Who's Afraid of Feminism?: Seeing Through the Backlash

by Ann Oakley

Book Overview

The progress in women's rights brought about by the feminist activism of the 1960s through the early 1980s is today confronted with a major political backlash. For Who's Afraid of Feminism? , editors... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565843851
• ISBN13: 9781565843851
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Omega male syndrom (or how Dennis Littrell got it all wrong)

Dear Mr. Littrell, you are a smart man, no doubt. Unfortunately that does not mean you are correct in the arguments you stated above. I commend you for picking up the book, and at least trying to understand. It is sad to see that you have missed the point. Lets start with your fist statement: "This is war of course: rad fems vs. omega males". Hmmm... I hate to break this to you, but this is far from a war. Statistics state that 7% of women (3.9 million) are physically abused by their partners, and 37% (20.7 million) are verbally or emotionally abused every year. Did you know that every 9 seconds a woman is being physically abused by her partner? Look at your watch Mr. Littrell, and try to imagine it. Furthermore 42% of murdered women are killed by their intimate partners. This is your war? Please Mr. Littrell, do your research before you speak. Sure, some men are physically abused by their female partners, but this is certainly not as common nor as damaging. Did you also know that 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime (29% are age 12 to 17) - which is a HUGE contrast to the 1 in 33 men (most usually assaulted by other men). This is your war Mr. Littrell? wow. Now onto your next outstanding comment: The really depressing thing about feminism is that it's just politics as usual, i.e., more of the same old sorry attempt to get the upper hand." Naturally feminism is about politics!!!! I suppose you rather keep women out of politics Mr. Littrell? We are supposed to just shut up about how WE, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our neighbors are being violated left and right just because YOU are tired of us demanding our rights? WOW. You must be proud of yourself Mr. Littrell. Women are not trying to "get the upper hand" Sir. Women are simply demanding for the violence to STOP. Your ignorance about this issues, your disregard, your i'm-tired-of-your-politics are just as damaging and violating as rape, murder, enslavement, and everything else that we endure due to men. If we wanted to be alfa Mr. Littrel, we could have done that a long time ago - remember we outnumber you. But we are not interested in power as you see it, we are interested in EQUALITY. All we are demanding is for the VIOLENCE TO STOP. It is our right to say and do with our bodies, and our lives what WE want. We are not cattle Sir. We are human beings. Another thing Mr. Littrell... are you so afraid of women that you think patriarchy is the only way? Did it ever occur to you Sir that there is such a thing as equality? Do you really find that much power and glory in controlling women? Wow. That's very big of you. Has discourse ever occurred to you? Or do you not think we have enough of a brain, and self assurance to speak for ourselves and have our opinions count. Are you really that afraid of women? Have you no respect for the women in your life? Disregard the fact that without your mother carrying you for 9 months, feeding

Women's voices are human voices too

This collection of twelve diverse essays is impressively calm, collected and interesting. The overriding point for me is the importance of women's voices in the public sphere. As Carol Gilligan says: 'If women's voices are no different from men's, then leaving out women is no problem. If women's voices are different from men's, then listening to women will change the voice which we hear and name as human.' And from the editors' introduction: 'Feminism wants women's values to affect men as men's have affected women.' The final essay by Agneta Stark makes the point that there has been much active ignorance regarding women - a deliberate avoidance of hearing women's voices. My only concern is the fear feminists themselves have regarding biology/evolution. The voices of evolutionary feminists also need to be heard and included. Sexual dimorphism, female exogamy and male kin-group bonding, for example, help explain male deafness and blindness in respect of women ie why it is men who are 'deaf' and 'blind', not women who are in anyway 'dumb' or insignificant. Men literally had no need to see and hear women, only the men they were in competition with, or cooperating with, mattered. Men remain largely focused on other men and their position in the male hierarchy. Women who mix with men outside of the sexual/reproductive sphere are a nuisance that confuse men. This book is a collection of women's voices that is certainly worth reading.

trying to see the background from the foreground is hard

Reviewer: Dennis Littrell (see more about me) from SoCalu are way way off base dennis socal. you totally missed the point of this brillant feminist prose. it's to bad your so defense about your brain washed point of view. if your truly in touch with your womym, this book is for u. it does take a little pior knowledge of feminist theory seeing that no point of view in popular culture can conceptlize their chains to dehumanizing women. if your truly willing to challenegeing yourself, and know anger is just one part of a huge reaction, to a huge human rights crisis, this book can touch your soul.