Feminazi: Difference between revisions
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| ⚫ | '''Feminazi''' (also spelled femme-nazi) is an [[invective]] |
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| ⚫ | '''Feminazi''' (also spelled femme-nazi) is an [[invective]] [[neologism]], used predominantly in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], political [[rhetoric]] to characterize [[women]] whose ideas are believed by others to be vehemently [[misandrous]]; i.e., having an irrational and extreme hatred of men. [http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/10033] The word itself is a [[portmanteau]] of the nouns ''[[feminist]]'' and ''[[Nazism|Nazi]]''. The term does not relate literarily but metaphorically to the ''National Socialist Women's Organization'' or any other organization of women who served [[Nazi Germany]]. |
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However, conservatives' use of the term "feminazi" to refer to [[feminists]] is considered ironic by many because German feminists and other political dissenters were among the victims of [[Nazi]] [[concentration camps]] and Nazi work camps.<ref>http://www.remember.org/educate/elman.html</ref> Many prominent German feminists like [[Helene Stöcker]], [[Trude Weiss-Rosmarin]] and [[Clara Zetkin]] were forced to flee Nazi Germany. In fact, Nazi philosophy is documented as being in clear opposition to [[gender equality]].<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder%2C_K%C3%BCche%2C_Kirche#Third_Reich</ref> |
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==Origin== |
==Origin== |
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The term was popularized by conservative broadcaster [[Rush Limbaugh]], who credited his friend [[Tom Hazlett]], a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, with coining the term. Limbaugh originally claimed that the word "feminazi" meant not just an extreme feminist but a woman whose goal was that there should be as many abortions as possible, saying at one point that there were fewer than 25 true feminazis in the U.S. Limbaugh also uses the term for women who |
The term was popularized by conservative broadcaster [[Rush Limbaugh]], who credited his friend [[Tom Hazlett]], a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, with coining the term. Limbaugh originally claimed that the word "feminazi" meant not just an extreme feminist but a woman whose goal was that there should be as many abortions as possible, saying at one point that there were fewer than 25 true feminazis in the U.S. Limbaugh also uses the term for women, who in his opinion represent [[Radical feminism|radical feminist]] opinions. [[James Joyner]] noted upon [[Andrea Dworkin]]'s death that she seemed to typify what critics were calling a "feminazi." |
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==Context== |
==Context== |
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The term feminazi has developed various [[connotations]]. In colloquial usage, "Feminazi" has even been used as a derogatory way to refer to a [[lesbian]], regardless of whether or not the lesbian identifies herself as a feminist. <ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199906/ai_n8832106/pg_2</ref><ref>http://www.gabnet.com/lit/deich3e.htm</ref> |
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The term feminazi has developed various [[connotations]]. To some pro-life conservatives, it equates feminist advocacy for [[abortion]] rights with promoting a [[holocaust]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Others use the word [[rhetoric|rhetorically]] to suggest [[feminist]] views are being expressed in a unilateral manner. |
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In the extreme formulation, feminazis are seen by some as women who persecute men or who desire their elimination from the public discourse and any involvement into public affairs. The term is often used either as a derogatory term for [[feminist]] or conversely, as a specific term to differentiate between mainstream feminists and an extremist minority. |
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Among some extreme [[men's rights]] and [[father's rights]] groups, the term is used to refer to feminists they believe are persecuting men. These men's groups ague that feminism establishes a two-class society in which a privileged group (women) target and discriminate against another group (men). <ref>http://www.fathersforlife.org/culture/ideology.htm</ref> This presupposes that women actually do have more rights than men - [http://hrw.org/women/ a highly controversial, if not entirely inaccurate claim.]<ref>http://hrw.org/women/</ref> |
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Some [[men's rights]] and [[father's rights]] advocates use the term feminazi to describe radical feminist views of men and gender, arguing that [[radical feminism]], like Nazism, establishes a two-class society in which a privileged group may target and discriminate against another group based on immutable traits (in the former case, gender, and in the latter, religion, heritage or other inherent characteristics). |
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Many cultural theorists believe the term feminazi is one way in which [[social conservative]]s attempt to minimize and marginalize the work of [[liberal feminists]] ([[equal pay]] initiatives, [[sex discrimination]] and [[sexual harassment]] law, [[reproductive freedom]]s , promotion of [[diversity]], and legislation that helps protect women from violence).<ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200508160001?offset=20&show=1</ref> Young feminists have observed that social conservatives, like Rush Limbaugh and men's rights groups, frequently use the term feminazi to [[stereotype]] the entire feminist movement, particularly among the generation of people who did not experience the "[[sexual revolution]]."<ref>http://www.gurl.com/findout/label/pages/0,,694923,00.html</ref> |
