You beat me to it, Janice. I was intending to write an article critiquing Harrington. Not that I don't welcome her analysis of how feminism has harmed women. All pretty much on the money. (Did she just make up "care feminism"?). But what is horribly evident is that her gynocentrism is still very much in place. As you rightly observer, she had very little to say about how men (and children) have been harmed by feminism - nor that men might have any opinion that needed taking into account. Typically, she simply assumes that men will respond to the new command for the about-turn in women's strategy (if that were to happen en masse). True, she had acknowledged that men and boys need all male spaces (the first feminist I've ever heard admit the bleedin' obvious that it is unfair to oblige cubs and scouts to take girls, whilst brownies and guides must remain all-female). But the way she expressed it was telling: "we should allow them their own space". Allow, is it? "Thank ee, ma'am", I thought, doffing my imaginary cloth cap, wringing it nervously in my hands whilst looking at my shoes.
It is a personal, familial and social tragedy that whole generations of men were dismissed for voicing any concern over rampant, vindictive feminism. Now, with men's voices more or less silenced, how ironic that only the whimpering of female suffering at its hands is bringing about any change.
Mar 15, 2023·edited Mar 15, 2023Liked by Janice Fiamengo
That these insightful articles seem revolutionary is eye opening. For the Western woman there appears to be no end to the quest for women's rights -- unless those same rights are to be extended to women in Iran or Saudi Arabia.
As a man, watching Trans women use feminist tactics to take on *shocked* feminists has been a valuable lesson in cause and effect.
A wise old Roman poet once wrote: 'Fortune gives too much to many and enough to none.'
I'm curious where the idea comes from that empathy is a female trait. It seems many women don't give a damn about men damaged by feminism until the precise moment it begins to harm themselves.
Perhaps this is because the class warfare indoctrination has been so effective. The out-group, men, has been demonized so completely that empathy for them is impossible.
K. Kisin said in a video short that compassion for men is never going to happen, humans are not wired that way. I agree with him on this. I also think that most men do not want compassion, or sympathy, or therapist couches. What men need is respect, and this is where the feminists have managed to strike a deadly blow. The incessant portrayal of men as idiots, oppressors; the constant invasion of male spaces, promotion of women to corporate leadership positions, etc.; the war on fathers--all of this has worked quite effectively to deny men their unique roles in society and to undermine their sense of self-worth. The most complete form of subjugation is psychological.
Great essay. Will be forwarding to a friend. I totally get wanting accountability - even from someone who is pivoting in your direction. I have the same feeling with Naomi Wolf's recent apology to conservatives. Her work has been astounding with respect to the Covid narrative and the cyber threats we are under from our government. But how in the world, could she not see the January 6th reaction without clarity? Mark Crispin Miller, who teaches propaganda and has an amazing substack, recently confessed that he derided those who questioned the climate change narrative, and he too realizes his dismissals were a mistake. I so appreciate these voices and will take whatever they offer, but there is a part of me that remains saddened with skepticism.
Mar 16, 2023·edited Mar 16, 2023Liked by Janice Fiamengo
I remember watching a couple of Louise Perry’s appearances on popular podcasts and coming away less than impressed, albeit rather unsurprised.
Maybe I’m just a cynical asshole, but I just can’t be bothered to take these type of women seriously, at least when it comes to gender issues. Honestly, I’d rather deal with an inveterate, militant, man-hating feminist than this particular brand of minuscule, milquetoast male advocate.
I don’t generally like reducing people to a label of “friend” or “foe,” however, when it comes to gender issues, THESE WOMEN ARE NOT YOUR “FRIENDS!”
Make no mistake, these women haven’t experienced some grand epiphany or seen the proverbial light of day when it comes to the harms inflicted by their ideology. These women are merely sprinkling sugar on the soggy shit sandwich that society serves to the slaves it seeks to make of men, all in hopes that a minimal amount of sweetness will make the meal minimally palatable.
You are completely correct in your statement that women who make even the most mild critique of feminism are saturated with praise, often by men who are of the mistaken belief that the woman has completely defected from feminism in a “she’s on our side now!” type of way. Most of the time, nothing could be further from the truth.
