I’ve little to say about Hefner or Brownmiller, though I’m more familiar with the former’s work.
Oddly enough, BB patron saint Robert Anton Wilson was an editor for Hef way back when. From his essay, “How to Read,” I first learned of Susan Brownmiller–not a good impression.
“To ascribe predicates to a people is always dangerous.” Nietzsche, unpublished note, 1873.
Scrutinize the following propositions:
- “Usury is a crime committed by all Jews against all Aryans.” –A. Hitler
- “[Rape] is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.” –S. Brownmiller [italics in the original]
To what extent do these propositions ascribe predicates to groups? To what extent do they represent “sleep,” which ignores (does not perceive) e.g., the existential differences between Jew1 Jew2, etc, man1 man2, etc.?"
This mind-boggling stereotype leaps to mind any time I hear her name.
Many feminists have worked to make this world a better place.
I’m not sure she was one of them?
