause I’m just a girl, damsel in distress types. They drive me crazy.
Oof! I hear that. Anyone who essentially puts effort into a need to be taken care of wounds me.
This post was very nicely written, I love this: “I’m actually supporting an idea that will bring awareness to a slanted tendency of society and possibly aid in the artistic evolution of my favorite medium, attracting more respect toward each of these.” Right on! It bums me out so bad that people can get so threatened and defensive when their favourite pastime is questioned. We just want to explore it’s full potential and reach out to more diverse audiences (though they’re already there, despite TPTB reluctance to work with that). I liked how you addressed that:)
It’s depressing that Feminist Frequency gets so much harassment (“get back to the kitchen”, “manhater”, “hysterical”, “she’s hot/ugly”, and a *huge* amount of various physical and sexual threats against her) from certain circles for merely pointing (sometimes obvious) things out. There are many YouTube “celebrities” that have espoused horrible, misogynistic ideas about women and they are rarely held to the flames (as “womanhaters”) the way FemFreq is. Those who do call them out usually get shouted down pretty quickly. So while she gets a lot of flak for moderating comments (she lets in positive and critical ones, but blocks the insulting and hateful ones in order to generate constructive dialogue, and considering the amount of wank she has to get through, who can blame her), I appreciate her giving a safe place for commentators, who can bring up points without being told “they must be fat”.
It’s unfortunate that you’ve encountered this “other type of feminist”, if you can even call her that. In all my years in feminist circles I’ve never actually met women like this personally (in RL or online). I’ve heard of them (through written works and word of mouth), but these types of extremists are a significant minority of the 3rd Wave of Feminism, but have been, unfortunately, made into the face of Feminism by those who have the barest idea of the complexities of Feminism. We see this largely through the “straw feminist” trope in the media (I think she did a vid on it), that reinforces this depressing stereotype. I’m sad that you’ve met, and have been affected, by these circles.
Thank you for this post, I will def. check out your other stuff!
Wow. Thank you very much! With the negative reaction I’ve received on my school newspaper’s website (http://lbcommuter.com/2012/05/22/the-good-the-bad-and-the-feminist), I was getting a bit worried the heart of it got lost in translation. Thank you for finding it.
I agree with you on every point I see here.
A passion for anything should be approached with an open mind – be it video games, feminism, or whatever your flavor. By listening to and considering every angle, things can only improve.
YouTube comments can be incredibly toxic. I’m honestly not sure why more people don’t moderate their comments. It’s one thing if you delete everything that opposes your ideas, but it’s fantastic if you use it as a way to enhance the discussion. The anonymity of the Internet strips the tact from too many.
I appreciate your sympathies toward encountering the “straw feminists.” I promise they do exist, and they really hurt the cause they claim to stand for. They certainly made me think poorly of true feminism for a good long time.
Thank you again for your reassurance. It’s encouraging to know I have some backing!