Here are I my thoughts on the article, unusually succinct for me:
Oh dear. One study comes out with dubious findings, so let's forget about the mountain of other studies that say otherwise. He gives away his bias when he calls feminism a 'pernicious and poisonous creed'.
He is clearly unwilling to accept the facts - and has misinterpreted the ones he does know. One in four women suffer domestic violence during their lifetime - this does not mean that one in four men 'batter their wives' as he puts it; some men will be serial abusers and some of those one in four women will not stay in that relationship for life.
Someone in the comments section calls this article 'specious' and that is profoundly accurate. It shows little respect for the findings of social sciences or for the struggles women have faced and continue to face every day, for example some women in Darfur being unable to leave their homes to collect water without facing the threat of sexual violence.
Clearly he feels uncomfortable with the challenge of feminism's calling and is using the study to defend himself as a man.
Doesn't he get it? Women just wanted to be treated like human beings. 'Feminism is the radical notion that women ARE human beings.' (Charis Kramarae)
We don't particularly like having to campaign and complain so much - feminists aren't sympathetically looked upon - and if we were treated as equals we would stop.
Neil Lyndon, we just wanted to be treated as human beings. Here and across the world, the fight for women's equality is far from over. Please leave your own neuroses out of a serious debate that involves the lives and fates of real women.
He is clearly unwilling to accept the facts - and has misinterpreted the ones he does know. One in four women suffer domestic violence during their lifetime - this does not mean that one in four men 'batter their wives' as he puts it; some men will be serial abusers and some of those one in four women will not stay in that relationship for life.
Someone in the comments section calls this article 'specious' and that is profoundly accurate. It shows little respect for the findings of social sciences or for the struggles women have faced and continue to face every day, for example some women in Darfur being unable to leave their homes to collect water without facing the threat of sexual violence.
Clearly he feels uncomfortable with the challenge of feminism's calling and is using the study to defend himself as a man.
Doesn't he get it? Women just wanted to be treated like human beings. 'Feminism is the radical notion that women ARE human beings.' (Charis Kramarae)
We don't particularly like having to campaign and complain so much - feminists aren't sympathetically looked upon - and if we were treated as equals we would stop.
Neil Lyndon, we just wanted to be treated as human beings. Here and across the world, the fight for women's equality is far from over. Please leave your own neuroses out of a serious debate that involves the lives and fates of real women.
P.S. These thoughts don't even touch on the way Lyndon examines gender in the article or the bit where he assumes that Fay Weldon speaks for feminists everywhere.
What a profoundly stupid piece of writing.
Thanks to Jenna for the heads-up