Watching women attempt to justify the unjustifiable and dance around (or even outright defend) the mayhem caused by feminist ideology is a lot like watching public health officials do the same with regard to COVID lockdown policies. They’re deeply ego-invested in the enterprise, and may have even derived benefit from it, so they will never dare admit to any substantive level of wrongdoing or error.
When are feminists going to say "sorry" for foisting on all of us the recasting of society as consisting of "oppressors," i.e. all males in the patriarchy, and abused, innocent "victims," i.e. all females. This neo-marxist framework has been happily adopted by gay activists, race activists, trans activists, and Muslim activists to divide and destroy civil society in North America and beyond. Feminist do not just hate men, they hate everything that men created: Western civilization, science, art, literature, and constitutional law and politics. Feminists are the enemies of society.
I do not expect a rapid reform of feminism because of the corrupting effect of abortion on female consciousness. Most young women cannot allow any humanisation of the fetus before birth. Nor do they give any thought to the father who will not be. The idea that they have any responsibly to either is dismissed, in favour of me, me, me. As someone who supported abortion as a young man, within limits of term, and other safeguards, abortion now appears like a runaway train, a terrible mistake. Instead of a protection for woman in extremis it is an industry maximising growth without regard for its effects on our humanity. Of course, as an old man my humanity does not permit me an opinion, on such matters, a constraint I will disregard. And people no older are encouraged to "take control" by ending their existence as a gesture to a better world. The decision made in favour of death is always marked by fear, and in rejection of hope, and not the best foundation for a better world.
Mar 15, 2023·edited Mar 15, 2023Liked by Janice Fiamengo
Bravo, Janice. I contend that the incivility fomented by deranged militant feminism that was contrived and deployed by Marxists throughout the last 120 years toward men and boys is irreconcilable and that deranged militant feminism must be allowed to proceed toward self-destruction before civility between males and females via dialogue is restored.
I don't think anyone reading this article (or similar articles) will be around when any of this will be resolved. And what would resolution look like anyway. Thankfully we as men, have writers like you Janice, Christina Hoff- Summers, Barbara Kay and Camille Paglia to hold the Light of Truth up to the darkness, but your numbers are small and the force generated by women who have been inculcated from their pre-teens to hate men and feel that they are victims is irresistible.
The answer for those of us in the male-sphere is other men who know what young men need to hear and show them how to act. And I'm not talking about the Andrew Tate's or Rash V (or whatever his name is)'s of the world. I'm talking about everyday fathers, uncles, cousins or niegbors. How one gets involved is an individual thing, but getting involved one must! Understanding Mothers understand the need too and should allow tutelage of this sort to flow but with a watchful eye focusing on content, and safety.
The Army WAS a viable alternative until the co-ed thing but now along with the RCMP and maybe even the Police seems to be a good place to have a sexual assault charge laid that, even if found false, is never really gone for good from a young mans record or life. Who needs that/
We need female writers like you all, who get it, and I mean whole heartedly get it, Not Marie Harrington or the coven at Unherd. Speaking of which, now that Naomi Wolf has apologized to we conservatives, what do you think of the chances...
Excellent response to Harrington. I posted a lengthy comment below the Triggernometry and a shorter one below the New Culture Forum interview.
I was not convinced by Harrington's analogical argument for the Cyborg proposition and very much not inclined toward her denigration of men - even if flippant - using bestial euphemisms.
The Fiamengo File breakdown regarding Harrington's blind spot in regarding men was bang on point.
Harrington's work seems to follow in the vein of Reeves' Of Boys and Men. Its rhetoric wants to titillate us with the prospect that feminism is prepared to relinquish its age-old tactic of making baseless allegations of misogyny to shut down scrutiny of its political claims and agenda, but a closer look reveals other motives. I want to be hopeful that Harrington is legitimately committed to reforming feminism so that it favors gender equality over female supremacy, but I remain concerned that she is just backfilling the same old feminist agenda and perpetuating the same objectionable goals by advancing cheap rhetorical tricks in order to obfuscate feminism's fundamental refusal to renounce its longstanding tradition of demonizing and vilifying men and boys. Until feminism can acknowledge the need for such a renunciation as the sine qua non for productive discourse on this issue, we should remain suspicious of all political or media stunts designed to detract our attention away from its fundamental antagonism for gender equality.
