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Feminazi is a pejorative term for feminists, which was popularized by politically conservative American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

Origin and usage

According to The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang, feminazi refers (pejoratively) to "a committed feminist or a strong-willed woman".^[1] The term is a portmanteau of the nouns feminist and Nazi.^[2] The American conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who popularized the term,^[3]^[4] credited the university professor Thomas Hazlett with coining it.^[5]

Limbaugh, who has been vocally critical of the feminist movement,^[6] stated that the term feminazi refers to "radical feminists" whose goal is "to see that there are as many abortions as possible"^[1]^[7] and a small group of "militants" whom he distinguishes from "well-intentioned but misguided people who call themselves 'feminists'".^[6] However, the term came to be widely used for feminism as a whole;^[8] Limbaugh has used it in reference to the Feminist Majority Foundation and the activists Gloria Steinem and Susan Sarandon, among others.^[7] Steinem writes that "I've never met anyone who fits that description [of wanting as many abortions as possible], though [Limbaugh] lavishes it on me among many others".^[9]

Limbaugh states that feminazis, as opposed to mainstream feminists, are those "who are happy about the large number of abortions we have" in the United States. The anti-violence educator Jackson Katz argues that "no such feminists exist", and that feminazi is a "clever term of propaganda" intended and used to "[bully] into complicit silence women who might otherwise challenge men's violence".^[10] In his book Angry White Men, the sociologist Michael Kimmel says the term is used to attack feminist campaigns for equal pay and safety from rape and domestic violence by associating them with Nazi genocide.^[4]

Cultural impact

According to Helen Lewis, deputy editor of the New Statesman, "the idea of conflating a liberation movement with Nazism is just deeply ignorant. It’s self-undermining, because it’s so over the top." Laura Bates, the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, has said that "It’s a desperate attempt to demonise us, and it’s frustrating, because if it wasn’t such an offensive word, you could actually start to embrace it and own it".^[11]

Steinem has suggested a boycott of Limbaugh for his use of the term,^[12] stating, "Hitler came to power against the strong feminist movement in Germany, padlocked the family planning clinics, and declared abortion a crime against the state—all views that more closely resemble Rush Limbaugh's".^[12]^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b Barrett, Grant, ed. (2006). The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-530447-3.
^ "feminazi". Merriam-Webster.
^ Lacy, Tim (2010). "Limbaugh, Rush". In Chapman, Roger (ed.). Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints and Voices, Volume 1. M.E. Sharpe. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-76-561761-3.
^ ^a ^b Kimmel, Michael (2013). Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era. Nation Books. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-1-56-858696-0.
^ Limbaugh, Rush H. (1992). The Way Things Ought to be. Pocket Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-67-175145-6.
^ ^a ^b Jamieson, Kathleen H.; Cappella, Joseph N. (2008). Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment. Oxford University Press. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-0-19-974086-4.
^ ^a ^b Wilson, John K. (2011). The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh’s Assault on Reason. Macmillan. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-31-261214-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ Levit, Nancy (1998). The Gender Line: Men, Women, and the Law. NYU Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-81-475295-1.
^ Steinem, Gloria (1995). Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company. p. xv. ISBN 0-80-504202-4.
^ Katz, Jackson (2006). The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and how All Men Can Help. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-40-225376-8.
^ Williams, Zoe (15 September 2015). "Feminazi: the go-to term for trolls out to silence women". The Guardian.
^ ^a ^b "Ask Gloria: Excerpts from Q&A's with Gloria Steinem". Feminist.com. October–November 1996.
^ Kaufman, Michael; Kimmel, Michael (2011). The Guy's Guide to Feminism. Da Capo Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-58-005362-4.

External links

Google Trends for "feminazi"

[Barrett-1] Barrett, Grant, ed. (2006). The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-530447-3.

[Merriam-Webster-2] "feminazi". Merriam-Webster.

[Lacy-3] Lacy, Tim (2010). "Limbaugh, Rush". In Chapman, Roger (ed.). Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints and Voices, Volume 1. M.E. Sharpe. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-76-561761-3.

[Kimmel_2013-4] Kimmel, Michael (2013). Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era. Nation Books. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-1-56-858696-0.

