A well meaning friend sent this to dd- I have to share it or murder someone! And why should I suffer alone?

[Hakluyt]

She's 19, and dealing with a collapsing relationship. An honorary uncle sent her this as a consoling message. Fortunately it fuelled her feminism, and she won't see him for a while, so his testicles will remain intact! But the thought of people thinking this sort of thing, offensive on so many levels is OK just make me despairing. So I want you all to despair as well.

LOL no that isn't what 'fuel one's feminism' means. I believe the OP meant her dd had seen through this apple tree message to the load of sexist bullshit beneath and is appropriately outraged (as most of us on this thread are). it has not caused us to hate all men or even the man who sent it, who undoubtedly meant it to be consoling rather than infuriating.

'fuel one's feminism'

This implies to me she hated men before but now she hates men even more?

What did her uncle tell her anyway?

You need to go down to Hakluyt's message on Wed 08-Apr-15 at 12:33:50 to see the original attachment, it's been lost from the opening post.

Feminism isn't about hating men. Feel free to start a thread in Feminism Chat (this topic) if you'd like to discuss people's personal definitions of it.

"Feminism isn't about hating men."

Yep it is, and boys too. That's why most women/girls refuse to call themself a feminist or have anything to do with the label.

Maggot alert

Thanks for coming to share your views on feminism with us this morning.

Most women I've met (of a diverse range of ages, cultures etc) are perfectly happy with the word. They equate it with women getting jobs, pay, not being cat called ... not man hating.

A few Internet memes have fuelled this idea that women all hate feminism, and that it's man hating.

"They equate it with women getting jobs"

Guess what? Women can get a good job without hating men or sitting doing nothing and blaming the "patriarchy".

It's called studying hard.

The women who are in good jobs didn't sit around blaming the patriarchy and waiting for a job to come to them on a silver platter. They worked hard to get those jobs.

"A few Internet memes have fuelled this idea that women all hate feminism, and that it's man hating."

Of course, it's all the fault of a few internet memes and nothing at all to do with what feminists actually say and do.

It's true.

I was once a happy, carefree young woman, then someone sent me an ill-judged hallmark card, and now I spend my days scowling at penises and cultivating my leg hair. It's not even really safe to leave me with funny-shaped root veg in case my wrath leads me to aggressive acts of soup-making.

oK, I'll bite, meddaio. What do feminists say and do? Could you provide some examples?

I have a good job. Still recognise we live in a patriarchy. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I haven't worked harder than a lot of women in less good jobs. Just like men at the top don't work harder than a great deal of other people.

For your homework this week, look up the word privilege and its connotations in the political sense. A dictionary can help you with the big words. Run along now...

You don't like women much do you?

No that's not why she didn't like the meme. HTH.

I think you've already said that.

Oh dear is the trollbot getting repetitive? It'll go up in a puff of smoke soon. I'll return when it's kaput

I was hoping it was a real life MRA we could play with then track back to it's lair. Haven't had one of those for a while............

Ah there was one of those yesterday I think, you might have missed him? he signed up with his own name the arrogant fool

This one's too predictable and dull. "Yadda yadda yadda feminists hate men and want to eat baby boys". They all need to read SGB's excellent psychological analysis of the MRA.

I believe trollbot has been taken away for reprogramming.

Btw - fascinating fact - I can see the apple tree in Hakluyt's opening post in Chrome on Windows but not on Mac. Some apple/Apple connection?! Arf.

I don't have anything of use to add but just wanted to say I loved this thread until the last few posts.

I don't post here very often - consider myself a feminist, but mostly in awe of you amazing, intelligent, fearless bunch who deal with these dickhead MRA types on here all the time!

But honestly, I have a bloody fantastic Dad, two younger brothers who I love to pieces and two sons who I adore as much as my daughter. Where does the 'hating men' shit actually come from? Do they genuinely believe feminist really means 'man-hating lesbian'?

Anyway, as you were.

(I almost called you a 'ballsy bunch' but I don't know if that's an insult or not - still learning )

Uterusy bunch doesn't quite have the same ring, does it?!

I've never got to the bottom of the man-hating bit. It is odd.

If we're comparing gonads, surely it should be 'grow a pair of ovaries'.....I'm sure I've seen that on here before.

I'm with Betty White on this one.