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Father's rights advocates have complained for decades about the fundamental injustice of the family courts and laws such as [[VAWA]] which discriminate against men much like [[Jim Crow Laws]] discriminated against blacks and [[NAZI]] [[Nuremberg Laws]] discriminated against Jews. Men's rights advocates such as [http://www.angryharry.com/esFeminismandNazism.htm Angry Harry] and [http://www.fathersforlife.org/culture/ideology.htm Fathers for Life] analyze similarities between feminism and nazism as key to explaining discrimination of men in the family court, and the destruction of the traditional family. |
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==Response== |
==Response== |
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| ⚫ | The term has garnered |
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| ⚫ | The term has garnered a good deal of criticism over the years. Many feminists argued it was simply a way to dismiss all feminism or even any group run by or for women as extreme or man-hating. An example of this can be seen when Rush Limbaugh referred to [[The National Center for Women and Policing]] as feminazis : The Rush Limbaugh Show (broadcast 22 June 2005) Others have pointed out that it would seem contradictory to attempt to associate feminists with Nazis, [[Kinder, Küche, Kirche|who were generally opposed]] to gender equality. The counterpoint to this argument is that the politics and actions that fall under the term have an inherent bias against men, and thus, are opposed to gender equality. |
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[[Libertarian feminists]] (who should not be confused with [[liberal feminist]]s with whom they are often in opposition) have proposed their own term, "gender feminist", to replace the term "feminazi".<ref>http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2001/1218.html</ref> |
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[http://www.livejournal.com/community/feminazis Other women] have attempted to [[Reclaiming|reclaim]] "feminazi" by redefining it in their own terms to subvert what they describe as the [[patriarchal]] connotations of the label; however, many feminists and others disclaim the [[Nazism|Nazi]] epithet as being offensive to anyone with a memory of [[World War II]]. |
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Some feminist-friendly speakers have made some effort to use the term in a satirical way. Still other feminists have posited their own term, "gender feminism," to refer to statements by other feminists (such as Dworkin) that they consider to be intolerant of men, without using the term "feminazi" themselves.[http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/essays/mises.html] [http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2001/1218.html] |
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==Feminazi in popular culture== |
==Feminazi in popular culture== |
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* In an April [[2006]] episode of ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', [[Stephen Colbert]] used the word ''femistapo'' in his "The Word" segment. ''Femistapo'' is a portmanteau word combining [[feminism|feminist]] and [[Gestapo]]. It is a parody of the word ''feminazi''. |
* In an April [[2006]] episode of ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', [[Stephen Colbert]] used the word ''femistapo'' in his "The Word" segment. ''Femistapo'' is a portmanteau word combining [[feminism|feminist]] and [[Gestapo]]. It is a parody of the word ''feminazi''. |
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* In an episode of [[The West Wing]], [[Josh Lyman]] refers to [[C.J. Cregg]] as a " |
* In an episode of [[The West Wing]], [[Josh Lyman]] refers to [[C.J. Cregg]] as a "feminista", a portmanteau word combining "feminist" and "[[sandinista]]". |
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* In the [[satire|satirical]] ''We will hang Billy Clinton''-song, often sung in [[university|universities]] by [[American conservatism|conservative]] and [[libertarian]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternities]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, former [[first lady]] and current [[senator]] for the state of [[New York]] [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] is referred to as [[Bill Clinton]]'s ''feminazi boss''. |
* In the [[satire|satirical]] ''We will hang Billy Clinton''-song, often sung in [[university|universities]] by [[American conservatism|conservative]] and [[libertarian]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternities]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}, former [[first lady]] and current [[senator]] for the state of [[New York]] [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] is referred to as [[Bill Clinton]]'s ''feminazi boss''. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Neologisms]] |
[[Category:Neologisms]] |
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[[Category:Political portmanteaus]] |
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[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]] |
[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]] |
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[[Category:The Rush Limbaugh Show]] |
[[Category:The Rush Limbaugh Show]] |
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Revision as of 21:37, 4 August 2007
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Feminazi (also spelled femme-nazi) is an invective neologism, used predominantly in the United States and Canada, political rhetoric to characterize women whose ideas are believed by others to be vehemently misandrous; i.e., having an irrational and extreme hatred of men. [1] The word itself is a portmanteau of the nouns feminist and Nazi. The term does not relate literarily but metaphorically to the National Socialist Women's Organization or any other organization of women who served Nazi Germany.
