'Man-hating feminism'

quirrel I haven't come across what you are talking about so some examples would be good.

When you talk about feminists dwelling on past grievances, can you give some examples of the grievances?

When you talk about feminists being strident and unpleasant and uncontrollable to shake people up, who are you talking about? You say they do it to shake up conservatives so I guess they must be in the mainstream as otherwise how would the conservatives come across what they are saying. So in the papers / mainstream websites etc - which ones? Who?

Sorry proley - Prolesworth's.

Well that article is a load of rubbish so I can't be bothered to comment on it.

I just want to say that I would LOVE an 'UPPITY WOMEN UNITE' badge like Proleworth's mum.

• uncontrollable- bad choice of word! scratch that that's kind of what we want :o

Sorry if I sounded uppity :)

But they definitely do exist. Am I allowed to quote The Beauty Myth on here? I think there's a nice chunk in there about it.
Better not, and anyway I can't find the page ref. But she makes a very good point about not focusing on grievances more than necessary, but moving forward (and realising that repression and hate and hunger for power are not just male characteristics, which is more common a school of thought than you might think). We don't always need to give in to our instincts- an eye for an eye etc.

The dangerous thing about dwelling on past grievances is that it is easy to cross over the line between genuine recognisable need for closure etc and people getting the wrong (or right) idea, thinking all feminists are all about this rather than equality, aggressive rather than eirenic.
Of course we need aggression, but maybe not when trying to recruit :o

I came across these people on the Internet and otherwise they are so intelligent that I can't believe they produce this sort of rubbish. I doubt that it's tongue in cheek.
I don't think the use of the word 'strident' should be particularly contentious when it comes to certain feminists. It is controversial by nature and many do appear unpleasant and uncontrollable when it comes to shaking (conservative) people up. The fact that there is a stereotype means it does exist, even if it's a watery weak minority.

Sorry about that last post it's a bit graphic should I ask to get it deleted?

I'm sure they do orm but so do many people have a preference for male children.

And of course in many countries being a female child is a total disaster, if you actually manage to get born and make it through the first few weeks/months without being killed / starved / raped to death etc.

oh, ffs @ that article.
blaming feminists for exactly the kind of stereotyping that we are trying our hardest to combat.

but it's always 'some men, some men, not all' as if that somehow exculpates the rest from doing anything about any of it

I remember watching 'Terms of endearment'. When the mother dies all her friends turn up and coo over her little girl and want to adopt her but don't want the boy. I don't know anyone in real life who thinks like that but maybe they exist. Do they?

FC so then the article should be titled "We need to talk about man-hating in society, and why because of this everyone should be a feminist".

Although I don't think there is man-hating in society, by a long chalk. People who bring their sons up in the macho mould don't do it because they hate them.

Mostly the article is rubbish. However, I agree with SardineQueen, all hatred is wrong. I worry as much about all the "little monster"/ smelly / lazy / useless stereotypes that get fed to boys as I do about all the revolting pink princess crap. The way we bring up boys and the way society sees them will have a direct impact on how they go onto relate to women / the world when they are men.

But what has this book to do with man-hating feminism? Or indeed the article for that matter?

basically teh person who wrote the article doesn't like feminists and has written the title and then just scrawled down any old rubbish which she thinks relates to it.

It's gobbledegook.

True SQ, but I think many parents are unaware that they are reinforcing dangerous stereotypes. It's ignorance more than anything else.

Exactly sardine! And personally I think that girls suffer more from that ridiculous sterotyping than girls. At least boys are encouraged to use their bodies and run/climb/get muddy etc not sit and be passive.

" It's the conditioning of boys into the slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails and girls into sugar and spice and all things nice that is damaging from the beginning. It would surely have a positive impact on feminism to recognise that this happens and to try and educate people, particularly parents, against it."

It isn't feminists who do this though. It's everybody else. Feminists go to great pains not to raise their children to conform to stereotype.

I don;t understand this conversation. This is an imaginary character in one book. Why is it being taken as an absolute truth about the world? As proof that men and boys are vilified? It's not real life, it's a story?

I hated the book btw. And felt sorry for the boy. But I don't see Shriver as a feminist.

"a deep rooted sense of female superiority"

Ooh where do you get one of those from? I think every woman should have one. To match the 'deep rooted sense of male superiority' that all men have. Life would be much better for everyone.

I agree with ScGB: the 'truth' of the book was that the narrator is as much of a self-obsessed monster as her son.

But I think she does make an important point. It's the conditioning of boys into the slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails and girls into sugar and spice and all things nice that is damaging from the beginning. It would surely have a positive impact on feminism to recognise that this happens and to try and educate people, particularly parents, against it.

Even as a teenager (when the first film came out) I was shocked at friends saying "Oh I'm so like Bridget". Are you? I wouldn't be boasting about it if you are.

"worrying about man-hating boy hating is ridiculous when you look at what women and girls go through at the hands of men every day in this world."

I disagree entirely. All hatred should be opposed. Anything that suggests that there is or should be a "battle" between the sexes is wrong.