Feminism And Subset-Superset Fallacy

There are many women in feminism who claim that Donald Trump and any number of others are misogynists.

They are committing what is known in mathematics as a subset-superset fallacy. Not liking some of a kind does not mean not liking any of a kind. Most people will like some women and dislike others. Most people will like some men and dislike others. I consider it foolishness to expect anything else.

To these people the question that needs to be asked is, Does the fact that you dislike some men make you a misandrist? Does the fact that you dislike Donald Trump mean that you hate men?

I do not need to like Catherine McKinnon in order to love the women in my family. Similarly you do not need to like Donald Trump in order to love your father or your son.

It so happens that I've had extensive dealings with men who are genuinely misogynistic. The men who think that women should be slaves, and that they should kill a woman in case that she leaves them. The men who think that women are an “incomplete gender” possessing a “penis envy.” The men who think that women are irrational, or stupid, or evil, or wild. I have had many things to say to such men.

When these women accuse someone like me of being a misogynist, they are crying wolf. And crying wolf is an irresponsible behavior. It makes you and others not credible when a real wolf appears. You are dealing with someone who has written love poetry for several women. You are dealing with someone who sacrificed a very nice setup to be with someone he loved. You are dealing with someone who has had female bosses and was comfortable with the arrangement. You are dealing with someone who has incurred danger, financial loss and damage to reputation as part of an effort to help women who are being screwed over in court.

So they claim that they want equality. Equality means treatment based on one's personal qualities. As Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that a man will be judged not based on the color of his skin but based on the contents of his character.” These women are doing their followers a disservice. They are teaching them to be bad people. And in a climate of actual equality, these women do not stand to be treated well.

For as long as men choose to act like jerks, there will be a need for one or another form of feminism. However it has to be a wiser feminism than what we have seen in recent decades. You accomplish absolutely nothing by attacking people like me. And if you really are the strong women that you claim to be, then you need to be confronting actual misogynists. And of these there are plenty.