I've never liked a single piece of feminist literature i've read

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67 Comments

Now for the record, I've never really liked any of the books we read in high school. But the ones that I hated the most were usually the "feminist" books. "Beloved", "Their Eyes Were Watching God", "The Awakening"- I hated ALL of them.

But I think it's mostly because of the fact that, to me, they seemed to be more of bashing men as a whole then being "feminist".

is it normal that I don't like a lot of feminist literature for this reason?

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Based on 57 votes (43 yes)
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Comments ( 67 )
  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago | pl

    I once had an English professor who was a female. She left her husband and son to come to California because she wanted freedom - freedom from her suburban life of being a wife and Mommy, she wanted to explore and live the life of an intellectual. I'm almost certain that I was the only person in the room thinking "if this were a man saying all of this, we'd consider him a jackass, but since it's a woman leaving her parental obligation and her oath of companionship, she's a fucking inspiration?". Yeah, she still had contact with her son and all, who was a small child when she left, but if it were a man saying this? Oh, what a shit head he'd be.

    I'm just saying.

    I'm familiar with at least one of those pieces of literature. Nothing, even oppression, will justify certain selfishness in my mind. I refuse to believe that it is in any way ethical to apply moral standards to men but not to apply the same to females.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      Wow... this English professor of yours actually does sound like a jackass. Did people really find her an "inspiration" for abandoning her duty as a mother to become an "intellectual"? She sounds like a selfish dick to me :/

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago

        Yeah, for real, fuck this bitch. Like I said, if she was a dude saying that she fucking left suburbia parenthood to be a profound intellectual bullshit then everyone would have been like "WTF, you ditched your kid to follow your dreams, why'd you even have kids, you ditched your obligation!". But no, she was a fucking inspiration and she spoke with the honest conviction that there was nothing wrong with her jackassery.

        Meh. To me, the concept of feminism revolves around the concept, that women should be free to chose, not that selfishness and lack of care for seemingly archaic obligations is in any way acceptable. If it's bashing men, or commending women for doing something that a man would be condemned for doing or vice versa, then to hell with it. That said, many feminists share my mentality, so I don't expect that all feminist literature "bashes men"...

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        • NeuroNeptunian
          11 years ago

          Man, that's a lot of cursing. I've done a lot of smoking. My apologies.

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          • Anonymous Post Author
            11 years ago

            Lol, no offense taken. I just assumed that the story about your professor was one that really pissed you off, which I totally understand.

            Part of me just doesn't think I've read enough feminist literature... maybe it's just the ones that the teachers picked for us to read in high school were the only ones that bashed men and all the other typical feminist stuff really isn't like that.

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            • NeuroNeptunian
              11 years ago

              Yeah well that seems to be a common theme in more... uh... publicized feminist literature.

              I enjoy reading about society's effects and expectations of women... and to the reader, no that does not mean that I don't also care to read about society's effects and expectations of men either... But I enjoy reading literature that is empowering to females and encourages females to take control of their lives rather than being pitiful as many of these literary works portray them to be, or giving up all of your power to men ("I need a man to take care of me!"). I'm not saying that I enjoy literature that bashes men, empowering women is not the same as bashing men in any respect unless it is given that trait by the author, but I have read many articles and blogs that send the messages that I like, that women NEED to hear, which is "Hey, ladies, you got your freedom, now take control of your lives!".

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    • Allistalla
      11 years ago

      thats messed up by amy standard.

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    • jucedaguy
      11 years ago

      Great post. You are spot on mate.

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago

        I am surprised I got any thumbs up on it, sounds like a stupid rant now that I read it.

        Anywho, most girlies are told to do all of the fun stuff you want to do before you become a Mommy, because you don't get the chance to live freely until all of the kiddies are grown and out. I thought that was common fucking sense, she broke the rules!

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  • shade_ilmaendu
    11 years ago

    Meh. I used to be a feminist. But recently every feminist blog popping up in my stumbleupon is inventing problems that don't exist (heard of gaslighting anyone? That's right neither have I), bitching about sex in movies and crying "Objectification!" when a woman tries to express her sexuality, and demonizing men and exacerbating a small social issue into a giant fucking conspiracy.

