Romantic Love – by Lester F. Ward (1903)

April 25, 2015June 29, 2023 / Peter Wright / Leave a comment

Lester F. Ward, an American botanist, paleontologist, sociologist and an early ‘feminist’ thinker, proposed a gynocentric theory that women are superior to men. Aside from this theory, Ward wrote about the origins of romantic love, which is presented below in full. -PW

_____________

All social forces are psychic, and in that sense spiritual. The application to any of them of the term physical, is therefore not strictly correct, but if it is done not to stigmatize them, but for the sake of distinguishing some from others, it may be justified and even useful. All feeling is psychic, but feelings differ in many ways, and among others in a certain greater or less remoteness from their physical seat, or vagueness and indefiniteness with regard to the location of the nerve plexuses, by the molecular activities within which the feelings are occasioned. Another difference consists in the degree in which the feeling is external or internal, and still another is that of the relative intensity and durability of feelings.

All these differences are more or less correlated, and in general those feelings which are most vague and least definitely located in the body, those that are most internal, and those that are least intense and most durable, are classed as more spiritual, more elevated, and more refined. And in fact, there can be no doubt of the general correctness of this popular view, and, as has already been said, the true reason why this latter class of feelings is regarded as superior is that they yield a larger aggregate amount of satisfaction. Though lower from the standpoint of necessity, since they are not essential to life, they are higher from the standpoint of utility, i.e., they are worth more – more worthy.

But these feelings are derivative, and are the consequences of a qualitative development of the physical organization of man. For it is not the brain of man alone that has developed. The brain is only one of the many nerve plexuses of the body, and there is no reason to suppose that it is the only one that has undergone structural refinement. The brain has now been studied and the chief causes of mental superiority have been discovered. Primarily brain mass is the cause of intelligence, and until the process of cephalization had far advanced and the relatively large hemispheres had been superposed upon the original ganglionic nucleus, there could be no advance sufficient to constitute rational beings. And this attained, other things equal, increase of brain mass represents increased intelligence.

But this is far from being the whole. There took place qualitative changes, and brains came to differ in kind as well as in size. Since the period of social assimilation this has undoubtedly been the principal advance that has been made. The cross fertilization of cultures worked directly upon these qualitative characters, rendering the most thoroughly mixed races, like the Greeks and the English, highly intelligent. The physiological or histological cause of this improved brain structure is now known in its general aspects. Brain superiority is measured chiefly, first, by the number of neurons in a cubic millimeter of the brain substance, and second, by the degree of extension and ramification of the plumose panicles that proceed from the summit of these pyramidal cells, and by the character of the axis cylinder at their bases.

Now, while there can be no doubt that this higher brain development vitally influences all the other nerve plexuses of the body, since every conscious feeling must be referred to the brain, it is altogether probable that a process of qualitative improvement has also and at the same time been taking place in the entire nervous system, and especially in the great centers of emotion, and if the serious study of these plexuses could be prosecuted, as has been that of the brain, differences would in all probability be detected capable of being described, as this has been done for the brain. In other words, the development of the human race has not consisted exclusively in brain development, but has been a general advance in all the great centers of spiritual activity.

It is this psycho-physiological progress going on in all races that have undergone repeated and compound social assimilation that has laid the foundation for the appearance in the most advanced races of a derivative form of natural love which is known as romantic love. It is a comparatively modern product, and is not universal among highly assimilated races. In fact, I am convinced that it is practically confined to what is generally understood as the Aryan race, or, at most, to the so-called Europeans, whether actually in Europe or whether in Australia, America, India, or any other part of the globe. Further, it did not appear in a perceptible form even in that ethnic stock until some time during the Middle Ages. Although I have held this opinion much longer, I first expressed it in 1896.¹ It is curious that since that time two books have appeared devoted in whole or in part to sustaining this view..² There is certainly no sign of the derivative sentiment among savages. Monteiro, speaking of the polygamous peoples of Western Africa, says: –

The negro knows not love, affection, or jealousy. … In all the long years I have been in Africa I have never seen a negro manifest the least tenderness for or to a negress. … I have never seen a negro put his arm round a woman’s waist, or give or receive any caress whatever that would indicate the slightest loving regard or affection on either side. They have no words or expressions in their language indicative of affection or love.³

