Do Not Conflate Female Emancipation With The Sexual Revolution
It has become popular in some darker corners of the internet — especially the so-called ‘manosphere’ — to rage against feminism and how it is allegedly responsible for societal decline. On further examination, however, people who decry feminism or call themselves anti-feminist aren’t objecting to every facet of feminism at all. If you were to point out, for example, that women could not take out their own line of credit without their husband’s or father’s permission in the USA until 1974, most rightminded people would find it absurd that such a rule was only overturned so recently. The 1974 Fair Credit Opportunity Act was a landmark in the Female Emancipation movement that had begun two centuries before. It is not this type of feminism that contemporary anti-feminists rage against. Opponents of contemporary feminism are overwhelmingly opponents of the Sexual Revolution rather than opponents of Female Emancipation even though both fall under feminism as an umbrella term.
Only the most extreme fringe misogynists actually object to Female Emancipation
The removal of former kickboxer Andrew Tate and his extreme misogynistic content from most social media sites was both alarming and comforting at the same time. At first, it horrified me that such a person could gain a huge following. It disheartened me that so many men would be sucked into his social media because of its shock value, only to then buy into the real product he was selling ($49 per month for ‘Hustler’s University’, a discord channel dedicated to teaching how to earn money through various means). What was comforting, however, was how many men found Andrew Tate’s statements repulsive. Most men I saw commenting on Tate’s ban from social media found the proposition of men owning women like chattel slaves and Tate’s incitements to violence against women abhorrent. I remain unconvinced that rolling back the progress Female Emancipation has meant for women’s lives is secretly popular or even mildly appealing to men.
Even feminists disagree on the Sexual Revolution
The main source of opposition to contemporary feminism surrounds the consequences of the Sexual Revolution rather than feminism writ large. Internet sub-communities such as ‘Incels’ (involuntary celibates) are one of the best-known groups to rage against the real and perceived wrongs created by the new dating marketplace. But it strikes me as unfair to conflate the Sexual Revolution with feminism when so many feminists objected to it at the time and object to it even now. The Sexual Revolution may have been a consequence of second-wave feminism but the intellectual war between sex-positive feminists and sex-negative feminists still rages over the same issues that were fought over in the 60s and 70s. Where the sexual liberation and sexual exploitation of women begin and end is still contentious, with many radical feminists taking the same stance on porn, BDSM and prostitution as organisations, such as the Catholic Church for example, but for very different reasons.
Why you should oppose the Sexual Revolution
You should reject the Sexual Revolution not just because it contradicts religious social teaching. It should also be rejected for the sheer inhumanity of its consequences. Dating apps have reduced something as monumental as choosing a potential life partner to a momentary flick of the finger. Online encounters have left young people with ever-atrophying social skills, the very social skills necessary to form the type of good quality and deeply intimate relationships that stave off loneliness. Porn use has diminished incentives to build relationships in real life. It strikes me as absurd that casual sex could ever be lauded as a boon to women when you consider the statistics of intimate partner violence. All of it seems to render human beings into soulless flesh, exchangeable for one another. It all stands in the way of something both sexes want — better quality relationships with each other.
We should use precise language when communicating our ideas
Many religious people may see feminism as at odds with their faith. If they were, however, to stop conflating the Sexual Revolution with Female Emancipation they may feel differently about feminism. This is why precise language matters. Take Female Emancipation; leave the Sexual Revolution, and be proud to call yourself a feminist.
Thank you for reading — I hope you found my thoughts interesting. You can find links to my other work here: https://linktr.ee/sayde.scarlett
