How come academic feminists who speak up about men's rights are defamed/smeared as anti-feminists?

Question

Do you like me, see the pattern that educated feminists who speak out on some of the flaws of the feminist ideology/men's rights are smeared as "in favor of" males in a gender war conceived by academic feminists as a marxist political-group war between oppressors and oppressed?

Feminists such as Camille Paglia, Christina Hoff Sommers, Jean Bethke Elshtain and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese have been labeled "antifeminists", or holders of antifeminist views, by other feminists because of their positions regarding oppression and lines of thought within feminism.
Authors Patai and Koerge argue that in this way the term "antifeminist" is used to silence academic debate about feminism, and represents "an enormous extension of women's power, allowing any sort of criticism of either women or feminist ideas to fall under the watchful eye of their ideological guardians."
Have you experienced this smearing by other feminists with differing veiws?

Answer 1

There has always been differences of opinion and philosophies within the feminist realm, just like there are differences of opinion and philosophies within political parties, social groups, religious groups, academic groups, etc.

Why is it so shocking? There are those with a more radical approach to things, some with a more academic approach, some with a more passive approach. Just because there are differences doesn't negate the entire group or the ideals they are striving for.

Sign in to vote!

Answer 2

I don't know.

Patai is less concerned with men's rights and more concerned with the fact that feminism and Women's Studies are short-changing women in terms of academic integrity and intellectual honesty.

These women are often shut out completely. They're not housewife traditionalists from the right wing. Many of them have earned their stripes in terms of feminism and many of them are actually left-wing, progressive, and lesbian. And yet, they're labeled as "anti-woman."

Sign in to vote!

Answer 3

I have never read any of their works. Neither have you, because otherwise you could actually introduce evidence in support of your argument. But you can't. You're only parroting something you read on the internet somewhere. So what? Anybody can post on the internet: in fact I'm doing it right now.

Sign in to vote!

Answer 4

Well, it's just that C. Paglia & C Hoff Sommers express viewpoints which suggest that Femism in the modern era is largely aimed at the advancement of pain toward men (physical or emotional).

This sort of view is frowned upon by mainstream and academicians who espouse a fare more misandristic approach, which is in keeping with true Feminism.

Therefore, it only stands to reason that in order to keep Feminism taught properly, i.e. as a method to demonize men, that those who think otherwise are inherently a threat to Feminism and should be marginalized.

In short, any academician (especially one vocal with respect to Feminism or Women's Studies) should take on the party line, i.e. that all men are rubbish, and nothing more.

Source(s):

A. Dworkin, G. Greer, M. French (Good Feminists)

Sign in to vote!

Answer 5

Really? It seems to me that a lot of men don't want to hear what feminism thinks or has to say about them - leading to hysterical over-reactions that feminism is trying to tell men how to behave. I have read many feminist books and literature that highlights how anti-equality laws negatively affect men, but it seems to me that many men are not interested and when they finally do wake up and realise there is a problem, they turn round and blame feminism for causing it / doing nothing about it. If we all of us paid careful attention to equality laws in our countries, pressure could be exerted to bring about true equality. But while men don't care, the government isn't hearing anything. I would encourage everyone to join up with feminist groups in their areas, and actively go out and campaign about this stuff, because until people do, nothing will change :-)

Sign in to vote!

Answer 6

I agree with Sommers and the women of ifeminists on a LOT of things, but they tend to blame feminism for more than it's done. And Paglia can be quite vitriolic at times ("[Feminist scholars] can't think their way out of a paper bag"). So, no, they are not fundamentally anti-feminists, but they sure sound like it on occasion.

Sign in to vote!

Answer 7

Then go read, its the net get over yourself. What a loser.

Sign in to vote!