Lichtenstein⁴ says of the Koossas: “To the feeling of a chaste tender passion, founded on reciprocal esteem, and an union of heart and sentiment, they seem entire strangers.” Eyre reports the same general condition of things among the natives of Australia,⁵ and it would not be difficult to find statements to the same effect relative to savage and barbaric races in all countries where they have been made the subject of critical study. Certainly all the romances of such races that have been written do but reflect the sentiments of their writers, and are worthless from any scientific point of view. This is probably also the case for stories whose plot is laid in Asia, even in India, and the Chinese and Japanese seem to have none of the romantic ideas of the West; otherwise female virtue would not be a relative term, as it is in those countries. This much will probably be admitted by all who understand what I mean by romantic love.

The point of dispute is therefore apparently narrowed down to the question whether the Ancient Greeks and Romans had developed this sentiment. I would maintain the negative of this question. If I have read my Homer, Æschylus, Virgil, and Horace to any purpose they do not reveal the existence in Ancient Greece and Rome of the sentiment of romantic love. If it be said that they contain the rudiments of it and foreshadow it to some extent I shall not dispute this, but natural love everywhere does this, and that is therefore not the question.

The only place where one finds clear indications of the sentiment is in such books as “Quo Vadis,” which cannot free themselves from such anachronisms. I would therefore adhere to the statement made in 1896, when I said, “Brilliant as were the intellectual achievements of the Greeks and Romans, and refined as were many of their moral and esthetic perceptions, nothing in their literature conclusively proves that love with them meant more than the natural demands of the sexual instinct under the control of strong character and high intelligence. The romantic element of man’s nature had not yet been developed.”

The Greeks, of course, distinguished several kinds of love, and by different words (eros, agape, philia), but only one of these is sexual at all. For eros they often used ‘Aphrodite’. They also expressed certain degrees and qualities in these by adjectives, e.g., pandemic. Some modern writers place the adjective heavenly over against pandemic, as indicating that they recognized a sublimated, heavenly, or spiritual form of sexual love, but I have not found this in classic Greek. Neither do I find any other to the Latin Venus vulgivaga. But whether such softened expressions are really to be found in classic Greek and Latin authors or not, the fact that they are so rare sufficiently indicates that the conceptions they convey could not have been current in the Greek and Roman mind, and must have been confined to a few rare natures.

Romantic love is therefore not only confined to the historic races, those mentioned in Chapter III as representing the accumulated energies of all the past and the highest human achievement, but it is limited to the last nine or ten centuries of the history of those races. It bean to manifest itself some time in the eleventh century of the Christian era, and was closely connected with the origin of chivalry under the feudal system. Guizot has given us perhaps the best presentation of that institution,⁶ and from this it is easy to see how the conditions favored its development.

In the first place the constant and prolonged absenteeism of the lords and knights, often with most of their retainers, from the castle left the women practically in charge of affairs and conferred upon them a power and dignity never before possessed. In the second place the separation of most of the men for such long periods, coupled with the sense of honor that their knighthood and military career gave rise to, caused them to assume the rôle of applicants for the favor of the women, which they could not always immediately attain as when women were forcibly seized by any one that chanced to find them.

These conditions produced a mutual sense on the part of both sexes of the need of each other, coupled with prolonged deprivation on the part of both of that satisfaction. The men, thus seeking the women, naturally became chivalrous toward them. The solitary life of women of high rank made them somewhat a prey to the lusts of men of low degree, and the knights assumed the rôle of protecting them from all dangers. Moral and Christian sentiments also played a part, and we find among the provisions of the oath that every chevalier must make the following solemn vows: –

To maintain the just rights of the weak, as of widows, orphans, and young women. If called upon to conduct a lady or a girl to any place, to wait upon her, to protect her, and to save her from all danger and every offense, or perish in the attempt. Never to do violence to ladies or young women, even though won by their arms, without their will and consent.

Such an oath, made a universal point of honor, any breach of which would be an everlasting disgrace, and be punished severely by the order of knighthood to which they belonged, could not fail to produce a powerful civilizing effect upon the semi-barbaric men of that age. The whole proceeding must have also given to women a far greater independence and higher standing than they had ever before enjoyed since the days of gynæcocracy in the protosocial stage.

