The Third Floor: The Backlash of Feminism
Paige Gorsak
Gateway Staff
Jan 28, 2013
Feminists: man-hating, hairy-legged banshees, or anti-patriarchal, equality-seeking activists? Do they even have a purpose now when some think gender-equality has been achieved?
These questions are contentious in today’s society, where so many different perspectives clash. This clash recently came to light in response to my article “MRAs Misunderstand Feminism,” which appeared in last week’s issue of The Gateway.
I decided to write an opinion article on Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs) after coming across a particularly disturbing blog post on the Return of Kings, a “masculine men’s blog.” The post relegated successful women to objects of scrutiny and disgust based on their looks. The women featured were, of course, all passionate feminists.
My article shifted the focus from the Return of Kings’ post to the Men’s Rights Movement, a camp which fights for awareness and change in men’s issues. Though they might seem unconnected at first, they both share strident anti-feminist stances.
Feminism, it turns out, is a topic you should only write about if you’re prepared to take some serious backlash, especially if it includes a pro-feminist stance.
Within days of the article’s publication, the internet seemed to explode: my name, The Gateway’s moniker, and shreds of my article appeared on Maclean’s On Campus, Reddit, and even on the Return of King’s Twitter feed. In less than a week, the article has been viewed nearly 6,000 times.
While I admit it’s been exciting having so many people read my article and pay attention to my opinion, I wasn’t expecting the vocal response from our readers. They’ve ranged from support to hate mail to accusations of bias and misandry. No surprise, as feminism is a trigger switch for backlash, especially on the internet where an idea can snowball so quickly. Everyone seems to have an opinion on it, or at the very least, have a bone to pick with others who do.
But why does feminism manage to get people so riled up? In my mind, it comes down to the human tendency to be defensive of our behavior. No one wants to be singled out for their mistakes or be proved wrong. When feminism made it its motto to counter traditional habits and views, it provoked a response for those who felt targeted. And today, when the goals of feminists aren’t as straightforward as things like suffrage, the controversy is that much more magnified.
While much of the response to my article has been negative, I like to think that writing it helped initiate an important dialogue. Indeed, discussing a hotly debated topic and recognizing both sides of the argument is one of the most important ways to progress as a society.
Related article:
MRAs misunderstand feminism
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Major kudos to you for having the courage to write on this subject. Unfortunately, the internet seems to be chock-full of condescending, mansplaining, MRA losers who will attack in droves at first sight of a feminist on the internet - or even someone just talking about gender in a way they don’t like. It seems the slimeballs really came out of the woodwork on this one.
I hope you don’t feel discouraged just because much of the comments on your article were negative. You could’ve written the article of the century, and those losers would still have taken issue with it. They’re categorically opposed to any notion that things aren’t equal, or that women don’t have it all that great in our societies.
What’s more, on a contentious issue like this, you’re more likely to hear from the critics than the supporters. There’s a silent majority - of both men and women - out there who agree with you, but you won’t hear from them in the comments section, unfortunately.
So I sincerely hope that you will continue to write on feminism and gender. Your article was excellent, and our campus and our society needs more feminist and gender-related dialogue. In fact, I’d say that the response your article got only attests to the fact that more articles like yours are desperately needed.
So keep up the great work. I’m very much looking forward to more articles from you on gender-related topics.
Posted by Brent on Jan 28, 2013
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