The Dark Side of Feminism
The biggest threat to women today is feminism. Forget the patriarchy. Feminists are sticking it to other women.The women’s equal rights movement has become one of the most pervasive, self-serving and oppressive cultures in modern society.
The rise of feminist celebrities like Lena Dunham, Caitlyn Moran and others, has made something very clear : mainstream feminism is only fighting for the rights of middle class, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual, white women.
Take it from a feminist, the movement has been hi-jacked by a bunch of cardboard box feminists fuming with rage against the patriarchy, who whine about empowerment, while blaring to other women that they are victims.
Even the women at the very top like Lena Dunham are saying that women are victims of catcalling, society as a whole, gender roles, objectification, the male gaze,... If you look long enough, you can find sexism pretty much anywhere. Even at the top of your ivory tower.
Those feminists have all failed in acknowledging their own privilege and stubbornly state that feminism has nothing to do with race, social status, income or sexuality.
While feminists are crusading for their rights to wear a thong on stage, black women, muslim women, transsexual women and handicapped women’s issues have constantly gone unnoticed. Their struggles are systematically ignored by the dominant group of white feminists, for the sake of unity.
Some women have it worse than others. Black women for instance struggle with sexism and racism. For those shaking your heads and saying that feminism isn’t about race, I beg to differ.
Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term ‘intersectional’ in 1989 in her essay “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics”.
She referred to an accident at an intersection to explain the concept of intersectionality “Discrimination, like traffic through an intersection, may flow in one direction, and it may flow in another. If an accident happens in an intersection, it can be caused by cars traveling from any number of directions and, sometimes, from all of them”.
Black women are the intersection in this analogy and like in a car accident, it is sometimes hard to reconstruct the event. So from where did the discrimination come from ? Sexism ? Racism ? Or is it a mix of both that caused the accident ?
This can be applied to any women with multiple facets to her individuality. A person’s identity as a woman can not be separated from their other identities. Which is why it is so important for feminists to practise intersectionality.
Intersectionality is ways in which oppressive institutions interlock. Sadly, today’s feminism has become oppressive in its failure to identify the particular struggles some women face due to their race, sexuality, gender identity or any other factors that come into play.
Feminists need to recognize the differences between women and give those who are the most vulnerable in society a voice.
The fight to abolish page 3 is laudable. But we seldom hear that in England, 48% of trans people under 26 have attempted suicide and 59% of transgender youth have deliberately hurt themselves.
Germaine Greer, a hardline feminist, has made it very clear that she does not believe male to female transgenders are ‘real’ women. She believes that : “Just because you lop off your dick and then wear a dress, doesn't make you’re a fucking woman”.
It seems the once pioneering feminist who wrote anti-establishment pieces like ‘I Am A Whore’ (1971) has just become a bully.
The feminist movement has fought long and hard for women to be recognized as men’s equals. Women especially should understand the feeling of being scorned by society for being born in the wrong body. So how dare the equal rights movement deny other communities the rights women now enjoy ?
Women actively participate in subjugating others. Muslim women who wear the veil, constantly have to deal with feminists telling them that the veil is a sign of oppression.
While feminists campaign against the shaming of women who wear very light clothing, the same feminists have decided that women who cover their bodies are oppressed. “My body, my rights” apparently comes with terms and conditions.
Feminists perpetuate the same idea they want to fight : that the value of a woman is defined by the length of her skirt and whether or not her hair is covered.
White women also propagate stereotypes in the workplace against their coloured peers. A 1989 study showed that white women thought that their coloured peers were less “competent” and were “meaner”.
Things haven’t changed much since 1989 as scores of studies have proven that women or people of colour who make it to executive positions will not promote diversity in the workplace.
Women today break the glass ceiling, before pulling the ladder up after themselves... Making damn sure that no one will follow behind.
Feminism has become selfish and doesn’t seem to care about women beyond their usefulness as a political prop.
If feminism only serves privileged women, then the opponents of feminism are right. We don’t need feminism anymore. If feminism is no use to those who most need it, then we can all go home and let the ship sink.
White privileged heterosexual women should come to terms with the fact that they are no longer victims. They should use their privilege to give to others the same rights and respect they now enjoy.
Otherwise, feminism will effectively become the new chauvinism.