    I would say I support equal rights for women, as I support equal rights for men, children, queers, black brown purple alien cow midgets. Equal rights means everyone, we're all just humans.

    But modern feminists have the biggest stick up their asses that I have ever seen.

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    • NeuroNeptunian
      11 years ago

      I almost want to steal this for myself. Thank you. True feminism was about the right for females to have the same freedoms as men, not to berate them and do as you stated. Every feminist blog I have read seems as if it was written by what I would see in real life as a whiny, immature and childish bitch.

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      • shade_ilmaendu
        11 years ago

        Pretty much. I read this big thing about how "PMS is a myth". Looked at the study they cited. Statistic from the study read: 86% of women experience some symptoms of PMS, only 5% of women experience severe symptoms. The paper took the 5% statistic and only used that to "prove" that PMS was false.

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        • NeuroNeptunian
          11 years ago

          I've read that one, they said PMS objectified women. =.= Next they're going to try to prove that women don't get hormonal and emotional during pregnancy.

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          • shade_ilmaendu
            11 years ago

            I've actually heard that argument before -_-

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            • NeuroNeptunian
              11 years ago

              Honestly, I was almost drawn away to the entire idea of feminism through my initial research when I came across pages requesting that all women withhold sex from their partners until such and such anniversary is over and so on.

              I can easily see how anyone would be taken aback by feminism upon initial research, many mainstream feminist groups are built on ideals like "PMS is a myth that makes women look weak", and testicles are a myth too, that's why men cry when they are kicked. Next?

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    • FocoUS
      11 years ago

      A lot of people miss the point about objectification of women. If some lady wants to be sexy that's perfectly fine. But when people actually literally are portraying women as objects it's bothersome. Like the famous heineken:keg superbowl commercial that portrayed a woman a beer keg. The recent Fiat Abarth 500 commercial showed a woman as a car saying things like "You'd like to own me, wouldn't you?" How can these companies say they're not objectifying women? Cars and Kegs are objects but women aren't.

      But this post isn't even about feminist issues it's about feminist writers.

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      • shade_ilmaendu
        11 years ago

        The only feminist writers I know are the ones I see doing online journalism, hence my comment. Never read any of the books they listed or any feminist books at all, having been so turned off by the movement.

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        • FocoUS
          11 years ago

          Well there is a difference between online journalism and literature. Can I ask which bloggers turned you off from the movement?

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          • shade_ilmaendu
            11 years ago

            Indeed, just trying to share what experience I had. :P Hmm, I'm not sure particularly, but I can probably find some of the articles if I go do a search real fast.

            This is the one NeuroNeptunian and I were talking about.
            http://therottenlittlegirls.com/2009/02/23/debunking-the-pms-myth/
            That group does some ridiculous stuff.

            http://thecurrentconscience.com/blog/2011/09/12/a-message-to-women-from-a-man-you-are-not-%E2%80%9Ccrazy%E2%80%9D/
            And this one more recently.

            I did remember I got one feminist book in college that was pretty good, called The Beauty Myth.

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            • FocoUS
              11 years ago

              Thanks for showing me those. Yeah those articles seem more like the belong in a Cosmo than a Times, pretty bad stuff.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      "But modern feminists have the biggest stick up their asses that I have ever seen"

      That's because they're all ugly lesbians.

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      • shade_ilmaendu
        11 years ago

        You are so humorously offensive. XD

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        • [Old Memory]
          11 years ago

          It's not meant to be funny, i'm serious.

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    • MasterOfWaffles
      10 years ago

      "purple alien cow midgets"
      Lmao

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Most women i've known dislike them, even my mom hates feminists, they make women look bad. They're just a bunch of hypocritical lesbians and rape victims.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    In my opinion, most feminism is about hating males and treating females superior, although there are some feminists that are actually for equality, and one of them (finally) has made their way on to IIN.

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    • flutterhigh
      11 years ago

      How much feminist philosophy have you read?

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        When I say feminism, I mean the opinions and statements said by feminists.

