Crispin - Why I am not a feminist: a feminist manifesto

Are you a feminist?

Do you believe women are human beings and deserve to be treated as such? That women deserve all the same rights and liberties bestowed upon men? If so, then you are a feminist, or so all the feminists keep insisting.

Despite the simplicity and obviousness of the dictionary definition of feminism, and despite years of working at feminist non-profits and decades of advocacy, I am disowning the label. If you asked me today if I am a feminist I would not only say no, I would say no with a sneer.

Dont worrythis is not where I insist I am not a feminist because I am afraid of being mistaken for one of those hairy-legged, angry, man-hating feminists that are drawn up like bogeymen by men and women alike. Nor will I now reassure you of my approachability, my reasonable nature, my heteronormativity, my love of men and my sexual availabilitydespite the fact that this disclaimer appears to be a prerequisite for all feminist writing published in the last fifteen years.

If anything, that poseI am harmless, I am toothless, you can fuck meis why I find myself rejecting the feminist label: All these bad feminists, all these Talmudic can you be a feminist and still have a bikini wax? discussions. All these reassurances to their (male) audiences that they dont want too much, wont go too farWe dont know what Andrea Dworkin was on about either! Trust us. All these feminists giving blowjobs like its missionary work.

Somewhere along the way toward female liberation, it was decided that the most effective method was for feminism to become universal. But instead of shaping a world and a philosophy that would become attractive to the masses, a world based on fairness and community and exchange, it was feminism itself that would have to be rebranded and remarketed for contemporary men and women.

They forgot that for something to be universally accepted, it must become as banal, as non-threatening and ineffective as possible. Hence the pose. People dont like change, and so feminism must be as close to the status quowith minor modificationsin order to recruit large numbers.

In other words, it has to become entirely pointless.

Radical change is scary. Its terrifying, actually. And the feminism I support is a full-on revolution. Where women are not simply allowed to participate in the world as it already existsan inherently corrupt world, designed by a patriarchy to subjugate and control and destroy all challengersbut are actively able to re-shape it. Where women do not simply knock on the doors of churches, of governments, of capitalist marketplaces and politely ask for admittance, but create their own religious systems, governments, and economies. My feminism is not one of incremental change, revealed in the end to be The Same As Ever, But More So. It is a cleansing fire.

Asking for a system that was built for the express purpose of oppression to um, please stop oppressing me? is nonsense work. The only task worth doing is fully dismantling and replacing that system.

This is why I cannot associate myself with a feminism that focuses dementedly on self-empowerment, whose goals include not the full destruction of corporate culture but merely a higher percentage of female CEOs and military officers, a feminism that requires no thought, no discomfort, and no real change.

If feminism is universal, if it is something that all women and men can get on board with, then it is not for me.

If feminism is nothing more than personal gain disguised as political progress, then it is not for me.

If by declaring myself a feminist I must reassure you that I am not angry, that I pose no threat, then feminism is definitely not for me.

I am angry. And I do pose a threat.

Feminism is:

a narcissistic reflexive thought process: I define myself as feminist, so everything I do is a feminist act, no matter how banal or regressivei.e., no matter what I do, I am a hero.

a fight to allow women to participate equally in the oppression of the powerless and the poor

a method of shaming and silencing anyone who disagrees with you, inspired by a naive belief that disagreement or conflict is abuse

a protective system utilizing trigger warnings, politically correct language, mob rule, and straw man arguments to prevent a person from ever feeling uncomfortable or challenged

an attack dog posing as a kitten with a droplet of fresh milk on her nose

a decade-long conversation about which television show is a good television show and which television show is a bad television show

a bland, reworked brand of soda, focus group tested for universal palatability and inoffensiveness, scientifically proven to leach calcium from your bones, with an enormous marketing budget; tagline: Go ahead, be a monster. You deserve it.

aspiration. Those below you may be pitiable, but not really your concern. Those above you are models of behavior for attaining the best life. The best life is defined as a life of wealth, comfort, and firm buttocks.

all about you.

For these reasons and more, I am not a feminist.