You Will Be Labeled A Feminazi Before You Even Utter the F-Word
Wednesday, June 08, 2016
If you frequent any of the social media sites, you most likely are familiar with the term ‘Feminazi’. If you have ever advocated the rights of women publicly as a female, the odds are, you have already been called a ‘Feminazi’ yourself.
The cyber crowd calling out the ‘Feminazis’ caught my attention when curiously enough, on a rather intellectual question-answer forum, the netizens launched a tirade against me rather than logically address a discussion on gender bias. I, being a vocal advocate for equality and a critic of underlying sexism, was completely flummoxed at this apparently illogical campaign against common sense and logic.
It led me to research on the extent of anti-Feminist cyber bullying and let me tell you; it is a viral phenomenon! Anti-Feminists are taking the social media by a storm that is omnipresent.
The Trend called Anti-Feminism
Studies on virtual space show that accounts with female usernames are 25% more likely to receive cyber harassment than their counterparts. Instances abound when if one tries to question or point out flaws in a feminist argument, the social media rather than responding to the point takes recourse to name-calling, slut-shaming and anti-Feminist slurs.
According to Wikipedia, Feminazi is a term used pejoratively to describe either feminists who are perceived as extreme or radical, women who are perceived as seeking superiority over men, rather than equality, or in some cases, to describe all feminists (emphasis added).
The problem lies in using the terms ‘Feminist’ and ‘Feminazi’ interchangeably. As per the social media logic, Feminazis are supposedly male-bashing banshees while feminists are; ‘meh... we don’t need them because we’re already independent.’
The anti-Feminist comments and posts range from mild jokes to rape threats invading their intellectual, moral and physical space. The bitter Feminazi jokes are the new ‘Sardar’ and ‘wife’ jokes, but calling out sexism over them will get you abused on the internet. According to them, you should be ‘sporty’ and should ‘stop being such a stuck up Feminazi’ because since when did speaking against stereotypes, patriarchy and misandry become the right thing to do?
We have women against feminism and a whole range of justifications on why they don’t need Feminism. Then we have Meninists!
While some women proudly denounce Feminism—on the account of their being ‘independent’, strong and proud individuals their counterparts vehemently campaign against the ‘men-hating’ bunch they presume to be Feminists.
That brings us to the inevitable question.
What does Feminism stand for?
Feminism stands for political, ideological and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, personal, and social rights for women.
According to bell hooks, “Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. (...). Practically, it is a definition which implies that all sexist thinking and action is the problem, whether those who perpetuate it are female or male, child or adult.”
The demands and goals of the movement change with each passing era. The realities of the each region and epoch differ tremendously. Naturally, their feminism(s) cannot be the same. A universal Feminist chant will be counterproductive. This very diversity of Feminism(s) and the multiplicity of approaches strengthen the movement.
However, what ties the counter groups is their anti-Feminism. The irony is Feminism, in reality, does not stand for misandry or coercive liberation of the urban-upper-class elites. But it does stand for their right to free speech, even when it is used to besmear the same movement which fought for their right to do so.
Misconceptions or Ignorance?
A little research will tell you that the patriarchal stereotyping of women as ‘feminine’ has set their Other, the ‘masculine’ men. By definition (and practice), Feminism is not just for women but also for any/all oppressed sections, and it includes men too. It is for gender fluidity and brings the whole system of knowledge construction into the coliseum of critique.
The Other Side of the Coin
Unlike what is self-explanatory, every anti-Feminist is not a male-chauvinist and every feminist, not a female. But isn’t that the whole point of Feminism? If you are not a male chauvinist or a misandrist and take a stand against the patriarchal norms, aren’t you already fulfilling the criteria that define Feminism?
Albeit some individuals or groups practice sexism and claim it to be their Feminism, but to target and jeopardize the entire movement is where the problem lies.
We have a whole range of wrongly attributed quotes and misnomers that inaccurately relate misandry and male bashing statements to Feminists.
Social Media as Public Space
What we often overlook while dismissing social media as mere entertainment is its significance as a prominent ‘public space’. It is a representation of the society at large. Here, everybody has a definite view, but the logic behind their conclusions is not nuanced. When the ‘personal is political’ and with the social media transforming the public space, these disconcerted and seemingly personal activism have deeper consequences. In short, your opinion matters.
Networked feminism is gathering momentum, as is its opposition. Anti-feminist activism is a real thing, with Facebook pages against feminism, Twitter campaigns, Reddit and Quora threads all being unconscious contributing tributaries. They collectively flow into a stream of what becomes the accepted normality, or, the norm.
I wonder if, for a regular user of the term Feminazi, the fight for equality is the same as a fight for ethnic cleansing. Or are they against the fight against prejudice and inequality.
The cyber-attack on Feminists corresponds to the same in the physical world. The number of seemingly harmless jokes cracked at the expense of the movement reveals a deeper, albeit uninformed, misunderstood or intentional resistance to questioning the brainwashing that is so typical of our civilization.
A magic solution to end sexism is not possible. But the starting point is as simple as raising questions, making your opinion heard and taking action, when possible. Rest assured, your voice, no matter how seemingly infinitesimal, will precipitate into the reverberating echo that is struggling to be heard in the cyberspace.
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