But feminist groups across the USA appear to be ignorant of more than one threat to women's health. There is another slithery anti-woman culprit out there, and he's on the magazine rack at your local grocery store. And your television set. And your computer screen. Yes, I am referring to smut, or pornography; images that encourage men to view females as valuable only in their sexuality and defeats the spirit of women who don't look exactly like the paper-thin models. These widely available magazines, shows, movies, sites, and ads accomplish their mission brilliantly. Have we forgotten the admission of Ted Bundy? Porn is not trivial. In fact, we have evidence that it is brutally crucial. I am offended by the stores that tell me women are good for one thing - and whisper to my sisters that if they don't "have it," they're no good. Why aren't you feminists angered too? Not one link on NOW.com to "Stop Porn NOW!" Instead, what I find is "The Truth About George," "Equal Marriage," and "Demand Katrina Aid." What? This was supposed to be for and about women, not another moveon.org.
The evidence mounts against modern feminism, but it continues on. The champions of women's rights of old were out to eliminate sexism. But what happens when today's women's rightists evolve into the very sexists that their predecessors fought? It's happening. Some frightening examples are found in a rally at New Hampshire University last year. The author, Shannon O'Neil (I assume a female), documents this stirring speech:
"Hello, my name is Mary Man-Hating-Is-Fun," one participant said. "I am 23 years old, and I am what a feminist looks like. Ever since I learned to embrace my feminist nature, I found great joy in threatening men's lives, flicking off frat brothers and plotting the patriarchy's death. I hate men because they are men, because I see them for what they are: misogynistic, sexist, oppressive and absurdly pathetic beings who only serve to pollute and contaminate this world with war, abuse, oppression and rape."
It gets even worse across the Atlantic. Stanley Kurtz observes some really hateful feminists in Sweden, where political parties are constructed with one overriding platform: feminism.
..the government’s women’s shelter network had printed excerpts from the “SCUM Manifesto” (Society for Cutting Up Men), penned by a radical feminist in the late 1960s. The SCUM Manifesto urges women to “destroy the male sex” by using modern science to insure that only female children are born. SCUM goes on to say: “To call a man an animal is to flatter him: he’s a machine, a walking dildo.” Asked by the film-maker if she agreed, Von Wachenfeldt said, “Yes, man is an animal. Don’t you think so?”
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Bonnie
If you're not willing to quote to the South Dakota report, why not link to it? From your article, I only get the faintest sense of what it may have to say.
Also, it might be worth pointing out the context of "Mary" from the original article: "Monologues by members of the FAL poked fun at feminist stereotypes and set the tone of an evening of sarcasm and wit." Whether you think the stereotype goes deeper than mockery or not, it's a bit disingenous to quote that passage without indicating that the reporter on the scene saw it as hyperbole.
2 - Lisa McKay
You also might have dug a bit deeper at NOW's website. You would have found that at the 2005 National NOW Conference, a workshop entitled Sexploitation: Trafficking, Prostitution & Pornography was described thusly in the conference proceedings:
There are many, many issues facing women today, and the problems caused by pornography are just one aspect of it. I'd say that the law passed in South Dakota is a graver danger to women's rights at the moment.
On the one hand, I find it encouraging that young men agree that equal rights for women are a good thing. On the other, I find your misunderstanding of what modern feminism is about to be depressing. The notion that feminism is equivalent to man-hating is absurd and ill-informed.
3 - Samuel James
Yes, here is the link to the report. Sorry for that slip.
Also, while the context of that speech may have been slightly on the side of satire, it's worthy to note that the author calls the incident on the campus "Man-hatred."
And Lisa, can you explain to me why porn is not listed as a "Major Issue" at NOW's site, but gay marriage is?
4 - Lisa McKay
Samuel, my understanding of the relationship between pornography and violence is that the research is somewhat divided as to whether there's a proven link between the two (and if you have reliable sources that indicate otherwise, I would be interested in seeing them). I'd say that violence against women is rather pervasive in our society and likely has many deeply-rooted cultural causes. You will note that Violence Against Women is indeed one of the major issues that NOW is involved with. If you're trying to suggest that NOW is unconcerned about the issue of violence against women, I'd say you're wrong. Gay marriage is a civil rights issue that affects lesbians to the same degree that it affects gay men.