Out of this condition of things there arose a special class of poets who wrote lyrics wholly different from the erotic songs of antiquity that go by that name. These poets were called troubadours, and some of them wandered from place to place singing the praises of the great court ladies, and still further inflaming the new passion, which was relatively pure, and contented itself with an association of men with women while conserving the honor and virtue of the latter. This, of course, was a passing phase and somewhat local, being mainly confined to southern France and parts of Spain.

It degenerated, as did the whole institution of chivalry, and by the end of the thirteenth century nothing was left of either but the ridiculous nonsense that Cervantes found surviving into his time, and which he so happily portrayed in Don Quixote. But chivalry had left its impress upon the world, and while Condorcet and Comte exaggerated certain aspects of it, no one has pointed out its greatest service in grafting romantic love upon natural love, which until then had been supreme.

But it would be easy to ascribe too great a rôle, even here, to chivalry. The truth is not all told until chivalry is understood as an effect as well as a cause. Whatever may be said of the Middle Ages as tending to suppress the natural flow of intellectual activities, there can be no doubt that they were highly favorable to the development of emotional life. The intense religious fervor that burned in its cloisters for so many centuries served to create centers of feeling, and to increase the sensibility of all those nerve plexuses that constitute the true organs of emotion.

Whatever may be the physiological changes necessary to intensify the inner feelings, corresponding to the multiplication and diversification of the neurons of the brain by which the intellect is perfected, such changes went on, until the men and women of the eleventh century found themselves endowed with far higher moral organizations than those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They had been all this time using their emotional faculties as they never had been used before, and the Lamarckian principle of increase through use is as true of those faculties as it is of external muscles and organs. It is true of the brain, too, and when educationalists wake up to this truth the only solid basis for scientific education will have been discovered. But without a preparation in this latent growth of the emotional faculties neither chivalry nor romantic love could have made its appearance.

The crusades, contemporary to a great extent with chivalry, and due also to the surplus emotion, taking here a religious course, became also a joint cause in the development not only of romantic love but also of many other lofty attributes, both ethical and intellectual. They failed to save the holy city, but they gained a far greater victory than that would have been in rationalizing, moralizing, and socializing Europe. Any one who thinks they were a failure has only to read Guizot’s masterly summing up of their influence.⁷

Romantic love was due primarily to the greater equality and independence of woman. She reacquired to some extent her long-lost power of selection, and began to apply to men certain tests of fitness. Romantic love therefore marks the first step toward the resumption by woman of her natural scepter which she yielded to the superior physical force of man at the beginning of the androcratic period. It involves a certain degree of female selection or gyneclexis, and no longer permitted man to seize but compelled him to sue.

But it went much farther than this. It did not complete a cycle and restore female selection as it exists in the animal world. It also did away with the pure male selection that prevailed throughout the androcratic régime. The great physiological superiority of the new régime cannot be too strongly emphasized. Its value to the race is incalculable. Female selection, or gyneclexis, as we saw, created a fantastic and extravagant male efflorescence. Male selection, or andreclexis, produced a female etiolation, diminutive stature, beauty without utility. Both these unnatural effects were due to lack of mutuality. Romantic love is mutual. The selection is done simultaneously by man and woman. It may be called ampheclexis. Its most striking characteristic consists in the phenomenon called “falling in love.”

It is not commonly supposed that this so-called “tender passion” is capable of cold scientific analysis. It is treated as something trivial, and any allusion to it creates a smile. Yet libraries are filled with books devoted exclusively to it, and these are as eagerly devoured by philosophers and sages as by schoolgirls. Such books, of course, are not scientific. They are fictions, romances, lyrics. Yet many of them are classic. Such always contain much truth, and this is almost the only way in which truth of this class is attainable. Serious writers fight shy of the subject. This emphasizes the idea that the subject is not serious. But as it is the most serious of all subjects this naturally creates an almost universal hypocrisy. My favorite way of illustrating this hypocrisy is by contrasting the attitude of society toward a couple, say on the day before and the day after their marriage.

To heighten the contrast let us suppose first that one of the two dies on the first of these days. The other is not even a mourner at the funeral. Next that one dies on the latter of these days. The other is then the chief mourner! Yet what real or natural difference is there between the relations of the two on the two days? Evidently none whatever. The only differences in their relations at the two dates are purely artificial and conventional.

