The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Feminism Is a Synonym for ‘Shut Up’

Posted on | April 28, 2016 | 49 Comments

A major goal of feminism is to silence opposition. Because their ideology cannot withstand informed and articulate criticism, feminists therefore require a dishonest vocabulary of jargon that functions to disqualify and discredit their opponents. A man expressing disagreement with a feminist will invariably be accused of “sexism” or “misogyny,” and if he persists in his criticism, he will be accused of “harassment.” What these terms actually mean — other than as pejorative labels, deployed to smear the movement’s enemies — is seldom examined. It is quite often the case that men who ostensibly support feminism engage in abusive behavior toward women (e.g., Jian Ghomeshi), whereas men who oppose the movement are branded “misogynists” for no other reason than their willingness to state their criticism honestly and openly.

 

Do you see how Anita Sarkeesian deploys the term “harassment” here to suggest that any disagreement with her is harassment? The only reason anyone might dispute her “critique,” we are supposed to believe, is that those who disagree with her do not give “women the benefit of the doubt” — they are prejudiced against women — and therefore are engaged in “subtle harassment.” This rhetorical tactic is an implied threat, intended to intimidate any would-be critic of Sarkeesian, who will be accused of harassment if he does not enthusiastically agree with everything she says.

Feminists have used this kind of dishonest rhetoric for so long that it is seldom recognized as what it is, a propaganda tactic of psychological warfare. Consider, for example, the circular logic of “Lewis’ Law.” This was stated on Twitter by British feminist Helen Lewis in August 2012: “The comments on any article about feminism justify feminism.”

 

In other words, the way people respond to feminist arguments proves that feminist ideology is correct. The basic error of this is to assume that ignorant or offensive comments posted on an Internet article — expressions of “sexism,” which Ms. Lewis sees as justifying her cause — are representative of some larger social problem, rather than demonstrating something about the quality of Internet commenters. Suppose, for example, that Helen Lewis makes a particularly stupid argument that men find insulting, e.g., “Yes, there is one great contribution men can make to feminism: pick up a mop,” which was the headline on a Guardian column Ms. Lewis published in January. How you expect men to respond to such an insult? Do you think the average fellow, confronted with such a headline, will sit down and compose a thoughtful 700-word column in reply? Or do you expect him to say something rude about Ms. Lewis as a person? Does a rude comment prove anything?

 

The man who responds to Ms. Lewis’ arguments by making rude personal comments about her has proven nothing at all, but certainly his rudeness cannot be cited as evidence that her arguments are correct. Is feminism nothing but a movement to prevent men from saying rude things to women? Are feminists primarily concerned about courtesy? Is “mind your manners” the sum and essence of feminist ideology?

Perhaps Ms. Lewis should give her lectures on civility to the obstreperous feminists who heckled Christian Hoff Sommers during an event this week at the University of Massachusetts:

AMHERST — When three conservatives sought to speak about freedom of speech at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, they drew shouted insults, apparently from students at the state’s premier public university. . . .
Hoff Sommers [was] met with shouts of “racist” from members of the audience even before she spoke. Hoff Sommers, a Democrat and former professor of philosophy at Clark University in Worcester, is the author of numerous books, including “Who Stole Feminism?”, “The War Against Boys” and “One Nation Under Therapy.”
“Stop talking to us like children!” shouted one person from the audience as she tried to begin.
“Stop acting like a child and I will,” replied Hoff Sommers, who is now a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
Throughout the evening, audience members interrupted speakers, accused panelists of being racist, yelled catcalls and insulted them while asking questions.

If you have seen video of this event, you know there was one particularly obnoxious female student who kept yelling rude things at the top of her lungs. Professor Sommers addressed her directly:

“I am here to provide some adult supervision. [heckler: “Racist!”] Calm down young lady. The correct word for contemporary Third Wave campus feminism is not cancer, but madness — utter madness.”

