Talking to Some Radical Feminists

Mad props to Bint, who has been trying to do something I gave up on a long time ago. And que the irony of that statement, because there was and still is a lot in radical feminism that I identify with.

I've been engaging in this one thread for the past couple of days and it's been really interesting (and by "interesting" I mean "frustrating and simultaneously disappointing") to watch how things have progressed/regressed. I've been conversing with a few self-identified radical feminists about the disconnect between radical feminists and others, particularly those who identify as "sex-positive" (or are often referred to using that label). Anyway, in the conversation, I decided to point out the bigotry that was going on. Most of the time I wouldn't bother because most people don't even claim to adhere to a feminist, anti-racist, anti-ablist/body-affirming, sort of philosophy, but when there are people claiming that they are being attacked and they just can't understand why people see them in a negative light, it just seems appropriate to take them at their word and take a chance by explaining to them just why they are getting the reaction they've received.

I know, I know! Other women that I greatly admire have talked to me about why it is almost always pointless to even engage in conversations with radical feminists (who are overwhelmingly white, Western, non-disabled women in number) because of the eurocentric, racist, ablist past that is associated with radical feminism. I feel like they are right in that we don't need to educate them or answer their questions because if they want answers all they have to do is go and read what other feminists have already written and spoken about this stuff.

I really sympathize with what she talks about in this post, but find a certain amount of irony in the "holding out hope" sort of feeling I get from it, which was shortly preceded by this one. :\