In another post I question the extent to which feminists are concerned about equality for men and boys (they’re not). In this post I wanted to focus instead on women and girls.
Every day we hear another feminist scorning those who query some or all aspects of feminist ideology because, you know, feminism is just about achieving equality … BUT
How about equality for American women of colour? Poor women in western countries? Transgender women? Sex-workers? Other women who hold views or choose lifestyles at odds with feminist ideology – for example ‘pro-life’ women or conservatives?
How about equality for women in developing countries?
How much do the feminist hierarchy care about fighting for recognition, freedom and equality for these women?
In some cases privileged white western feminists don’t even care about the rights of other white western women. This occurs, for example, in the case of conservative and/or anti-feminist women (internalised misogyny=they deserve it), or where defending women’s rights would undermine the feminist narrative.
For example, you could almost hear the rapid intake of feminists breath when Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings stated that “I was born to have babies“.
To take another example, consider the silence of feminists in relation to the scandal at Rotherham in the U.K or the sexual assault of women in Europe by Muslim economic refugees as discussed in this blog post.
Take a look at:
The media featured protests by Iranian women in September 2022, but somehow failed to mention that most of those being beaten and arrested by government authorities there were men. In fact in this article it’s claimed that a defining feature of the latest protests is that they “are led by women”
Women of colour feminists are bringing white women feminists to their knees (16 May 2018)
Rich women who promote feminism are gigantic hypocrites (8 October 2017)
Rita Panahi: Sisterhood ignores sexism and vile abuse aimed at conservatives (11 June 2017)
The ‘Women’s March on Washington’ Shows Why Feminism Is Dying (18 January 2017) USA
Liberal Party staffer and bikini model Tamara Candy reveals she has been hired by MP George Christensen – purely for her academic qualifications (4 March 2016) A similar article appeared in pro-feminist news.com.au. Pretty-shaming (or even subtle slut-shaming) is apparently quite OK when the target is on the conservative side of politics and admits she is not a feminist.
The new oppressed class – top tier female managers. Feminism just doing it’s bit for elite, wealthy white women (3 March 2016) Australia. Reddit discussion thread with linked article.
Don’t be that woman (on women’s involvement in sex trafficking) 21 October 2015
Muslim Woman Destroys Feminism (22 September 2015) Video
The single most humiliating moment in Jessica Valenti’s public life (26 August 2015) Video
Feminists don’t challenge radical Islam because real misogynists are terrifying (9 June 2015)
As ISIS brutalizes women, a pathetic feminist silence (7 June 2015)
White Women, Please Don’t Expect Me to Wipe Away Your Tears (15 December 2014)
Laverne Cox gets naked, Exposes radical feminist exclusionism (April 2015)
Proof positive that feminists don’t care about women (27 March 2015)
This is what I mean when I say “White Feminism” (10 January 2014)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adele-tomlin/white-feminism_b_4477351.html
http://www.the-spearhead.com/2014/01/15/white-feminism-nearing-endpoint/
http://www.dailydot.com/society/helen-lewis-intersectionality-bullying-feminism/
Feminism, American style (23 June 2014)
Feminists ignore the real root of misogyny (1 December 2014)
The current dominant variant of feminism is increasingly being recognised as being largely controlled by, and acting in the interests of, well-educated white women. This ruling feminist clique demonstrates little more than a token appreciation of (or interest in) the challenges faced by poorer women and/or women outside the western bloc. They are by no means shy, however, to speak on their behalf.
See Alain Soral, French writer and subversive activist, on feminism (video)
And interestingly, the privileged uber-feminists are just as catty and defensive when called out by their less-advantaged sisters as they are when men try to join the feminist conversation soliloquy.
In this feminist blog post the author states “I saw the same kinds of things happening – white feminists reacting defensively to criticism, women of color being silenced or ignored or attacked.”
She and others like her are basically saying that women of color have unique life experiences, and can offer a different and valuable perspective. Theirs is a perspective which is foreign to white feminists, who should listen to them and understand their issues rather than putting words in their mouth and/or telling them what they need. No doubt very laudable advice. Why, it might even be applied to how white feminists interact with men. But oh no, silly me! For not only are our genes different, but so too are our chromosomes.
Thus when it comes to men (and presumably also men of colour) the author shares this insight:
If the issues concerned a bunch of women and men in arguing over whether something were sexist or not, there would be no question of who was right. When you have a group of men ganging up and claiming that the women in the room are being oversensitive and irrational and seeing sexism where there is none (we have all been in this room before, I think), we all know the men are full of bullshit. It is an egregious show of male privilege.
Well I’m seeing sexism too now, so does this mean I’m NOT full of bullshit?
When I read the author’s “About” page, I couldn’t help thinking that we could substitute men for women of colour. Let’s try it now:
“I believe in the struggle for equality of all people regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. This struggle means recognizing and fighting discrimination wherever it exists.”
This is especially true when it is within our own ranks. So let’s stop burying our heads in denial. Let’s recognize the hypocrisy of claiming to fight oppression while simultaneously acting as oppressors ourselves. Listen to the words of your sisters brothers who do not have your white privilege ‘Y’ chromosome. Do not get angry and blame them for your faults. Instead, listen.
Because it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to be wrong sometimes — everyone is. But it’s not okay to deny those mistakes, to refuse to change or learn from them, to insist we are perfect the way we are. In doing so, we keep the same old systems of hierarchy and oppression in place.
And isn’t that just what we criticize patriarchy for doing?”
How about poor women in Mauritius being paid 62p an hour to make ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ T-shirts that sold in the UK for 45 British pounds? And then the feminist group that marketed the T-shirts tried to bury the issue. For an January 2015 update on that issue read this article.
And here is the story about the life of an Australian Aboriginal woman, Bess Price. See what she thinks about the efforts of left-leaning white feminist women to help achieve equality for her people.
What about the Rotherham child abuse scandal in the UK? Did the global feminist movement swing into action to address this shocking example of ‘rape culture’? Hmm. not exactly, no. Perhaps if the abusers were white lacrosse players with plummy accents there might have been a bit more to get excited about.
And how about the negative & patronising feminist view of women who elect not to join (or remain in) the paid workforce … much has been written on that subject. Here’s a recent example:
‘The toxic legacy of Superwoman: Career women insist feminism means ALL women having jobs, but could that belief blight the lives of mothers – and their children?‘ (5 February 2015)
Feminism has been hijacked by white middle-class women (13 February 2015)
Finally, and I’m not sure that this is the most appropriate place to post this link, but in this Youtube video a woman of colour compares the use of the term ‘misogynist’ nowadays with the historical use of the term ‘nigger’.
