Final Reflection: Confessions of an Angry Feminist

As we come to a close on English 372, one very important fact has become obvious to me: I am kind of an "angry feminist." Most of you are like, yeah what else is new? haha Okay, yes, I have made my views pretty open with you guys haven't I? Well believe it or not, I never really considered myself an angry feminist until I started researching what angry feminism really is. What it comes down to is that the term "angry feminist" is just a mythos set into place by the patriarchy to discredit feminism. It is a trope which is applied to feminists who are outspoken about their views, so that misogynistic people (usually men, but not always) can use this trope to delegitimize a feminist argument before the argument has even begun, to “put animosity— not argument— at the center of political discussions," as Barbara Tomlinson writes in Feminism and Affect at the Scene of Argument: Beyond the Trope of the Angry Feminist (Tomlinson 1). So when you think about it, the term "angry feminist" kind of applies to all feminists when it is employed by people whose goal (whether consciously or unconsciously as a result of conditioning from the patriarchy) is to discredit the work of feminism. So yes, I am an angry feminist. 

Another thing I've realized through my research into angry feminism is that there are so many different types and sub-genres of feminism! I have been openly and actively a feminist for about 6 years now and I knew about some of the different types of feminism, but I had no idea that there were so many. Further, my research made me realize that my feminist views fall under what some people even consider radical feminism! Now I know why my conservative British grandmother always gets so upset about my Facebook page! haha I've never really considered myself a radical feminist. I identify as an intersectional and a cultural feminist. I have just learned, over time, from research done on my own and from a lot of my studies in the English department at Shepherd, that there is a hierarchical power structure of rich white men who have made the rules for our society, otherwise known as the patriarchy. The patriarchy's main goal is to keep their status which often means the oppression of those viewed as "other" which includes women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour), LGBTQ+ people, and disabled people. Apparently, this is a tenet of "radical feminism" to some folx. I don't buy into that either though, because I think that term "radical feminism", like the term "angry feminist" is "a convention, a plot trick, a setup, a narrative structure, a character type. Its incessant repetition constitutes part of a cultural training program that makes antifeminism and misogyny a routine element in everyday speech and written argument” (Tomlinson 1). 

But nonetheless, here's a pretty good video about the difference between real "radical feminism" and the idea of the patriarchy which I will definitely attest is a real concept that has affected my life and the lives of all of the women I know. I have also included a second video that includes a more modern view of patriarchy as a cultural structure, its social implications, and how the patriarchy is actually harmful for men and non-binary/genderfluid people, as well as women. I hope that my feminist arguments throughout this class have been somewhat educational and/or interesting to you, or that one or both of these videos clear up some of the more mystifying parts of feminism for those who don't know much about it.

I will say, I think I will miss writing these blog entries. I've gotten a lot of really good ideas for writing from posts I've written. Perhaps I should start a blog of my own!

Anyway, it's been a pleasure to be in class with you all no matter what your beliefs are. I've really enjoyed seeing all of you grow as the class progressed, and seeing this blog become more active and interesting (in every sense of the word) over time. We've all come a long way since the start of class, I think!

Enjoy the videos! (I sincerely hope you will take the time to watch them).