I found myself in an argument with some radical feminists over the weekend. It's always a little wearing to engage with radfems, but there are times when their utterances just need calling out.
In this case the thing I was calling them out on was an attempt to hijack the recent cinema shootings in Denver for their cause. It seemed the shootings were a radfem issue because the shooter is male and men are behind all violence in the world.
Strangely, I can't disagree with them on the male front. Testosterone's a mixed blessing, it probably is no coincidence that such public shootings seem never to be committed by women. Perhaps if they'd been unfortunate enough to experience the stuff they'd have a better insight.
But there is a time and a place for everything. If they had been thousands of miles away in Colorado (Or closer to home in Hungerford or Dunblane, perhaps...) they might have understood something of the grief being experienced by those close to the attack. To attempt to hijack the moment in support of their rather wacky cause seemed to me to be the height of insensitivity and bad taste, something that could not go unchallenged.
Naturally this was not met positively. I was attempting to stifle the truth, I was even by some crazed logic exploiting the grieving families myself. My reply was simply that if they were unable to see why exploiting such a disaster was offensive then I was sorry for them.
Moral high ground is a funny thing. Both I and the radfems felt we possessed it, but who was right? One thing is certain, I know something of Westerners and they tend to be the salt of the earth but they don't suffer fools gladly. Had my radfem correspondents encountered any Coloradans they would have been given a much rougher ride than I gave them.
Some people will go to any lengths to promote their cause. In this particular case the radfems ought to think that what they are doing in this incidence is not a typical feminist trait. Most females would be aghast at the thought of using that terrible incident as a platform to promote anything other than to encourage love, understanding and sympathy. I hope the rest of humanity will take note and stand against such low moral standards.
ReplyDeleteShirley Anne x
I agree that it was in very poor taste for them to try linking the tragedy in Aurora to a "need" for their radical feminist conference, but I can't say that you used much better taste in referring to their cause as a "rather wacky cause".
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Jenny. And, they're not all men. Perhaps you remember Queen Mary?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, they do seem to have lost touch with something along the way.
ReplyDelete@Angel, Given that the agenda of radfems is one of outright hate that rivals that of the race hate groups for sheer unpleasantness I feel I was somewhat restrained in describing them as merely wacky. I've written about the passive acceptance of these hate groups by the rest of feminism before, I'm certainly not going to join in.
@Calie, Queen Mary? Aside from being Mrs. King & having a ship named after her, did she have a secret alter ego? You've lost me.
Jenny, forgive me for not being more specific. I know that the British are sticklers on their history and I failed this one. I was referring to Mary, Queen of Scots, who as I recall, killed her husband. It was simply an example of a well known woman who committed murder. Again, my recollection may be incorrect and, frankly, I have not had time to research it. Obviously, a bad example of the point I was trying to make.
ReplyDeleteRadfems, bless their ice cold hearts plays with a full deck. 52 victim cards.
ReplyDelete