When is sexism not sexism? When it's by females against males.
Just as some feminists (for example, Luce Irigaray) presume that only females can be victims of rape, sexism is predominantly interpreted as if only females can be targets. Not so. There seems to be an ever-increasing number of females who routinely make the sort of comments to or about males that, were the situation reversed, would have the women demanding the full force of the law be applied.
Perpetrators of female-to-male sexism frequently present or describe themselves as feminists, apparently without perceiving any need to explore the ambiguity between their political stance, itself based on perceptions of sexual inequality and sexed ill-treatment, and their misandrous attitude.
The unqualified assumption that sexism equates to misogyny can appear in sources that initially seem unbiassed. The website Stop Sexist Remarks, for example, launched in November 2008, features female and male contributors. Its name articulates both a need and an intention to eliminate any and all forms of sexist commentary; however, this impression is soon contradicted by the opening words of its mission statement:
The site seems to be based in the USA and thus may reflect a reality very different from the UK's, but given that the UK has a Minister for Women and Equality and the White House a Council on Women and Girls (both titles clearly affirming proclivity), perhaps not. I would estimate, however, that in the last few years more than three quarters of the sexist remarks I have read in published work or heard in a public forum have been made by females about males. The tone is sometimes mock-hostile, à la Jo Brand, but far more often openly contentious. Those making the remarks heatedly (and often with no regard to relevance in the immediate or historical context) declare their feminism, denounce misogyny as if females could do no wrong, and assert their right to make misandrous remarks.
It is depressing to realize that the "battle of the sexes" is alive and well and living all over the world in cultures that pass judgement on the treatment of women in countries whose attitudes are denounced as "backward". An unchecked and increasingly commonplace misandry, apparently supported by political approval, fans its flames, while the voices of genuine victims of sexism (regardless of gender) are too often drowned out by those who assume their gender equates to victimhood.
Just as some feminists (for example, Luce Irigaray) presume that only females can be victims of rape, sexism is predominantly interpreted as if only females can be targets. Not so. There seems to be an ever-increasing number of females who routinely make the sort of comments to or about males that, were the situation reversed, would have the women demanding the full force of the law be applied.
Perpetrators of female-to-male sexism frequently present or describe themselves as feminists, apparently without perceiving any need to explore the ambiguity between their political stance, itself based on perceptions of sexual inequality and sexed ill-treatment, and their misandrous attitude.
The unqualified assumption that sexism equates to misogyny can appear in sources that initially seem unbiassed. The website Stop Sexist Remarks, for example, launched in November 2008, features female and male contributors. Its name articulates both a need and an intention to eliminate any and all forms of sexist commentary; however, this impression is soon contradicted by the opening words of its mission statement:
Sexist remarks — words designed to belittle, control, embarrass, or hurt. They are used to stop conversations, put women down, and maintain power. We hear them at neighborhood barbecues, work, and family reunions.This expresses an unqualified assumption that females are the sole victims of sexist remarks; there's no attempt to balance the manifest lack of bias in the site's name with the overt bias in its stated purpose, nor apparently any recognition of the inherent contradition.
The site seems to be based in the USA and thus may reflect a reality very different from the UK's, but given that the UK has a Minister for Women and Equality and the White House a Council on Women and Girls (both titles clearly affirming proclivity), perhaps not. I would estimate, however, that in the last few years more than three quarters of the sexist remarks I have read in published work or heard in a public forum have been made by females about males. The tone is sometimes mock-hostile, à la Jo Brand, but far more often openly contentious. Those making the remarks heatedly (and often with no regard to relevance in the immediate or historical context) declare their feminism, denounce misogyny as if females could do no wrong, and assert their right to make misandrous remarks.
It is depressing to realize that the "battle of the sexes" is alive and well and living all over the world in cultures that pass judgement on the treatment of women in countries whose attitudes are denounced as "backward". An unchecked and increasingly commonplace misandry, apparently supported by political approval, fans its flames, while the voices of genuine victims of sexism (regardless of gender) are too often drowned out by those who assume their gender equates to victimhood.
How do I apply for the post of Minister for Men and Equality then?
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