Origin
The term was popularized by conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, who credited his friend Tom Hazlett, a professor of law and economics at George Mason University, with coining the term. Limbaugh originally claimed that the word "feminazi" meant not just an extreme feminist but a woman whose goal was that there should be as many abortions as possible, saying at one point that there were fewer than 25 true feminazis in the U.S. Limbaugh also uses the term for women, who in his opinion represent radical feminist opinions. James Joyner noted upon Andrea Dworkin's death that she seemed to typify what critics were calling a "feminazi."
Context
The term feminazi has developed various connotations. To some pro-life conservatives, it equates feminist advocacy for abortion rights with promoting a holocaust.[citation needed] Others use the word rhetorically to suggest feminist views are being expressed in a unilateral manner.
In the extreme formulation, feminazis are seen by some as women who persecute men or who desire their elimination from the public discourse and any involvement into public affairs. The term is often used either as a derogatory term for feminist or conversely, as a specific term to differentiate between mainstream feminists and an extremist minority.
Some men's rights and father's rights advocates use the term feminazi to describe radical feminist views of men and gender, arguing that radical feminism, like Nazism, establishes a two-class society in which a privileged group may target and discriminate against another group based on immutable traits (in the former case, gender, and in the latter, religion, heritage or other inherent characteristics).
Father's rights advocates have complained for decades about the fundamental injustice of the family courts and laws such as VAWA which discriminate against men much like Jim Crow Laws discriminated against blacks and NAZI Nuremberg Laws discriminated against Jews. Men's rights advocates such as Angry Harry and Fathers for Life analyze similarities between feminism and nazism as key to explaining discrimination of men in the family court, and the destruction of the traditional family.
Response
The term has garnered a good deal of criticism over the years. Many feminists argued it was simply a way to dismiss all feminism or even any group run by or for women as extreme or man-hating. An example of this can be seen when Rush Limbaugh referred to The National Center for Women and Policing as feminazis : The Rush Limbaugh Show (broadcast 22 June 2005) Others have pointed out that it would seem contradictory to attempt to associate feminists with Nazis, who were generally opposed to gender equality. The counterpoint to this argument is that the politics and actions that fall under the term have an inherent bias against men, and thus, are opposed to gender equality. Other women have attempted to reclaim "feminazi" by redefining it in their own terms to subvert what they describe as the patriarchal connotations of the label; however, many feminists and others disclaim the Nazi epithet as being offensive to anyone with a memory of World War II.
Some feminist-friendly speakers have made some effort to use the term in a satirical way. Still other feminists have posited their own term, "gender feminism," to refer to statements by other feminists (such as Dworkin) that they consider to be intolerant of men, without using the term "feminazi" themselves.[2] [3]
Feminazi in popular culture
- A similar term Femnazi was coined earlier as the name of the male-hating female inhabitants of the fictional planet, Femnaz, in a Legion of Super-heroes story from a 1964 issue of Adventure Comics written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.
- In an April 2006 episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert used the word femistapo in his "The Word" segment. Femistapo is a portmanteau word combining feminist and Gestapo. It is a parody of the word feminazi.
- In an episode of The West Wing, Josh Lyman refers to C.J. Cregg as a "feminista", a portmanteau word combining "feminist" and "sandinista".
- In the satirical We will hang Billy Clinton-song, often sung in universities by conservative and libertarian fraternities[citation needed], former first lady and current senator for the state of New York Hillary Rodham Clinton is referred to as Bill Clinton's feminazi boss.