You beat me to it, Janice. I was intending to write an article critiquing Harrington. Not that I don't welcome her analysis of how feminism has harmed women. All pretty much on the money. (Did she just make up "care feminism"?). But what is horribly evident is that her gynocentrism is still very much in place. As you rightly observer, she had very little to say about how men (and children) have been harmed by feminism - nor that men might have any opinion that needed taking into account. Typically, she simply assumes that men will respond to the new command for the about-turn in women's strategy (if that were to happen en masse). True, she had acknowledged that men and boys need all male spaces (the first feminist I've ever heard admit the bleedin' obvious that it is unfair to oblige cubs and scouts to take girls, whilst brownies and guides must remain all-female). But the way she expressed it was telling: "we should allow them their own space". Allow, is it? "Thank ee, ma'am", I thought, doffing my imaginary cloth cap, wringing it nervously in my hands whilst looking at my shoes.
It is a personal, familial and social tragedy that whole generations of men were dismissed for voicing any concern over rampant, vindictive feminism. Now, with men's voices more or less silenced, how ironic that only the whimpering of female suffering at its hands is bringing about any change.
That these insightful articles seem revolutionary is eye opening. For the Western woman there appears to be no end to the quest for women's rights -- unless those same rights are to be extended to women in Iran or Saudi Arabia.
As a man, watching Trans women use feminist tactics to take on *shocked* feminists has been a valuable lesson in cause and effect.
A wise old Roman poet once wrote: 'Fortune gives too much to many and enough to none.'
I'm curious where the idea comes from that empathy is a female trait. It seems many women don't give a damn about men damaged by feminism until the precise moment it begins to harm themselves.
Perhaps this is because the class warfare indoctrination has been so effective. The out-group, men, has been demonized so completely that empathy for them is impossible.
Beautifully done. The damage that modern feminism has done is now undeniable. Your logic is clear and you state it so well. Thank you.
K. Kisin said in a video short that compassion for men is never going to happen, humans are not wired that way. I agree with him on this. I also think that most men do not want compassion, or sympathy, or therapist couches. What men need is respect, and this is where the feminists have managed to strike a deadly blow. The incessant portrayal of men as idiots, oppressors; the constant invasion of male spaces, promotion of women to corporate leadership positions, etc.; the war on fathers--all of this has worked quite effectively to deny men their unique roles in society and to undermine their sense of self-worth. The most complete form of subjugation is psychological.
I thank God for your voice -- your clear reason & courage!
Great essay. Will be forwarding to a friend. I totally get wanting accountability - even from someone who is pivoting in your direction. I have the same feeling with Naomi Wolf's recent apology to conservatives. Her work has been astounding with respect to the Covid narrative and the cyber threats we are under from our government. But how in the world, could she not see the January 6th reaction without clarity? Mark Crispin Miller, who teaches propaganda and has an amazing substack, recently confessed that he derided those who questioned the climate change narrative, and he too realizes his dismissals were a mistake. I so appreciate these voices and will take whatever they offer, but there is a part of me that remains saddened with skepticism.
I remember watching a couple of Louise Perry’s appearances on popular podcasts and coming away less than impressed, albeit rather unsurprised.
Maybe I’m just a cynical asshole, but I just can’t be bothered to take these type of women seriously, at least when it comes to gender issues. Honestly, I’d rather deal with an inveterate, militant, man-hating feminist than this particular brand of minuscule, milquetoast male advocate.
I don’t generally like reducing people to a label of “friend” or “foe,” however, when it comes to gender issues, THESE WOMEN ARE NOT YOUR “FRIENDS!”
Make no mistake, these women haven’t experienced some grand epiphany or seen the proverbial light of day when it comes to the harms inflicted by their ideology. These women are merely sprinkling sugar on the soggy shit sandwich that society serves to the slaves it seeks to make of men, all in hopes that a minimal amount of sweetness will make the meal minimally palatable.
You are completely correct in your statement that women who make even the most mild critique of feminism are saturated with praise, often by men who are of the mistaken belief that the woman has completely defected from feminism in a “she’s on our side now!” type of way. Most of the time, nothing could be further from the truth.