5 - Margaret Romao Toigo
And why shouldn't feminists support reproductive independence and freedom for women, Mr. James?
The pro-choice position is not just about the preservation of safe and legal access to abortion services, that's just one aspect.
"Choice" is about all of women's reproductive rights, which would be severely diminished if the rights of personhood were conferred upon fetuses.
Not only would women loose the right to choose abortion -- a right that, despite the spinning of the statistics, relatively few women have actually exercised over the years -- we would also lose our right to not choose abortion.
The old "we don't want to return to the days of the coathanger" argument often ignores the flip side of the bad old days when abortions were outlawed.
Most people tend to picture the tragic fate of "girls in trouble" obtaining black market abortion services and ending up permanently damaged or dead from complications (and those were the only abortions that anybody heard about in those days as most women recovered from illegal abortions without further medical intervention).
What is often ignored about those times, however, was how husbands, boyfriends and fathers who did not want babies, or to be forced into marriage, or to have shame heaped upon their families could drag their wives, girlfriends and daughters to underground abortionists against their wills.
These women who had abortions forced upon them by the men in their lives were not in a position to complain to the authorities because their reporting of such crimes was tantamount to a confession to a criminal act.
This is what feminists are actually afraid of.
I note from your author bio that you're not yet old enough to legally view pornography, so how could you possibly know that it's "a slithery anti-woman culprit?"
Did you know that, unlike it is with most mainstream films, the women in the cast of pornographic films and videos always get top billing in the credits?
Did you know that, in adult films (except for those with all-male casts), the women are the "big stars" and receive much higher pay than their male co-stars?
The assertion that "images that encourage men to view females as valuable only in their sexuality" is a distortion that is demeaning to men because it carries with it the suggestion that men are so weak that their thinking is easily affected by two-dimensional images on a screen or glossy piece of paper.
The suggestion that pornography "defeats the spirit of women who don't look exactly like the paper-thin models" is likewise demeaning to women because of the implication that women are fixated primarily upon their looks as indicators of their value as people.
6 - Mark Saleski
there's somethin' funny about these opinions coming from a 17 year old.
7 - Dawn
Samuel, I realize that you are 18, so therefore I will cut you huge amounts of slack, because I too was 18 and full of it.
You make some pretty broad generalizations about feminists and certainly quote the most extreme end of the spectrum.
Stopping porn and banning abortion, while certainly objectives of the conservative movement, are not one and the same.
Sure porn sucks and is lame. And I have no doubt that it is dangerous on some level to a certain percentage of the criminally minded, but it is not in the same league as forcing women to bear children who are neither financially or emotionally prepared to do.
Porn on affects me in the most abstract way, but limiting my access as a female to reproductive choices could affect me on a personal level.
8 - Andy Marsh
Margaret - I don't need the women to look like the porn stars...just performing like the porn stars is good enough for me. Ain't it a bitch that those guys don't make the big bucks or get top billing for the money shot?
And I just can't beieve that someone that's not 18 or 21 would hit yes on one of those buttons that ask if your old enough! Can you?
Sam - I do like your argument about the word choice...like to hear that one addressed.
Someone should be along soon to tell you how afraid you are of women. Don't worry, what we don't understand scares us all! I live with 3 and I don't have a clue....
9 - JELIEL³
Sam, if you are really 17, one could not tell from your writing style. Very good work. Nice to see there are still smart teenagers around. Perhaps there is hope for some of you.
That said, it was a very well written article, well thought out, eloquent even.
I myself couldn't contain my contempt for the radical feminist movement long enough to write such an article. These radicals seem hell bent on removing all the fun that comes with being a man. I'm all for equality on every level. In fact I believe in absolute justice, freedom and equality for all. But I've read a good many articles on the feminist movement and it all comes down to one thing. It seems that in their mindset, masculinity is a treatable disease. And this is what irritates me to no end.
Men and Women balance out the equation of life. If they remove our aggression, our strong will, our thirst for self-empowerment, if they "androgynize" us, the whole of humanity will suffer. It's those qualities mixed with the feminine qualities that enabled our species to survive this surprisingly long.