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        • flutterhigh
          11 years ago | pl

          I'll take that as "very little"? Possibly "none"?

          Here's my point - if your only exposure to a complicated philosophical doctrine is only through having conversations with acquaintances or friends, you are not in a position to say anything like "most feminism is about hating males", because that is factually incorrect. Any "feminist" who hates men and treats women as superior has absolutely no idea what the basic tenets of feminism are.

          You could easily say "most women I've spoken to who claim to be feminists hate males", but that's called "anecdotal evidence", and it's an invalid source of information. It doesn't discredit the movement in the slightest, only the people you've spoken to about it.

          An example - every anarchist I have ever spoken to was a complete idiot. Some of them literally thought that if we dismantled the government today, tomorrow would be a better day. I've met some that thought terrorism was a viable means for this, even some anarchist lecturers have implied this! But it would obviously be daft to say something like "anarchism is about terrorism" based on those people, so I informed myself instead. I still don't agree with the basic principles of anarchism, but I made the judgment independently of the people who had no idea what they were talking about.

          This is why people thumb you down and don't take the time to respond. Because we know you haven't read the philosophy, so we know you're unfamiliar with its actual principles apart from what you've heard from third parties. It's not because we let our "emotions cloud our logic", it's because there's no point in debating someone about anarchism when they think anarchism = terrorism. There's no point in seriously debating evolution with someone who thinks evolution means monkeys and humans are literally cousins, especially when they won't accept that they might be uninformed about the subject. And there's no point in debating someone about feminism when they think "most feminism is about hating males and treating females superior".

          I apologize for the rant.

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          • Anime7
            11 years ago

            I have nothing against Itduz, i kinda like the guy, but this was brilliant and one of the best responses to anything I've ever read.

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            • flutterhigh
              11 years ago

              I don't really have anything against him either - I just think he is woefully misinformed on the topic of feminism. But thanks. :P

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          • [Old Memory]
            11 years ago

            Well, look online, you can expose yourself to all sorts of feminism that people say they are superior and men are useless. Join any group and the majority of the time it will be about equality "they" think is equal. The majority of Feminist groups I have joined on websites to debate feminism has shown me that females act this way. I have gone to many female pages and tried to have a conversation and asking questions to see if t hey're for equality, superiority, or inequality they think is equality, and the majority are the last two.
            When I say most feminism, I meant most feminists. Feminism itself was about equality.

            Well what else can I say if there is no evidence to show about the matter other than anecdotal evidence? I would copy and paste the screenshots, but they deleted the posts and blocked me from each page for asking if they're for financial abortion for men.

            I am not saying feminism is about hating men, and if I did I made a mistake, what I meant to say was that most feminists are about special treatment and superiority. This site alone has shown this, if anything.

            Like I said, I don't think feminism is wrong, I think feminists are, or ones that claim themselves to be feminists.

            You have misunderstood what it is I was trying to say. Feminism isn't about superiority, feminists (or ones claiming to be feminists) do.

            I myself agree with feminism, that is if feminism is about complete, unconditional equality.
            I have always been about equality, pure equality, the only problem is that when you state the equalities that come with equality, a lot of feminists go crazy.

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            • NeuroNeptunian
              11 years ago

              Those websites misrepresent feminism. Feminism is not about bashing men. Feminism is about the right to choose, whether it be to choose to be a lesbian childless corporate executive, or a humble housewife. And that no man can force a woman to live a life that she refuses. Meanig that I will not be executed should I decide that I don't want to be someone wife.

              For the most part, I believe that these feminists you speak of truly intend to "bring men down a notch". From my studies, part of the hatred for men stems from overly publicized domestic violence cases, misrepresented statistics (or in other words, the reader did not have an accurate understanding of how the statistics were made) and the growing rate of struggling single Mother homes. No matter what, there will always be a reason for them to hate men until they receive a further education of what true feminism is.

              Personally, I see their philosophy as a paradox.
              "I deserve rights, freedom and equality, I am an independent women, but men should treat me like a porcelain doll because I am incapable of making responsible decisions and accepting the consequences of my actions, therefore MEN suck".