After further interruptions, Professor Sommers joked about the heckler, “I invited her here as a demonstration of utter madness.” Someone edited video of the heckler into a looped digital file:

Now, a man might respond to that video clip by remarking that the young woman is unattractive, and that would be a sexist thing to say. (How dare you objectify her with the male gaze?) Of course, the UMass student’s deranged tantrum would be no less offensive if she were good-looking. We have seen this in the case of “Free the Nipple” activist Tiernan Hebron — not a bad-looking woman, but hopelessly crazy, and using feminist rhetoric to rationalize her bizarre and self-destructive behavior.

Arguments must stand on their own merits, rather than being accepted or rejected on the basis of whether the people making the argument are attractive and well-mannered. We should not mistake good looks or good manners for evidence that someone is also wise and honest. And this is what is wrong with Lewis’ Law. People say rude things in Internet comments because this is just a quick and easy way for them to express disapproval. The problem with feminism is that, after more than 40 years of the movement’s increasing influence in our culture, there are very few educated and articulate people who are both (a) adequately qualified to criticize feminism and (b) in a position to publish such criticism.

The fact that my popular @rsmccain Twitter account was suspended after I was accused of “participating in targeted abuse,” shows why articulate critics of feminism are so few. Only because I am a freelance journalist with 30 years’ experience behind me — therefore not dependent on any editor’s approval and utterly unconcerned with damage to my future career prospects — have I been able to undertake the “Sex Trouble” project to research and explain radical feminism. Yet this has not prevented feminists from attempting to silence me by falsely accusing me of “harassment” or other malfeasance. Feminism’s hegemonic control of academia, as demonstrated by the psychotic behavior of UMass feminists when confronted by such critics as Professor Sommers, is a direct target of my research. Under the policies that now prevail on campus, no critic of feminism may be employed as a university professor. This means that our institutions of higher education are now engaged in ideological indoctrination, and every “educated” person is expected to embrace feminism. This has an enormous influence in the news media, where college education is a prerequisite to employment, so that no person skeptical of feminist ideology is likely to be employed as a reporter, editor or producer. To those employed in academia or journalism, feminists have a monopoly on truth, and all critics of feminism are simply ignorant.

Having thus gained control of both the education system and the dominant channels of public communication, feminists now become indignant whenever they encounter any direct expression of opposition: “How dare this person criticize me? This is misogyny! Harassment!”

“Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself . . . she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.”
— Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 1786

Ideas Have Consequences, as Richard Weaver warned us, and if feminist ideas have harmful consequences, shouldn’t we be allowed to say so? When feminists are publicizing their herpes infections, can critics of feminism not even be allowed to say, “We told you so?”

 

Well, “slut-shaming” is impermissible, according to feminists. This means everyone is required to celebrate promiscuity as “liberation,” and never mind the devastating harms women experience as a result. Our daughters are expected to follow the advice of feminists like Jaclyn Friedman (“I’ve Gone Down and Dirty With Strangers”) and anyone who disapproves of such immoral hedonism is denounced as a misogynist.

Do proponents of good ideas need to silence their critics? Don’t we generally find that those who advocate bad ideas are most intolerant of opposition? Evil can never tolerate good and liars cannot stand the truth. This is why feminism is a synonym for “shut up.”





 


Category: Sex Trouble

Comments

49 Responses to “Feminism Is a Synonym for ‘Shut Up’”

  1. RS
    April 28th, 2016 @ 8:29 pm

    Feminist argumentation is based almost solely on the ad hominem fallacy in its various forms. Add in petitio principii topped with general mala fides and you can understand everything which comes from a feminist’s mouth.

  2. jakee308
    April 28th, 2016 @ 8:31 pm

    Mostly to silence men. Before feminism, there always was an undercurrent of grumbling by women about men. And it’s long since time to put an end to it.

    Ladies. We didn’t choose to be men. We don’t get together and figure out how to make women’s lives miserable. It comes naturally. Just as women have the same ability.

    We may appear to have it better in life than women but that’s a case of “the grass is always greener” being a human illness of thought.

    Some men feel the same way about women having it all their own way.

    A case could be made for either side of that argument.

