The easiest, quickest way to learn to recognize a strawfeminist is to become one, and it's surprisingly easy to become one. Here are some strategies with which I have personally had success:
At a minimum, that should get you told to quit being emotional--when you're not being outed as a disgruntled fat chick who hates men.
That little act of radicalism will get you called a brownskirt, as in, brownskirted feminazi, Favoritest Strawfeminist of the Right 4Ever.
But I would suggest not beginning with that last method unless, of course, you can't wait another minute to have it implied that you are but one further slip down the glistening, waxy slope to Newspeak, Islamofascism, and just all kinds of MAD CRAZY JIHAD.
Want to see the strawfeminist up close-like? Tell a man you think he fucked up and ought to do something about it, and (I find this especially helpful) fail to do this deferentially, with civility--and you'll see her every time you look in the mirror.
The silver lining to that is, you'll laugh extra hard the next time a man proposes that women are uncomfortable with the "food fight" nature of political blogging.
Posted by Ilyka at March 20, 2006 04:30 AM in blog against the strawfeministThat's the thing, isn't it? There's no way to win a battle when the fucking participants keep scattering afer (pick the topic-shoes, the latest in Alice Munro rhetoric, or a GOP convention). You can try to defend another woman and get labelled a humorless little snip by someone else who's supposed to be fighting your line, only friendly fire's the way to go. This war's never going to be won as we simply can't agree the charter of what we want (see, I was struck by an idea that would cater to the other people who are out there, the ones who label things "feminazi" if an idea doesn't agree with them. I thought we could say: "We can't win the war if we can't decide if oour team colors should be winter, or spring." Do you think if we used that one they might nod their head and go: "OH!!!! I see. I think I get the feminist in-fighting now!")
I've been reading you for ages now and the Space Feminism Roller Coaster has seen you get more than your share of whiplash.
The Strawfeminism Intro? It kicked my ass I liked it so much. Plus I'm a yoga practicing alcohol lover so it maybe speaks to me on personal levels and got the paranoid me thinking, too.
This week will be interesting, not least because if we ever had a leader it would have to be you. Now go make up a secret handshake, I've never been to a club, not least one that my extra X chromosome gets me into.
(If I'm not making sense it's because I am awed by your theme week intro and I have been drinking. A lot. I mean, it's Monday night, is there really anything better to do?)
Posted by: Helen at March 20, 2006 11:49 AMI so owe you for introducing "bendy" to my vocabulary. I've actually been looking for ways to work it into conversations in which it wouldn't normally appear just because it's so fun to say.
I think at the end of the week I'll do some credits up because, as usual, I'm stealing from everybody. Wouldn't it be great if I ever had a single original thought in my head? But I don't.
Bendy Goodness: Helen Adelaide, Everyday Stranger.
Yes, I will definitely do this as penance for my thievery.
Posted by: ilyka at March 20, 2006 06:45 PM