Over and over again in the course of our studies into the origin and nature of life, mind, man, and society we have encountered the mysterious but silent power that unconsciously compasses ends not dreamed of by, the agents involved, the unheard voice of nature, the unseen hand, the natura naturans, the future in the act of being born. But nowhere has there been found a more typical or more instructive example of this than that which is furnished by romantic love. The end is nothing less than perfectionment of the human race. Whatever individuals may desire, the demand of nature is unmistakable. Primarily the object is to put an end to all tendencies toward extremes and one-sided development. It has been said that this mutual selection tends toward mediocrity.

This is not strictly true, but there can be no doubt that it tends toward the establishment of a mean. That mean may be regarded as an ideal. It is not an ideal in the sense of exceptional beauty, unusual size, excessive strength, or any other extraordinary quality. It is an ideal in the sense of a normal development of all qualities, a symmetrical rounding out of the whole physical organism. In this of course certain qualities that are considered most valuable fall considerably below the level attained in certain individuals, and this is why it has been supposed to aim at mediocrity. But it is certainly more important to have a symmetrical race than to have a one-sided, top heavy race, even though some of the overdeveloped qualities are qualities of a high order.

When a man and a woman fall in love it means that the man has qualities that are wanting in the woman which she covets and wishes to transmit to her offspring, and also that the woman has qualities not possessed by the man, but which he regards as better than his own and desires to hand on to posterity. By this is not meant that either the man or the woman is conscious of any of these things. They are both utterly unconscious of them. All they know is that they love each other. Of the reasons why they love each other they are profoundly ignorant.

It is almost proverbial that tall men choose short wives, and the union of tall women with short men is only a little less common. Thin men and plump girls fall in love, as do fat men and slender women. Blonds and brunettes rush irresistibly together. But besides these more visible qualities there are numberless invisible ones that the subtle agencies of love alone know how to detect. All such unconscious preferences, often appearing absurd or ridiculous to disinterested spectators, work in the direction of righting up the race and bringing about an ideal mean.⁸

The principle works in the same way on mental and moral qualities, which are at bottom only the expression of internal instead of external differences in the anatomy of the body. For a bright mind is the result of the number and development of the brain cells, and all the manifold differences in character are ultimately based on the different ways in which the brain, the nervous system, and the entire machinery of the body is organized and adjusted.

Generally speaking persons of opposite “temperaments,” whatever these may be, attract each other, and the effect is a gradual crossing and mutual neutralizing of temperaments. The less pronounced these so-called temperaments the better for the race. They are in the nature of extremes, idiosyncracies, peculiarities, often amounting to intolerable and anti-social caprices, and producing in their exaggerated forms paranoiacs, mattoids, and monomaniacs. Love alone can “find the way” to eliminate these and all other mental, moral, and physical defects.

Romantic love is therefore a great agent in perfecting and balancing up the human race. It follows as matter of simple logic that it should be given full sway as completely as comports with the safety and stability of society. All attempts to interfere with its natural operation tend to check the progress of perfecting the race. Under the androcratic régime, during which woman had no voice in the selecting process, and under the patriarchal system generally where the marrying is done by the patriarch and neither party is consulted, nature’s beneficent aims were thwarted, races grew this way and that, and mankind acquired all manner of physical and mental peculiarities. There were of course counteracting influences, and natural love, especially in the middle classes, helped to maintain an equilibrium, but male selection dwarfed woman and slavery dwarfed both sexes.

The races of men with all their marked differences have doubtless been in large part due to the want of mutuality in selection for purposes of propagation. This mutual selection under romantic love can be trusted not to work the extermination of the race from over-fastidiousness. It operates always under the higher law of reproduction at all events. This is proved by the universal influence of propinquity. “Great is Love, and Propinquity is her high priest.”

If there be but one man and one woman on any given circumscribed area they may be depended upon to love and to procreate. Very bashful persons who shun the opposite sex usually in the end marry the ones with whom circumstances forcibly bring them into more or less prolonged contact. The constant enforced separation of the sexes in the supposed interest of morality causes the sexual natures of those thus cut off from the other sex to become so hypertrophied that there is little chance for selection, and unions, too often illicit, take place with little concern for preferred or complementary qualities. Contrary to the views of moral theorists who advocate such enforced separation, marriages are fewer and occur later in life in societies where the sexes freely commingle and where there is the least restraint.