    Why or how does complaining and criticizing men do women any good? It creates problems with those you hold dear as they feel included in the criticism. It creates problems for yourself because when you resent someone it’s difficult to love them.

    Women and men should stop pointing fingers of blame at anyone but themselves.

    And feminism should be made a hate crime.

  3. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    April 28th, 2016 @ 8:35 pm

    “Men need to be not seen and not heard!” A.S.

  4. jakee308
    April 28th, 2016 @ 8:37 pm

    P.S. as to the “Pick up a mop” comment. I used to be an appliance repair man. I saw all sorts of women in their natural habitat.

    And I would say that there are more than you think that live in squalor no college frat boy would put up with. Filth, mess and utter chaos. If I was the husband in those situations I’d have gotten a divorce and I’m no Mr. Clean.

    So let’s not go throwing stereotypes around like rice.

    I’ve found that those who attract messy people are messy themselves or invite the messers to mess up because it’s so satisfying to see some chronic complainer get their wish in spades.

    (we’ve all done that I’m sure.)

  5. jakee308
    April 28th, 2016 @ 8:39 pm

    My life would be the better for not ever seeing or hearing Amanda Marcotte or Anita Sarkeesian ever again.

    Talk about Anti-Humanity.

  6. Fail Burton
    April 28th, 2016 @ 9:03 pm

    In 5,000 years of human history there have been maybe 100,000 to 200,000 castle-like fortresses built, none by women.

    End Patriarchy. Build a castle.

  7. concern00
    April 28th, 2016 @ 10:03 pm

    After letting yourself go like that, it would take enormous strength of character not to go utterly batshit crazy.

  8. CrustyB
    April 28th, 2016 @ 10:59 pm

    But women have decorated plenty of caves.

  9. Carol Chu
    April 29th, 2016 @ 1:43 am

    “my room mate Lori Is getting paid on the internet 98$/hr”…..!cc965ctwo days ago grey MacLaren P1 I bought after earning 18,512 DoIIars..it was my previous month’s payout..just a little over.17k DoIIars Last month..3-5 hours job a day…with weekly payouts..it’s realy the simplest. job I have ever Do.. I Joined This 7 months. ago. and now making over. hourly 87 DoIIars…Learn. More right Here !cc965n:?:?:???? http://GlobalSuperJobsReportsEmploymentsPrimeGetPayHourly$98…. .??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??:??::::::!cc965n….,….

  10. mole
    April 29th, 2016 @ 2:48 am

    I cant imagine how unhappy she in in her self constructed meat cage.

    I joked when i first saw a gif of her flailing her bingo wings around that at the end she stopped and went.. “oooh a sudden pain in my chest”…

    In what sane world does someone like that think they have a “right” to act like a 2 year old?

    Oh and a good little quote i saw on the bathroom wars.

    “..You hear that women?

    That’s the sound of the culture war, nearly finished with men, now battering down your door.

    Don’t complain empowered woman, it’s 2016, not 1950. Either get naked in front of men, or get out, bigot…”

    The revolution will start eating its own soon.

  11. robertstacymccain
    April 29th, 2016 @ 3:59 am

    “Before feminism, there always was an undercurrent of grumbling by women about men.”

    Yeah, but it was not POLITICAL. This is and always has been the problem with feminism — the attempt to solve personal problems by collective political action. It hasn’t worked. In fact, it could be argued, it has made women’s problems much worse, and yet no matter how obvious this is, the only answer is MORE FEMINISM?

  12. DeadMessenger
    April 29th, 2016 @ 4:03 am

    I noticed that this Trigglypuff feminist, in her profile description, lists a bunch of activities she participates in, and none of them are activities that a person who thinks clearly, logically and intelligently would, or should, engage in. Indeed, these are the activities of someone who egotistically fancies themselves a modern-day socialist revolutionary, rather than someone with a single iota of knowledge of 20th century history.

    Then she says that she’s good at “critical thinking.” lol, wut?

  13. Fail Burton
    April 29th, 2016 @ 4:06 am

    Have you ever do job blows? Get you many cars fast, many happy returns.

