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The absolute masterstroke of making women terrified of being associated with ‘terfs’ and then labelling basic scientific facts & material feminist analysis ‘terf rhetoric’ - thus ensuring that women must constantly self-censor and obsfucate the truth lest they get harassed.
the same has happened with ‘swerf’, except instead of ‘basic scientific facts’ being deemed bigoted, it’s ‘thinking that vulnerable women shouldn’t have to ‘work’ in a ‘job’ that puts them at incredibly high risk of violence and psychological damage in order to feed themselves’
The result is that very foundational feminist beliefs (gender & the sex trade are harmful to women) become expressions of bigotry and therefore, have no place in feminism. The feminist movement has become increasingly hobbled as a result - look at how many ‘feminists’ defend porn
When was the last time you saw a feminist insta page talk about the wage gap? About the need for childcare? About spy cams that men put in toilets and use to make porn? About the gendered expectations of elderly care? About maternity leave? (the US still doesn’t even HAVE IT!!!)
imo we need to take back Feminism. We need to make it a movement that ameliorates the lives of women, that encourages women to think for themselves and use their free speech. The third wave of male appeasement and thought-terminating slogans has done more harm than good.
one last note that I’ll expand on in the future: all of this really ramped up once feminism became an identity. ‘Feminist’ became a way for people to define themselves, rather than their actions.
