Mhairi Black and the ageism of 'gender' ideology, by Victoria Smith

[ArabeIIaScott]

https://thecritic.co.uk/one-day-mhairi-black-will-be-a-karen-too/

'Ageist sexism is central to trans activism. The idea of “womanhood” that it promotes is bound up in the social construction of femininity, whilst utterly dismissive of the material reality of ageing female bodies. Through history, patriarchy has not just sought to define and exploit women as a sex class; it has done so in different ways depending on where women are in the female lifecycle. Trans activism, as an expression of patriarchy, does this, too.'

...

'Black’s own work with the WASPI campaign should, but obviously didn’t, make her conscious of the cumulative nature of sex-based inequality, and how it relates to economic structures that still treat male bodies as the default. It’s all very comforting, when you haven’t yet experienced the drip-drip, interconnected nature of sexism from one life stage to another, to delude yourself that as long as you don’t name the female body, no one can target you for having one. It’s easy to blame the “Karens” for their own marginalisation — biological essentialists, begging to be biologically essentialised. You justify their low status by telling yourself they are “conservative” — that is, they chose it.
You have missed how for many of us, our politics started out like yours and changed because of what we learned about how patriarchy operates in relation to the female bodies and female life cycles.'

Thanks for that great link ArabellaScott. It's one of the best things I've read by Victoria Smith. I've not read Hags but I clearly need to!

Reminds me of a conversation with some younger female family members who used the term ‘Karen’ to criticise an older female making a complaint to a restaurant. Pointed out how misogynistic it was to use such a term to silence women at the age when they finally started to speak up for themselves. Is there an equivalent term for men? ‘Karen’ is such a clever and cruel trope. Who started it?

...and how did they respond?

One seemed to take it onboard at the time. But I’m not hopeful the message stuck. Generally my impression from the young females in our family is that older women are embarrassing and it is only because they’re ‘conservative’ that they don’t go along with believing that a man in a frock has become a woman.

I've read about the origins of 'Karen'. Although it's sometimes presented as an anti-racist trope (white women complaining about black people, in a specifically US context), afair, the beginning of it was a bloke trying to slag off his wife ... I'll see if I can find it.

Argh, there's loads on the net.

https://time.com/5857023/karen-meme-history-meaning/

This one says it's women 'weaponizing their victimhood' - which seems kind of mad to me.

The Karen thing makes me incandescent. I have at least three Karens in my life who are just lovely people.

This one says it's women 'weaponizing their victimhood' - which seems kind of mad to me.

It is mad. Not just mad, but wicked. It means that women can't even complain about being raped, or assaulted, or discriminated against, or any of those things, without being accused of "weaponising" their victimhood. Not only do they have to suffer as a result of male oppression, any complaint about it is used against them as evidence of their "privilege."

Imagine if that was used in that way against any other oppressed group.

Weaponizing your victimhood = shut up woman

Thanks for posting the links @ArabeIIaScott The term ‘weaponising’ is also clever and cruel. Both Karen and weaponising are part of the arsenal to undermine women and to minimise or deride our legitimate concerns.

Fighting against misogyny in all its forms is like fighting the Hydra.

I skimmed that Time article, and the weirdness of it was directing all the blame at women, while ignoring entirely and completely where the actual violence was coming from - ie men.

Invisible violent men escape censure, while women get turned into memes and cartoons and held up for mockery and abuse.

That's one of the rules of misogyny ...

Ah, Rule 1, in fact:

1. Women are responsible for what men do.

Well women did give birth to every man that has ever existed so I suppose it makes sense. Women conceived them and grew them and birthed them, ensured they survived to adult hood and therefore it is only right that the women remain responsible for the men and their behaviour forevermore.

(Reminder to self: you haven't read the article yet!)

😑

Casual and generalised ageism is actively encouraged these days, whilst youth is lionised.

In intersectionalist terms it goes: Youth = oppressed Age = oppressor.

Personally, I've had enough of this lionisation, with ever younger councillors and MPs, Greta Thunbergs, students campaigning to have their lectureres sacked, who have no worldly experience - just lots of idealistic youthful naivety that also has the arrogance of youth to think that no one before has ever had the same sorts of thoughts and questions.

However it began it is now most definitely used as a way to teach young women to keep their complaints and discomforts to themselves.

Every time I see a young woman use the e term “Karen” I see a person who will be unable to voice any argument in the future.

Gah. Am I the only one who sees 'weaponising' or 'white womanhood' or 'cishetnormativeclownfish' and finds their brain just going 'oh fuck this, life's too short for people this boring'?

Just me? Thought so.

Excellent article, thank you for sharing - Smith nails it as usual.

I agree with RebelliousCow, we are being lectured to and instructed by people who have absolutely no life experience. People with very black/white views, no nuance, no idea that there is often more than one way to be right, or wrong. And we are constantly being told that the brain doesn't fully mature until the age of 25 but we are expected to listen to 18/19 year olds and believe they have all the answers.
As for the term 'Karen', if anyone called me that I wouldn't give one inch. It's the ultimate put down and just seeks to shut up rather than engage and try to understand.

I tend to think, "life's too short for people this gullible" which I believe is a very similar sentiment.

I remember reading about a young woman whose 'lightbulb moment' in their journey to medical transition was the realisation that they couldn't conceive of themselves as an older woman.

They said this as if it was self evident proof that therefore they must be a man. No analysis of other reasons why being an older man might be a more attractive prospect than being an old woman.
It made me very sad.

I read or heard a while ago that Mhairi Black ignores/blanks all other MPs of all other parties in Westminster. Couldn’t find it on google, but if true what a childish way for an elected representative to behave! Only by cross-party cooperation can anything good get done in politics.

There seems to be an overlap with the language used in critical race theory. I read an article from oxfam that claimed white women were responsible for creating an underclass of criminal men by complaining of rapes they committed against the women (i can't remember the exact words used)
All the theories seem to have blaming women in common. That young women spout this is the most depressing part of it

It's up there with "reframe their trauma".

remember reading about a young woman whose 'lightbulb moment' in their journey to medical transition was the realisation that they couldn't conceive of themselves as an older woman.

I am 52 and can't conceive of myself of an older woman!! I am surprised everyone I see a photo of myself. Doesn't mean I'm a man. 🙄🤨

Oh FGS! I mean, which of us at, say, 19, can picture ourselves at 50? It seems light years away and impossible.

If someone can't make the mental leap and instead thinks 'fuck, I must secretly be a man, a fact so secret I've even kept it from myself' then they are unbearably and unfathomably stupid.

And they try to tell us how to rightthink 🤨

I think Hags makes the very point that no woman can conceive of themselves as 'older' until they realise they are.
I was, as expect most young people are, insufferable as an older teen, especially as I started uni.
I see 16 year old DS1 and wonder how on earth my parents coped!