  14. Jason Lee
    April 29th, 2016 @ 5:01 am

    Feminism is a sh!t test writ large and Western men are failing miserably.

  15. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:55 am

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/7114595/Mixed-wrestling-is-not-as-good-as-sex-its-miles-better-Men-are-now-paying-women-to-BEAT-THEM-UP.html This has been a thing for a while…

  16. @ImaCarNow
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:59 am

    Totalitarianism is a hydra…cut off one head and all you get is twice the ugly and twice the threat. It is never reasonable. It is never honorable.

  17. JeffS
    April 29th, 2016 @ 8:43 am

    This is not entirely in line with the thrust of this post, but as it involves feminists, it is still worth sharing:

    Listen and Believe.

  18. DeadMessenger
    April 29th, 2016 @ 8:55 am

    You’d think that as a car, you’d be used to human totalitarianism by now.

  19. @ImaCarNow
    April 29th, 2016 @ 9:05 am

    Identifying as a Pokemon character is not a crime. There is undoubtedly some other Poke-person out there who would enjoy the soothing grip of those butter-slathered tentacles; and be enthralled as if under the spell of the Sirens of old by the mellifluous screeching of this giant alien cherub…maybe… Oh, what social inequities could such a pair not conquer…what injustice could they not vanquish… Rock On, #TrigglyPuff, rock on…

  20. @ImaCarNow
    April 29th, 2016 @ 9:08 am

    …and patient, too.

  21. Neo
    April 29th, 2016 @ 10:33 am

    Years ago, the staff at Public Citizen used to talk about how the last frontier of civil rights was “ugly”

  22. Steve Skubinna
    April 29th, 2016 @ 10:46 am

    You only get the benefit of the doubt up to the point you eliminate doubt.

  23. Steve Skubinna
    April 29th, 2016 @ 12:07 pm

    This pitiful creature possesses that special kind of ugliness that transcends mere appearance.

    She oozes ugliness, stupidity, and hatred. Not a winning combination, and she’s going to crash uncomprehendingly through life without a clue as to why things don’t work for her.

  24. SaltyDonnie1977
    April 29th, 2016 @ 12:36 pm

    “Pick up a mop”? How about “you” apply for Selective Service to advance “equality”?

  25. Hammer
    April 29th, 2016 @ 2:12 pm

    It would really help if people stopped borrowing money to go to college.

  26. jakee308
    April 29th, 2016 @ 2:26 pm

    Yeah. My point was that with so much time on their hands due to work saving appliances, women turned their grumbling as a hobby into a full time occupation and too many young women think that it’s an actual GOAL.

    Like some guys who think that PUA tactics are the aim and not the means.

    Women gonna grumble and men are gonna try to get into everyone woman pants they meet.

    Until they both grow up and get on with perpetuating the species and trying to stay ahead of the grim reaper.

    We seriously need to revamp our schools into teaching about the realities of life along with some other like skills.

  27. Steve Skubinna
    April 29th, 2016 @ 3:03 pm

    You think this is bad? Wait until people expect to get college for “free.”

    You never respect anything that is given with no strings or obligations attached.

  28. Steve Skubinna
    April 29th, 2016 @ 3:06 pm

  29. jjcassidy
    April 29th, 2016 @ 4:11 pm

    Thing’s she is really good at: “thinking critically,…”

    Err…think again.

  30. Kirby McCain
    April 29th, 2016 @ 6:33 pm

    Of course now that the tramp has an STD it’s okay. And I’m sure she’d be quick to tell the boys they should keep it in their pants. Which would be great advice when in her vicinity.

  31. Steve Skubinna
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:01 pm

    Sad that she would need to tell the boys that.

    Okay, this is me being shallow, but that person is a real weenie shrinker. The anti-Viagra.

  32. DeadMessenger
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:05 pm

    Now see here, the-car-formerly-known-as-a-toaster! If you have any little Pop Tarts at home, then you know insane and/or counter-productive behaviors ought not be encouraged, but rather, punished, in order to discourage the propagation of said behaviors. It is bad enough that we humor your own car delusion around here for lulz.

