Gender Relations in Modernity--or How Feminism Makes One a Target Online--SEMI NSFW

Not so long ago (about three weeks ago), I uploaded my video On Being a Feminine Feminist. I shared it with a few people, including the Reddit Feminism group. Reddit is often where I share many of my blog posts (for better or worse), but sharing this particular post on Reddit turned out to be a huge mistake.
Evidently, the Feminism Reddit is a target for even further harassment by men who are clearly threatened by feminism. I got three comments there before I deleted my post: one about how unattractive and "unbangable" I am and one about how I have saggy breasts. The third commenter revealed himself in an email, in which he sent me not just a picture of a penis, but one particularly mutilated. I believe this was in an effort to get me to play along with their game and get upset. Of course, the subject line was false in an attempt to get me to open the link. 

But why? Because I dared post a video with feminist ideals? This concept is hardly new. So why are there people so threatened by it? And why is it something people are so scared of that they must respond with virtual harassment?    People say Feminism isn't necessary, that the concept is purely outdated. Men are equal to women, they say, it isn't necessary to make a big fuss out of it anymore. But really? Can it be true when the very notion of equality freaks someone out so much that they then rush to try and shut up the women who try and discuss it?    This harassment continued onto the YouTube video itself and I got some comment gems...particularly highlighting exactly why feminism is necessary and the concept is very much one that needs to be addressed. I debated on whether or not to upload the comments on my blog, but decided in the end not to, as they were incredibly graphic. However, one such comment basically said he wanted to have sex with me so I would understand that he has full power over me, which to be reads like a thinly veiled rape threat. Like, honestly, I'm getting a rape threat by a random stranger because he is that scared of anything to do with the word feminism?   One thing I also found interesting was the following video, promoting the idea of bystander intervention during street harassment, particularly by other women.
This video is fantastic, but the responses it got caused me serious anguish:

 

Do these men think they are helping their case that feminism is stupid? Do they think I, or any other woman, am going to back down because of these threats? And over something so incredibly stupid like a woman voicing her opinion. So are they not just validating her point over and over? Is this how people are responding to dialogue in the 21st century, by feeling so threatened by the idea of feminism that they must threaten those who are feminists?    The odd thing was that in my video, I'm not necessarily even talking about men, but discussing the idea of femininity in the feminist culture--yet even that is clearly far too much for people to handle. Having a conversation about street harassment is too much for people to handle. Wanting people to all be equal to one another is too much for people to handle. And that makes me incredibly sad for humanity.   Feminism is not the hatred of men, but the idea that men and women are equal. Nothing less, nothing more. Of course, there are issues raised depending on a variety of socioeconomic factors within the feminist movement in general, but the underlying belief is simple equality. Why is that so difficult for some? And why must they try to wield their power (and dole out abuse) over those who are doing nothing but trying to work for the common good of all humans? Feminism even benefits men, but I think that would blow these responders minds far too much to even attempt to express the notion.

 


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