[Limbaugh_1992a-5] Limbaugh, Rush H. (1992). The Way Things Ought to be. Pocket Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-67-175145-6.

[Jamieson_&_Cappella-6] Jamieson, Kathleen H.; Cappella, Joseph N. (2008). Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment. Oxford University Press. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-0-19-974086-4.

[Wilson-7] Wilson, John K. (2011). The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh’s Assault on Reason. Macmillan. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-31-261214-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[Levit-8] Levit, Nancy (1998). The Gender Line: Men, Women, and the Law. NYU Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-81-475295-1.

[Steinem_1995-9] Steinem, Gloria (1995). Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company. p. xv. ISBN 0-80-504202-4.

[Katz-10] Katz, Jackson (2006). The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and how All Men Can Help. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-40-225376-8.

[Williams-11] Williams, Zoe (15 September 2015). "Feminazi: the go-to term for trolls out to silence women". The Guardian.

[Ask_Gloria-12] "Ask Gloria: Excerpts from Q&A's with Gloria Steinem". Feminist.com. October–November 1996.

[Kaufman_&_Kimmel-13] Kaufman, Michael; Kimmel, Michael (2011). The Guy's Guide to Feminism. Da Capo Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-58-005362-4.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Feminism sidebar}}
+'''''Feminazi''''' is a [[pejorative]] term for [[feminist]]s, which was popularized by politically conservative American radio talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]].
-In his 1992 book, Limbaugh credited his friend [[Tom Hazlett]], an adjunct scholar at the [[Cato Institute]], with coining the term.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2005/06/24/limbaugh-defended-his-use-of-term-feminazi-as-r/133393|title=Limbaugh defended his use of term "feminazi" as "right" and "accurate"|date=2007-10-10|work=Media Matters for America|access-date=2018-08-21|language=en}}</ref> In the book, Limbaugh also stated that the word refers to unspecified women whose goal is to allow as many abortions as possible, saying at one point that there were fewer than 25 "true feminazis" in the U.S.Limbaugh has used the term to refer to members of the National Center for Women and Policing, the [[Feminist Majority Foundation]], the [[National Organization for Women]], and other organizations at the [[March for Women's Lives]], a large [[pro-choice]] demonstration.
+==Origin and usage==
-There were times when Limbaugh shied away from using the term due to the controversy it caused. In 2000, Limbaugh found it expedient to defend his use of the term, and make distinctions and changes in its use. According to [[Slate.com]], in 2000:<blockquote>In 2005, however, Limbaugh defended his use of the term: "I haven't used that term on this program in years. But it still gets to 'em, doesn't it? And you know why? Because it's right. Because it's accurate."</blockquote>Other political commentators have also made comparisons between militant feminism and [[totalitarian]] ideologies. In 1994, [[Camille Paglia]] described some feminist groups as "[[Stalinism|Stalinist]]" for engaging in what she describes as censorship and quashing of dissent. In 1983, a year before Limbaugh debuted as a political talk-show host, [[anarchist]][[Bob Black]] wrote an essay called "Feminism as [[Fascism]]."
+According to ''The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang'', ''feminazi'' refers (pejoratively) to "a committed feminist or a strong-willed woman".{{refn|name=Barrett}} The term is a [[portmanteau]] of the nouns ''[[feminist]]'' and ''[[Nazi]]''.{{refn|name=Merriam-Webster}} The American conservative radio talk show host [[Rush Limbaugh]], who popularized the term,{{refn|name=Lacy}}{{refn|name=Kimmel 2013}} credited the university professor [[Thomas Hazlett]] with coining it.{{refn|name=Limbaugh 1992a}}