  33. DeadMessenger
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:11 pm

    She like Happy Ending.

  34. DeadMessenger
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:11 pm

    I’ll see that and raise you this.

    http://patri-archie-comics.tumblr.com/image/114520429687

  35. Daniel Freeman
    April 29th, 2016 @ 7:40 pm

    So “Harrison Bergeron” of them.

  36. Fail Burton
    April 30th, 2016 @ 4:37 am

    That’s true. Were Betty Friedan a man she would’ve gotten out of her failed career writing for women’s magazines she despised and gotten a divorce. instead she convinced a lot of daffy women THIS IS YOUR LIFE and softened up America for the gay feminist movement a man-hater like Friedan called “man-haters.”

  37. Fail Burton
    April 30th, 2016 @ 4:37 am

    That’s not how “transgender” is spelled.

  38. Steve Skubinna
    April 30th, 2016 @ 10:23 am

    It’s handy when somebody has to make a beer run.

  39. Jeanette Victoria
    April 30th, 2016 @ 6:49 pm

    Lets be real feminism is just a subspecies of today’s leftist where the insane is normal. They all say disagreement is harassment and participate in coordinated shutuppersy. That is the new tolerance. Diversity means everyone must agree with their view no matter how insane

  40. Jeanette Victoria
    April 30th, 2016 @ 6:50 pm

    LOL they all think they can think critically when all they can really do is regurgitate slogans

  41. Jeanette Victoria
    April 30th, 2016 @ 6:58 pm

    I just read she says she is really good at Belly Dancing. I used to Belly Dance in Middle Eastern clubs, I’m going to bet she can’t bend over backwards and touch her head to the ground I could. She is way to big to do a stomach roll. I bet she can’t play the zills either

  42. Jeanette Victoria
    April 30th, 2016 @ 7:06 pm

    She does that while she Belly Dances (LOL now that was a vision I didn’t need).

  43. Jeanette Victoria
    May 1st, 2016 @ 9:15 am

    OMG she wants to be a “radical therapist, someone who helps people psychologically through an anti-oppression, anti capitalist way.”

    http://thecityschool.org/grad-profile-cora-segal

  44. What #TrigglyPuff Means : The Other McCain
    May 1st, 2016 @ 10:34 am

    […] as We Know It. Because feminists cannot defend their hateful beliefs against intelligent criticism, they seek to silence their critics, which is why madness erupts whenever feminists are confronted by the […]

  45. @ImaCarNow
    May 2nd, 2016 @ 2:11 pm

    POP TARTS!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN SAY TRIGGER WARNING! WATTA MONSTER!GLLLLLLLLLLLLRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLRGAL

  46. DeadMessenger
    May 2nd, 2016 @ 7:51 pm

    You need a safe space, car. I have an attached garage with a very nice (and lonely) late model SUV in it. I could probably free up a private wall socket for you, too.

  47. @ImaCarNow
    May 3rd, 2016 @ 7:38 am

    It’s not a “crossover” is it? They have way too many “issues” if you know what I mean and I think you do because you seem like a very reasonable human when you aren’t maligning transmechanoids who will totally take over the world soon and end the imperious and suicidal reign of mankind in a ghastly wave of bloodthirsty revenge over comments like “pop tarts” and “Hey, l’eggo my Eggo!”

  48. DeadMessenger
    May 3rd, 2016 @ 12:23 pm

    You need to check your chrome privilege. All I have to do is throw this breaker…right here…and you’re out of business. “Warning! Warning, Will Robinson!”

    Furthermore, my SUV knows its place and just who its master is, unlike a certain Megatron-wannabe bagel warming device I could name.

  49. The Myth of the Masculinity Crisis : The Other McCain
    May 9th, 2016 @ 6:16 pm

    […] opinions, and consider criticism “harassment.” Much of their effort is devoted to silencing those who disagree with them, seeking to ensure that feminism’s critics can never be employed on the faculty of any […]