How Feminism Continues to Shoot Itself in the Foot

Sometimes it can be rather hard to concentrate on saving the whales if they keep trying to sink your boat.

Today I was turned on to the work of Mad Melancholic Feminista, who pose the question, "Can men be feminists?" This is a favorite topic of mine, speaking purely has a member of the non-womb bearing gender who has tried to work towards gender equality. After quite a few years, I have to tell you that it's often unrewarding work. Typically, a lot of these women seem to be quite content with men joining them in pro-choice marches, etc. providing the men carry the signs they are told to carry and keep their damned mouths shut. Try bringing up an issue for discussion where there may be more than one opinion, however, and you'll quickly feel about as welcome as a porcupine in a balloon factory with many of these crowds. MMF, for example, proudly points us to this example at "Girl Bomb." Feminist Men: Oxymorons or simply morons?

...most of the men I've personally known who have made a huge hairy point of identifying as feminists have been either date rapists, mom fetishists, porn addicts, or bear daddies inflicting their frustrated pseudopaternal tendencies on women. They are some of the most passive-aggressive, patronizing, out-dishing without it-taking twerps on the planet, and they are poisoning the women's movement from the inside by sapping the hell out of everyone's goddamn energy.

I see. Well, good luck with your movement. So glad that we helped get you the opportunity to vote, serve in the military, raised pay equity issues, strengthened rape, assault and domestic abuse laws, supported Roe v. Wade, etc. And on a side note, removing all literal sexual implications from the phrase in favor of the more crude, cultural use to which it's now commonly put... blow me.

Somebody needs to send her one of the Bearfoot and Pregnant bears. I wonder if they're back in stock yet?