+Limbaugh, who has been vocally critical of the [[feminist movement]],{{refn|name=Jamieson & Cappella}} stated that the term ''feminazi'' refers to "radical feminists" whose goal is "to see that there are as many abortions as possible"{{refn|name=Barrett}}{{refn|name=Wilson}} and a small group of "militants" whom he distinguishes from "well-intentioned but misguided people who call themselves 'feminists'".{{refn|name=Jamieson & Cappella}} However, the term came to be widely used for feminism as a whole;{{refn|name=Levit}} Limbaugh has used it in reference to the [[Feminist Majority Foundation]] and the activists [[Gloria Steinem]] and [[Susan Sarandon]], among others.{{refn|name=Wilson}} Steinem writes that "I've never met anyone who fits that description [of wanting as many abortions as possible], though [Limbaugh] lavishes it on me among many others".{{refn|name=Steinem 1995}}
-In a 1996 interview, [[Gloria Steinem]] characterized Limbaugh's use of the term “feminazi” as ironic since feminists and other political dissenters were among the victims of Nazi [[concentration camps]] and Nazi work camps. According to Steinem, "Hitler came to power against the strong feminist movement in Germany, padlocked the family planning clinics, and declared abortion a crime against the state—all views that more closely resemble Rush Limbaugh’s." In her book ''Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions'', Steinem elaborates on the repression of feminism under Hitler, noting that many prominent German feminists like [[Helene Stöcker]], [[Trude Weiss-Rosmarin]] and [[Clara Zetkin]] were forced to flee [[Nazi Germany]] while others were killed in concentration camps. The term feminazi functions as a pejorative because it associates or compares feminists with Nazis, which makes the term an example of ''[[reductio ad Hitlerum]]''.
+Limbaugh states that ''feminazis'', as opposed to mainstream feminists, are those "who are happy about the large number of abortions we have" in the United States. The anti-violence educator [[Jackson Katz]] argues that "no such feminists exist", and that ''feminazi'' is a "clever term of propaganda" intended and used to "[bully] into complicit silence women who might otherwise challenge men's violence".{{refn|name=Katz}} In his book ''[[Angry White Men]]'', the sociologist Michael Kimmel says the term is used to attack feminist campaigns for [[Equal pay for equal work|equal pay]] and safety from [[rape]] and [[domestic violence]] by associating them with [[Nazi genocide]].{{refn|name=Kimmel 2013}}
-According to [[Helen Lewis (journalist)|Helen Lewis]], deputy editor of the ''[[New Statesman]]'', "the idea of conflating a liberation movement with Nazism is just deeply ignorant. It’s self-undermining, because it’s so over the top." [[Laura Bates]], the founder of the [[Everyday Sexism Project]], has said that "It’s a desperate attempt to demonise us, and it’s frustrating, because if it wasn’t such an offensive word, you could actually start to embrace it and own it".
+== Cultural impact ==
+According to [[Helen Lewis (journalist)|Helen Lewis]], deputy editor of the ''[[New Statesman]]'', "the idea of conflating a liberation movement with Nazism is just deeply ignorant. It’s self-undermining, because it’s so over the top." [[Laura Bates]], the founder of the [[Everyday Sexism Project]], has said that "It’s a desperate attempt to demonise us, and it’s frustrating, because if it wasn’t such an offensive word, you could actually start to embrace it and own it".{{refn|name=Williams}}
+Steinem has suggested a boycott of Limbaugh for his use of the term,{{refn|name=Ask Gloria}} stating, "Hitler came to power against the strong feminist movement in Germany, padlocked the family planning clinics, and declared abortion a crime against the state{{emdash}}all views that more closely resemble Rush Limbaugh's".{{refn|name=Ask Gloria}}{{refn|name=Kaufman & Kimmel}}
+== See also ==
+{{div col}}
+* [[Angry Black Woman]]
+* [[Angry white male]]
+* [[Antifeminism]]
+* [[Chauvinism#Female_chauvinism|Female chauvinism]]
+* [[Radical feminism]]
+* [[Reductio ad Hitlerum]]
+* [[Sexism]]
+* [[Social justice warrior]]
+{{div col end}}
 == References ==
-{{reflist}}
+{{reflist|30em|refs=
+<ref name="Ask Gloria">{{cite web |title=Ask Gloria: Excerpts from Q&A's with Gloria Steinem |url=http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/interviews/steinem1.htm |website=Feminist.com |date=October–November 1996}}</ref>
+<ref name="Barrett">{{cite book |editor-last=Barrett |editor-first=Grant |title=The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530447-3 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hc7x96jE5EcC&pg=PA105&dq=feminazi}}</ref>
