Why is it socially acceptable to stereotype and vilify white women as a whole?

[TheTERFnextDoor]

I've seen this a lot recently, often from other white women bizarrely, and I don't understand why it's socially acceptable?

I think it goes without saying that in most groups, you get good and bad people. White women are surely no different in that respect? Yes, many of them are privileged, and they don't face the discrimination that other categories might. I accept that. However, that doesn't change the fact that they aren't some homogeneous mass of people, surely?

I am genuinely trying to learn here, so I'd appreciate all responses, particularly those that disagree

I think it's a way for a variety of social groups to take away the small amount of power that women "enjoy" on the Oppression Olympics scale. So say for instance beardy woke-bros that like to support the TRAs - according to their thinking, they have white male privilege so this is a way of flipping it and silencing any woman that speaks out, while enhancing their own social capital.

It's also hugely offensive. To deliberately manipulate others to further a deceitful agenda is the actions of an abuser, or a sociopath. To suggest that it's a regular behaviour of a whole group of people is dreadful.

Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if everyone has forgotten how to understand intersectionality

What about black and white women using it as an excuse for misogyny?

Why pick on white women and not ‘white people’?

Its misogyny. Doesn’t matter if it’s women doing it. Still misogyny.

The books currently on amazon directly addressing white feminism include chapters about 'transmisogyny' so it's a no from me.

I’m still trying to imagine a world where it would be seen as acceptable to focus in on ‘black men’s misogyny’, perhaps harking back to the civil rights movement and MLK telling the women to go back to their homes and leave activism to the men, thereby opening up a whole new socially acceptable form of ‘woke racism’ where white women, white men and black women all gathered around to stick the boot in, stereotyping and belittling black men’s ‘tears’, and telling them they need to ‘reflect on their misogyny’ - and these men taking that kind of shit laying down. Wouldn’t happen and we wouldn’t want it to.

So why are there some people happy to do it to white women/feminists?

Yes. And also self-defeating because, if you understand intersectionality, you understand that anything that promotes misogyny will harm the more disadvantaged women most. Of course, that doesn't mean that black women shouldn't challenge white women being racist. But, buying into a narrative that is anti-women rebounds on all women, including black women. It's just a variation on young women thinking that they can be exempt from misogyny by agreeing with men that older women are boring, mumsy prudes.

What about black and white women using it as an excuse for misogyny?

Sorry, what is 'it' here?

True class analysis takes more intellectual rigor than to find a snarky gif on twitter, thus popularizing American talking points across the internet-connected world

Saying ’actually we do have an issue with white women’s behaviour’.

You agreed with that. Singling women out for criticism because they happen to be white.

Same, and exactly this

Saying ’actually we do have an issue with white women’s behaviour’.

You agreed with that. Singling women out for criticism because they happen to be white.

I didn't think that was what the Countess meant. I thought she was referring to the kinds of interactions that happen in mainly female spaces and between women. I didn't read into it anything about singling women out because they happen to be white.

In a majority white country, the tears of a white women is a call to action for law enforcement and MOPs which can have dire consequences for people of colour.

What does this mean in practical terms though, in for instance the UK? That white women shouldn't call the police if they are being threatened by a man or men who happen to not be white?

Or are you implying that many white women will turn on the tears and involve the police just to hurt innocent non-white men?

In a majority white country, the tears of a white women is a call to action for law enforcement and MOPs which can have dire consequences for people of colour

Can you point me to some evidence of this happening in the UK?

It sounds very much like an attempt to blame women for the actions of racist men.

In a majority white country, the tears of a white women is a call to action for law enforcement and MOPs which can have dire consequences for people of colour.

I'm a bit lost here and would appreciate some direction to explanations and evidence that this is a widespread phenomenon.

I see. In that sentence you quoted she said:

I think it’s enormously important to make the distinction between black women saying ‘actually we do have an issue with white women’s behaviour’ (yes, generally meaning not all white women, but why should they have to spell it out?) and men using it as an excuse for more misogyny. Which absolutely is happening.

The non-misogynist version would be ‘actually we do have a problem with white people’s behaviour’. Why did Countess focus on having a problem with women, whatever their colour?

The answer is, because it is easy and you can get away with it, because women will take that crap laying down. Because- misogyny.

What does this mean in practical terms though, in for instance the UK? That white women shouldn't call the police if they are being threatened by a man or men who happen to not be white?

Many people think that. See "carceral feminism".

The non-misogynist version would be ‘actually we do have a problem with white people’s behaviour’. Why did Countess focus on having a problem with women, whatever their colour?

As noted, given the context, I read the Countess as referring specifically to women's spaces and interactions between women specifically.

Black people in particular have been harmed by the tears and accusations of white women, so ofcourse they're going to talk about it.

Just as women are harmed by misogyny, so of course many women are going to talk about it. Luckily it's a free country and we can all have our say.

Yip. I'm pretty sure that rape victims do lots of crying. Conviction rates only go down, because no woman's tears act as a call to action. Law enforcement themselves have huge issues with misogyny, domestic abuse etc. If our tears galvanised them in any way, we'd have achieved change by now.

The books currently on amazon directly addressing white feminism include chapters about 'transmisogyny' so it's a no from me.

I wonder if those "white women" are also terrible or if they are magically exempt from any of this criticism. I'm not sure which would be worse, actually.

@TedMullins Prejudice against white people isn’t racism.

Have you ever been to a country that just najiei

*in’t majority white? Try going to some Asian or Middle Eastern countries and tell me that white women don’t experience racism.

I didn’t see it like that.

I think it’s very easy for white women to close our ears to this because it implicates us.

So do white men not close their ears because they are implicated by accusations of racism? Is it just woman thing?

But I have seen posts on Mumsnet that cross over the line into telling black women what they should be concerned about.

The example is Mumsnet, which is an anonymous space where you don’t know anyone’s sex or colour, or if they are who they claim to be.

And anyway, even if someone is specifically discussing rare as hen’s teeth women-only spaces/organising, it could still be phrased in a non-misogynist way - ‘actually we do have a problem with white people’s behaviour - even within women-only spaces’.

Prejudice towards white people isn’t racism

What would you call it, then?

White people living in a white-dominated society don't usually experience systemic or institutional racism, but they can encounter racism from individuals, as can anyone in any society.

Do men experience sexism? Or is that different?