              Funny how many of the struggling singke Mother statistics show strong correlation with unwed mother statistics. You chose to have a man who would not legally commit to you father your child and now it's a shock that he's left you? Oh those horrible men.

              From a perspective of a feminist, those women make us all look weak and incapable of handling ourselves. That's freedom, they know the risks of what they do and blame men for it anyway...

              You may hate that brand of feminism because it is popular, unopposed, and bashes men (you). I hate it because it only reinforces the fact that women are still at the mercy of men and can't be anything other than victims. Me.

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            • NeuroNeptunian
              11 years ago

              Although your financial abortion idea I'd like to discuss one of these days. It's becoming rapidly obvious that contractual agreements of parental responsibility before the child is conceived are looking more like the best possible idea... our society is becoming very liberal and not holding to traditional values as tightly as in the past, maybe contracts beyond your financial abortion contracts are becoming necessary as society's values evolve more quickly than individuals are...

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      But the thing is, the majority of the "feminist" books that I read don't even make the women > men argument. They don't paint the protagonist as being superior to males, the authors I've read usually bash the males but then make the female protagonist a pathetic, weak willed person and it's like the audience is suppose to feel sorry for them (ex. The Color Purple, Beloved), but I don't because I'm too busy being appalled of how hard the author is trying to make the protagonist's life so disgustingly miserable that it becomes baffling and hilarious... and one of those ways that they make the protagonist's life disgustingly miserable is making every single male in the main character's life a complete dick.

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago

        Like how every woman is a fucking rape victim on Oxygen (The Women's Network)...

        I call it the rape/domestic violence network.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          11 years ago

          Oh GOD, Lifetime, Oxygen, all those self-proclaimed "women's channels", they're the WORST.

          Every women is a rape victim or a domestic abuse victim, or their man is a cheater, or SOMETHING melodramatic happens to them to the point where you just have to say "...Really?"

          My favorite example of this was when Lifetime had on a series called "The Client List", which was basically about Jennifer Love Hewitt being a prostitute. Of course, they never really say she's a prostitute, but that's what she basically is. And they advertised that shit like crazy on Lifetime. LIFETIME: THE CHANNEL FOR WOMEN, EVERYBODY! God, I swear these channels think too highly of themselves... "the channel for women", it's just so stupid, I can't even get mad about it.

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          • NeuroNeptunian
            11 years ago

            What bothers me the most, the most, about that network is that it still gets viewers! How!?

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            • Anonymous Post Author
              11 years ago

              Cause... I don't know. I guess there are more middle aged, stay at mom moms who have nothing better to do in the US than there should be. The world is a sad, sad place.

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    • nAt2017
      11 years ago

      Fair enough... but most of the masculinist literature/websites that I've seen are about hating women as opposed to working for equality as well. While there are a lot of masculinists who truly are working for equal rights, there are also many who act like the bad feminists that you mentioned. It seems that no one can really get it right. I don't really like either group- I think we should just not discriminate at all.

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      • Gasmasker
        11 years ago

        We can be equalists together.

        Oh, wait...damn you, Legend of Korra!

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  • EvilUncleEarnie
    8 years ago

    There is a reason the term "Feminazi" was created. Not all, but most females who are feminists are nothing more than men haters. They can find things to rant and bitch and moan about in pretty much everything.

    Women need to realize that these idiots are not standing up for women. Women need to stand up and think for themselves and stop believing everything these idiots tell them to think.

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  • MasterOfWaffles
    10 years ago

    They are all idiots.

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  • kelili
    11 years ago

    I don't like feminists at all. They are not seeking gender equality but woman's supremacy. I've been studying sociology for some time and the more I read about them the more I believe there's crazy.

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  • BlueJeansWhiteShirt
    11 years ago

    Have you ever read The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath?
    How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran?
    I thought it was impossible to dislike these books.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      Those books, I have not read. Maybe when I get a chance, I'll look for them at the library.

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      • BlueJeansWhiteShirt
        11 years ago

        Great! The Bell Jar is massively depressing whereas How to be a Woman is hilarious.