Watching women attempt to justify the unjustifiable and dance around (or even outright defend) the mayhem caused by feminist ideology is a lot like watching public health officials do the same with regard to COVID lockdown policies. They’re deeply ego-invested in the enterprise, and may have even derived benefit from it, so they will never dare admit to any substantive level of wrongdoing or error.
When are feminists going to say "sorry" for foisting on all of us the recasting of society as consisting of "oppressors," i.e. all males in the patriarchy, and abused, innocent "victims," i.e. all females. This neo-marxist framework has been happily adopted by gay activists, race activists, trans activists, and Muslim activists to divide and destroy civil society in North America and beyond. Feminist do not just hate men, they hate everything that men created: Western civilization, science, art, literature, and constitutional law and politics. Feminists are the enemies of society.
I do not expect a rapid reform of feminism because of the corrupting effect of abortion on female consciousness. Most young women cannot allow any humanisation of the fetus before birth. Nor do they give any thought to the father who will not be. The idea that they have any responsibly to either is dismissed, in favour of me, me, me. As someone who supported abortion as a young man, within limits of term, and other safeguards, abortion now appears like a runaway train, a terrible mistake. Instead of a protection for woman in extremis it is an industry maximising growth without regard for its effects on our humanity. Of course, as an old man my humanity does not permit me an opinion, on such matters, a constraint I will disregard. And people no older are encouraged to "take control" by ending their existence as a gesture to a better world. The decision made in favour of death is always marked by fear, and in rejection of hope, and not the best foundation for a better world.
Bravo, Janice. I contend that the incivility fomented by deranged militant feminism that was contrived and deployed by Marxists throughout the last 120 years toward men and boys is irreconcilable and that deranged militant feminism must be allowed to proceed toward self-destruction before civility between males and females via dialogue is restored.
I don't think anyone reading this article (or similar articles) will be around when any of this will be resolved. And what would resolution look like anyway. Thankfully we as men, have writers like you Janice, Christina Hoff- Summers, Barbara Kay and Camille Paglia to hold the Light of Truth up to the darkness, but your numbers are small and the force generated by women who have been inculcated from their pre-teens to hate men and feel that they are victims is irresistible.
The answer for those of us in the male-sphere is other men who know what young men need to hear and show them how to act. And I'm not talking about the Andrew Tate's or Rash V (or whatever his name is)'s of the world. I'm talking about everyday fathers, uncles, cousins or niegbors. How one gets involved is an individual thing, but getting involved one must! Understanding Mothers understand the need too and should allow tutelage of this sort to flow but with a watchful eye focusing on content, and safety.
The Army WAS a viable alternative until the co-ed thing but now along with the RCMP and maybe even the Police seems to be a good place to have a sexual assault charge laid that, even if found false, is never really gone for good from a young mans record or life. Who needs that/
We need female writers like you all, who get it, and I mean whole heartedly get it, Not Marie Harrington or the coven at Unherd. Speaking of which, now that Naomi Wolf has apologized to we conservatives, what do you think of the chances...
A great (personally comforting) read. Thank You for this.
Excellent response to Harrington. I posted a lengthy comment below the Triggernometry and a shorter one below the New Culture Forum interview.
I was not convinced by Harrington's analogical argument for the Cyborg proposition and very much not inclined toward her denigration of men - even if flippant - using bestial euphemisms.
The Fiamengo File breakdown regarding Harrington's blind spot in regarding men was bang on point.
Harrington's work seems to follow in the vein of Reeves' Of Boys and Men. Its rhetoric wants to titillate us with the prospect that feminism is prepared to relinquish its age-old tactic of making baseless allegations of misogyny to shut down scrutiny of its political claims and agenda, but a closer look reveals other motives. I want to be hopeful that Harrington is legitimately committed to reforming feminism so that it favors gender equality over female supremacy, but I remain concerned that she is just backfilling the same old feminist agenda and perpetuating the same objectionable goals by advancing cheap rhetorical tricks in order to obfuscate feminism's fundamental refusal to renounce its longstanding tradition of demonizing and vilifying men and boys. Until feminism can acknowledge the need for such a renunciation as the sine qua non for productive discourse on this issue, we should remain suspicious of all political or media stunts designed to detract our attention away from its fundamental antagonism for gender equality.