Please recognize that there are competing - even at some junctures contradictory - versions of feminism. Sometimes distinguished as "second" and "third" waves, one profound philosophical difference revolves around the conceptualization of (and reaction to) gender. This makes it risky to reference "feminism" as if it applies to a single school of thought.
Nowhere is that distinction more apparent than in response to cultural phenomena associated with gender transition. Some feminists follow Judith Butler in celebrating transgender identities; others, like Kathleen Stock, reject that entire perspective as deeply misguided.
As a fellow liberal, my sympathies are, like yours, with the Democrats and I'm appalled by the growing misogyny you describe so well. As a passionate believer in the value of the scientific approach to constructing a world view, I think the Dems have made a potentially fatal error in aligning themselves with a position on gender that explicitly rejects foundational, long understood observations in biological science regarding the nature and function of sexual dimorphism in humans, as in most other species of organisms. This anti-scientific turn makes a mockery of the Democrats' appeal to scientific credibility with regard to climate change.
When did good character and moderate temperament cease to be admirable qualities in all human beings, whether male or female? I'm equally distressed by vitriol no matter its source. Unmitigated rage surely diminishes one's ability to think and to respond rationally, reasonably to any issue. It seems to me that we have fostered a society of 'terrible twos' who are furious at the slightest provocation and who demand 'my way or the highway' in what should be discussions that don't demand zero-sum outcomes. Again, I am reminded of Rudyard Kipling's poem "If --" ( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if--- ) and wish that all men and women would embrace the virtues it preaches.
Your post saddens me, but that doesn't detract from its truthfulness. Why so many men and some women feel it necessary to put others down and even commit violence against those they disagree with is beyond me. Why must everything be binary? Black or white - no shades of gray allowed.
As with the abortion debate - the Democrats are blind to the reality that there are those in America who wish to force everyone else into their mold of right and wrong. The real questions are not about abortion but about women's health and women deciding for themselves what is right or wrong. The same goes for feminism - the real question is whether or not women should have equal rights with men, equal pay for similar work, and an equal chance at being heard at the table during discussions.
We men, who are supposed to be so brave, have become a bunch of snivingly little boys crying that someone took away our toys. Giving others who don't conform to our concepts or standards an equal place at the table is a sign of strength, not of weakness. Not to mention that if we stopped complaining and opened our ears, we might actually learn something. Or is that too much to expect of "Real" men?
We seem to live in a "zero-sum" culture, where when one side gains, the other side must lose. That if I get a slice of the pie, you get less of a piece. That alone builds resentment. I would suggest that we need to act in such a way that we increase the size of the pie so that we always have enough for all.
Please recognize that there are competing - even at some junctures contradictory - versions of feminism. Sometimes distinguished as "second" and "third" waves, one profound philosophical difference revolves around the conceptualization of (and reaction to) gender. This makes it risky to reference "feminism" as if it applies to a single school of thought.
Nowhere is that distinction more apparent than in response to cultural phenomena associated with gender transition. Some feminists follow Judith Butler in celebrating transgender identities; others, like Kathleen Stock, reject that entire perspective as deeply misguided.
As a fellow liberal, my sympathies are, like yours, with the Democrats and I'm appalled by the growing misogyny you describe so well. As a passionate believer in the value of the scientific approach to constructing a world view, I think the Dems have made a potentially fatal error in aligning themselves with a position on gender that explicitly rejects foundational, long understood observations in biological science regarding the nature and function of sexual dimorphism in humans, as in most other species of organisms. This anti-scientific turn makes a mockery of the Democrats' appeal to scientific credibility with regard to climate change.
When did good character and moderate temperament cease to be admirable qualities in all human beings, whether male or female? I'm equally distressed by vitriol no matter its source. Unmitigated rage surely diminishes one's ability to think and to respond rationally, reasonably to any issue. It seems to me that we have fostered a society of 'terrible twos' who are furious at the slightest provocation and who demand 'my way or the highway' in what should be discussions that don't demand zero-sum outcomes. Again, I am reminded of Rudyard Kipling's poem "If --" ( https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if--- ) and wish that all men and women would embrace the virtues it preaches.
Your post saddens me, but that doesn't detract from its truthfulness. Why so many men and some women feel it necessary to put others down and even commit violence against those they disagree with is beyond me. Why must everything be binary? Black or white - no shades of gray allowed.
As with the abortion debate - the Democrats are blind to the reality that there are those in America who wish to force everyone else into their mold of right and wrong. The real questions are not about abortion but about women's health and women deciding for themselves what is right or wrong. The same goes for feminism - the real question is whether or not women should have equal rights with men, equal pay for similar work, and an equal chance at being heard at the table during discussions.
We men, who are supposed to be so brave, have become a bunch of snivingly little boys crying that someone took away our toys. Giving others who don't conform to our concepts or standards an equal place at the table is a sign of strength, not of weakness. Not to mention that if we stopped complaining and opened our ears, we might actually learn something. Or is that too much to expect of "Real" men?
We seem to live in a "zero-sum" culture, where when one side gains, the other side must lose. That if I get a slice of the pie, you get less of a piece. That alone builds resentment. I would suggest that we need to act in such a way that we increase the size of the pie so that we always have enough for all.