Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
I was specifically talking about using the language of personal safety to deal with people saying things you don't like (even if, as in this case, you're quite right to object to what was said).
|
Which is why a lot of older women are concerned about what they call an emerging 'fainting-couch' feminism. They're old enough to remember when women were kept out all sorts of fields of work and social situations because it was believed they were more fragile than men, and couldn't handle uncomfortable or rough language. To these women, feminism meant showing they could be exposed to crass or unpleasant speech without fainting in distress.
The problem is that one of the ways activists tend to fight against injustices is to expand the definition of those injustices. So women aren't only being encouraged not to tolerate harassment and threats (which is good), they're being encouraged to interpret any unpleasantness or discomfort as a threat. Which a) undermines more serious allegations by failing to make distinctions, and b) turns back the clock to when women were regarded as more fragile than men.