I suspect that the world left to women alone would most likely end up the same way it is now. No better, no worse. The atrocities that men create, can as well be created by women. THe flavor might be different, but it'll still be an atrocity
10 - Jon Sobel
I'll address the argument about the word "choice:" I'll stop calling myself "pro-choice" when abortion opponents stop calling themselves "pro-life." Both are euphemisms. However, "pro-choice" is technically accurate - we are in favor of women having the right to choose whether to have a baby. "Pro-life" is a more problematic term, because we do not all agree on the definition of life in this context.
11 - Andy Marsh
I thought it was a choice to terminate a pregnancy, women already have the choice to have a baby or not.
12 - Jon Sobel
It's the same thing. If a woman is pregnant, she either has a choice (to have the baby, or to have an abortion) or she doesn't have a choice (is prohibited by law from having an abortion).
13 - Samuel James
I was mainly addressing those who say (and I have heard several of them) "Abortion is a terrible thing. No one likes it, but we think it should still be legal."
14 - Andy Marsh
and if she's not pregnant in the first place she has a choice...to either not get pregnant or get pregnant, so, it's not the same thing. It's pro I fucked up and I need another way out of this. Don't try to argue this point like I'm a pro-lifer or something 'cause I ain't. But let's not pretend that it's something it ain't.
15 - Andy Marsh
Should I just tell my daughters...Oh, don't worry about it honey...we'll just take you down to the clinic and get you an abortion if you want? Or should I tell them to be FUCKING responsible?
16 - Jon Sobel
Well, Andy, if you're going to strip the issue of all its nuances and just be a grouchy old curmudgeon...
Seriously, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're leaning towards an abstinence-only argument. That hasn't worked. Here's one of the studies that have shown it - maybe not the most recent, but the first I found on a quick search.
17 - Andy Marsh
That's not what I'm arguing Jon. I agree that abstinence doesn't work...I went to catholic school and nobody abstained from anything but meat during Lent!
What I was asking about earlier was just what Samuel was saying in his post...is abortion morally right or do pro-choice folks, just as Samuel said, see nothing wrong with it?
18 - zingzing
back to the topic... why does everything turn into abortion? abort the abortion debate!... i think that "SCUM" is, quite possible, the most incredible acronym ever. society for cutting up men... that is wondrous. fucking fantastic. i would join them, even as a man, just because their name is so great.
19 - Andy Marsh
I quote right out of the post and I'm off topic?
My bad...
20 - Margaret Romao Toigo
"Abortion is a terrible thing. No one likes it, but we think it should still be legal." is a position that is held by a vast majority of Americans.
Nobody in his or her right mind thinks that abortion is a Good Thing, but most acknowledge it as a necessary evil and understand that, as much as it is an abomination, outlawing it would only make it even more vile.
We cannot be a free nation if we get into the habit of outlawing terrible acts that do not actually violate the rights of the people.
For example, hate speech is a terrible thing that degrades all of society and demeans our progress and our diversity. But censorship is not merely degrading and demeaning, it is tyranny and oppression, the most evil act there is among man's many inhumanities to man.
21 - Lisa McKay
Andy, I can't answer for everyone who's pro-choice, but I will answer for myself, because I think my opinion is not uncommon. Abortion is a moral issue which every woman has the right to determine for herself. The reason that this needs to be the case, at least for me, is that I feel very strongly that women need to be the ultimate authorities when it comes to events which transpire within the confines of their own bodies. While I'm past the age where I would have to make such decisions, I will say this: I'm not sure it's a choice I would make for myself under ordinary circumstances, but neither do I think it my right to deny that choice to other women.
22 - Andy Marsh
Thank you Margaret and Lisa. I really do believe it's a womans' right...but I also believe that if a woman decides to make that choice on her own without input from the person that helped her get that way, then it becomes her responsibility alone. What's that line from Spiderman? With great power comes great responsibility?
23 - zingzing
this argument can be had on about 95% of all the posts on this site. it's getting dull. why does everything turn into an abortion debate? can't we just ignore it? just for once? how about talking about the current state of feminism? or everything about it EXCEPT abortion?
i'm not going to say that this discussion is totally unwarranted considering the topic. i'm just saying it's really fucking dull. so much fun could be had here and instead it's just the same old thing.
talking about abortion on blogcritics is like talking about the weather with your mother.
24 - Andy Marsh
now you had to go and bring mothers into it???
HA!
25 - zingzing
well, that shut y'all up, din it now?