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    • dappled
      11 years ago

      I'm going to throw my weight behind this and also recommend The Bell Jar, even though it wasn't what I first thought of when I saw this post.

      My favourite is Herland. It deserves to be as famous as Brave New World and probably would have been had it not been written when it was. The Female Man is pretty good as well. My female friends would recommend Margaret Attwood and Ursula Le Guin as writers but, for some reason, they didn't appeal to me as a male.

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      • Anime7
        11 years ago

        Herland is a brilliant novel. I love the society and I love how Perkins has a good sense of how a gentlemen acts in a room surrounded by women. I also suggested this book to the OP.

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      • BlueJeansWhiteShirt
        11 years ago

        I so love the Bell Jar. One of my favourite books of all time. I don't mind a bit of Margaret Attwood either.
        But I'm gunna check out what you suggested. I've been looking for something new to read recently.

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        • dappled
          11 years ago

          Herland is one I absolutely loved. The premise is fascinating.

          Actually, given where we live, I could hide my copy somewhere about town for you and send you on a treasure hunt. :P

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          • BlueJeansWhiteShirt
            11 years ago

            OMG that sounds well fun!

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  • jucedaguy
    11 years ago

    Sounds like you've been reading some pretty queer books, try reading something a little less misogynistic.

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  • coolio75650932
    11 years ago

    lol feminists suck lol men rule!

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  • Anime7
    11 years ago

    It's normal to hate anything with reason. Personally, I've read Their Eyes Were Watching God,The Awakening, and other feminist novels. I enjoyed both of those novels.

    The way I saw it, women were treated as inferior to men, thus a lot of them held some spite to the male race. I really don't believe that the books were bashing men however, but rather describing the situations of women.

    Besides, in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie meets Teacake who treats her like a Queen and with respect. So there really isn't any bashing going on in there.

    As for "The Awakening" well the main character was just glad that her husband died is all, but wouldn't you be to if you were in her shoes?

    I don't view feminist novels as bashing men,I'm sure some do though. But I think that most feminist novels just describe the situations of women, and how inferior they were treated. It isn't an attack on the male race, it is a simple observation on the lives of women.

    By the way, if you want to read a novel, or two, in which men aren't attacked, then read "A Room of One's Own" or, one of my favorite novels, "Herland."

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    maxine hong kingston - warrior woman and china men was so good and sylvia plath's poetry but i tend to agree, i prefer male authors (stephen king)

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    wait.. isn't ALL feminist literature about man-bashing? I don't like reading anything angry, usually this idealistic crap doesn't get me motivated, otherwise i'd move to the bible belt and bash everything that moves.

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    • dappled
      11 years ago

      Good feminist literature talks about women rather than men. The first book I recommended was about a society of women.

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        That's alright, I'll stick to Neil Gaiman, but thanx :)

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    • FocoUS
      11 years ago

      I don't like reading antifeminism from a person with the user name DeadGirlsDon'tSayNo

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        But they really don't, do they? :)

        Some humor never kills ya.

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        • FocoUS
          11 years ago

          I see what you did there

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  • Thearmsofpeace
    11 years ago

    Honestly I haven't read much feminist writing... But I do think that women are overprivileged in todays society. In my county of Illinois, a women is allowed to hit you 7 times before your allowed to so much as pin her to the wall... And they forgot to put an item limit on it. My Girlfriend can legally shoot me 7 times before I can do anything about it.

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  • Lord_Armand_deRomanus
    11 years ago

    Very normal. Some feminists can be just as sexist as those they fight, and they read very far into things that had no mal intent. I support female equality and want gender not to matter when one sees someone, unless it be in terms of a sexual partner. Seriously, no one is superior, we're all human. Sexist literature as a whole is unpleasant.

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  • FocoUS
    11 years ago

    Not a big fan of Their Eyes Were Watching God. But also not the biggest fan of Plath or Bronte. Then again I don't like Oscar Wilde too much either so it might have nothing to do with feminism. Some times I just can't relate to a book.

    I did like Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith. And Greg Rucka's Batwoman and Wonderwoman Hiketeia are MASTERPIECES

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