+<ref name="Jamieson & Cappella">{{cite book |last1=Jamieson |first1=Kathleen H. |last2=Cappella |first2=Joseph N. |title=Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974086-4 |pages=102–103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=139Oa4MOsAgC&pg=PA103&dq=feminazi}}</ref>
+<ref name="Kaufman & Kimmel">{{cite book |last1=Kaufman |first1=Michael |last2=Kimmel |first2=Michael |title=The Guy's Guide to Feminism |date=2011 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-1-58-005362-4 |page=42}}</ref>
+<ref name="Katz">{{cite book |last=Katz |first=Jackson |title=The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and how All Men Can Help |location=Naperville, Ill. |publisher=Sourcebooks |date=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TZs-PBVD_p8C&q=feminazi |page=75 |isbn=978-1-40-225376-8}}</ref>
+<ref name="Kimmel 2013">{{cite book |last1=Kimmel |first1=Michael |title=Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era |date=2013 |publisher=Nation Books |isbn=978-1-56-858696-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WVGDgAAQBAJ&q=feminazi |pages=42–44}}</ref>
+<ref name="Lacy">{{cite book |last=Lacy |first=Tim |editor-last=Chapman |editor-first=Roger |title=Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints and Voices, Volume 1 |date=2010 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |isbn=978-0-76-561761-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Culture_Wars.html?id=vRY27FkGJAUC&q=feminazis |page=323 |chapter=Limbaugh, Rush}}</ref>
+<ref name="Levit">{{cite book |last=Levit |first=Nancy |title=The Gender Line: Men, Women, and the Law |date=1998 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-81-475295-1 |page=127 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_4qHVrCsh80C&pg=PA127&dq=feminazi}}</ref>
+<ref name="Limbaugh 1992a">{{cite book |last1=Limbaugh |first1=Rush H. |title=The Way Things Ought to be|date=1992 |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=978-0-67-175145-6 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XDVMk6q_pm4C&q=%22Tom+Hazlett%22}}</ref>
+<ref name="Merriam-Webster">{{cite web |title=feminazi |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminazi |website=Merriam-Webster}}</ref>
+<ref name="Steinem 1995">{{cite book |last=Steinem |first=Gloria |title=Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions |date=1995 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |location=New York, N.Y. |edition=2nd |isbn=0-80-504202-4 |page=xv |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KVHmzw43TgkC&q=feminazi}}</ref>
+<ref name="Williams">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Zoe |title=Feminazi: the go-to term for trolls out to silence women |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/15/feminazi-go-to-term-for-trolls-out-to-silence-women-charlotte-proudman |work=The Guardian |date=15 September 2015}}</ref>
+<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |ref=harv |last=Wilson |first=John K. |date=2011 |title=The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh’s Assault on Reason  |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-31-261214-6 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCy4-K4nar8C&q=feminazi+feminazis}}</ref>
+}}
 == Further reading ==
@@ Line 24: / Line 71: @@
 * {{cite web |last1=Skutta |first1=Peter |title=Linguistic politics and language usage in the debate on "Political Correctness" |website=hausarbeiten.de |date=1997|url=https://m.hausarbeiten.de/document/94699}}
 * {{cite book |last=Waisanen |first=Don |editor-last=Rountree |editor-first=Clarke |title=Venomous Speech: Problems with American Political Discourse on the Right and Left |date=2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |isbn=978-0-31-339867-4 |pages=308–9 |chapterurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=jf3YAQAAQBAJ&q=feminazis |chapter=An Alternative Sense of Humor: The Problems With Crossing Comedy and Politics in Public Discourse}}
+== External links ==
+{{Wiktionary|feminazi}}
+{{Wikiquote|feminazi}}
+* [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=feminazi Google Trends for "feminazi"]
+{{Feminism}}
+[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]]
+[[Category:The Rush Limbaugh Show]]
+[[Category:Political neologisms]]
+[[Category:Criticism of feminism]]
+[[Category:Words coined in the 1980s]]
+[[Category:Stereotypes of women]]