I know some women who have become involved in feminism–one of them a family member who used to be very meek and apt to let herself be dominated–and it’s had a largely a positive influence. But you hit the nail on the head. Heck, I’ve even been in situations where a female superior would just flat-out bully me, and cry foul if I stood up for myself. As my state (rightly) stands up for the rights of anyone with minor status, you can guess how those complaints turn out. But it’s clear from talking to them about feminism is that I shouldn’t talk to them about feminism, because it’s hard to take them seriously when they claim the world hasn’t changed toward women over the past 100 years (good thing they can’t vote, amirite? Wait, they can? Shit, patriarchy, WTF?)
When they learn about someone like my horribly abusive aunt and the way she treated her kids (and me when I was over), they’ll point to her pressing marital rape charges against my uncle when they got divorced, and dismiss the rest. What kind of sick person do you have to be to point toward charges and say, “Welp, those are never false,”–at which point I point out that she has a history of mental illness–“so that means she’s right and you’re all wrong.” Okay…uh…fuck everyone who thinks that way. If my uncle did it (again, she mentally ill) he was a shitty person for doing it, but neither that nor the mental illness negate the abuse.
And I mean…here on Boing Boing, you’re not going to get anywhere with this, because I’m sure what I just said will get someone’s jimmies rustled enough to shout “WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE MENZ!” Well, that’s when you know you’re dealing with a child and all rational discourse is over.