It is also in such societies that the closest discrimination takes place and that the finest types of men are produced. Where a reasonable degree of freedom of the sexes exists and there is no scarcity of men or of women, this passion of love becomes from a biological, from an anthropological, and from a sociological point of view, the highest of all sanctions. It is the voice of nature commanding in unmistakable tones, not only the continuance, but also the improvement and perfectionment of the race. In cases where arbitrary acts or social convention in violation of this command produce conjugal infelicity and despair, one might even indorse the following statement of Chamfort: –

When a man and a woman have a violent passion for each other, it always seems to me that, whatever may be the obstacles that separate them, husband, parents, etc., the two lovers belong to each other by Nature and by divine right in spite of human laws and conventions.

It is a curious fact that there is always a touch of the illicit in all the romances of great geniuses – Abelard and Héloïse, Dante and Beatrice, Petrarch and Laura, Tasso and Eleonora, Goethe and Charlotte von Stein, Wilhelm von Humboldt and Charlotte Diede, Comte and Clotilde de Vaux – and the romantic literature of the world has for one of its chief objects to emphasize the fact that love is a higher law that will and should prevail over the laws of men and the conventions of society. In this it is in harmony with the teachings of biology and with those of a sound sociology.

With regard to the essential difference between romantic love and natural love, it consists chiefly in the fact that the passion is satisfied by the presence instead of the possession of the one toward whom it goes out. It seems to consist of a continuous series of ever repeated nervous thrills which are connected if the object is near, but interrupted and arrested if the object is absent. These thrills, though exceedingly intense, do not have an organic function, but exist, as it were, for their own sake. That they are physical is obvious, and they are intensified by various physical acts, such as kissing, embracing, caressing, etc. In fact it is known that sexuality is not by any means confined to the organs of sex, but is diffused throughout the body. Not only are there nerves of sex in many regions, but there is actually erectile tissue at various points and notably in the lips.

Romantic love gives free rein to all these innocent excitements and finds its full satisfaction as romantic love in these. Anything beyond this is a return to natural love, but it is known that such a return is not absolutely necessary to complete and permanent happiness. This is the great superiority of romantic love, that it endures while at the same time remaining intense. It is probably this quality to which Comte alludes in the passage first introduced into his dedication of the “Positive Polity” to Clotilde de Vaux, and then put as an epigraph at the head of the first chapter: “One tires of thinking and even of acting, but one never tires of loving.”⁹

But “true love never runs smooth,” and herein lies the chief interest of romantic love for sociology and its main influence on human progress. Besides its effect thus far pointed out in perfecting the physical organization of man, it has an even greater effect in perfecting his social organization. The particular dynamic principle upon which it seizes is that which was described in Chapter XI under the name of conation. It was there shown that the efficiency of this principle is measured by the distance in both space and time that separates a desire from its satisfaction. It is the special quality of romantic love to increase this distance. Under sexual selection proper, or gyneclexis, male desire was indeed long separated from its satisfaction, and the interval was filled by intense activities which produced their normal effects according to the Lamarckian law.

But these effects, due to male rivalry, were purely biological and only showed themselves in modifications in organic structure. They produced secondary sexual characters and male efflorescence. This, as we have seen, must have lasted far into the human period. During the long period of androcracy that followed this stage, there was no selection, but only seizure, capture, rape, the subjection, enslavement, and barter of woman. There was no interval between the experience and the satisfaction of desire on the part of men, and very little effort was put forth to obtain women for this purpose.

Hence during the whole of this period neither the Lamarckian principle nor the principle of conation could produce any effect. For the great majority of mankind this condition prevailed over the whole world, with greater or less completeness, down to the date of the appearance of romantic love. It still prevails within certain restrictions and under various forms and degrees, in all but the historic races. Under male sexual selection, or andreclexis, so far as its influence extended, there was no interval between desire and satisfaction, no effort, no conation. Its effects were confined to physical modifications, primarily in woman, due to inheritance of the qualities selected by men. With the advent of romantic love, or ampheclexis, all this was changed.

So far as physical modification is concerned the effect was doubled by its application to both sexes alike, and instead of producing anomalies and monstrosities it worked, as already shown, for equilibration, symmetry, and normal average qualities or ideals. But here we also enter the field of social dynamics, and the principle of conation finds full expression.

Schopenhauer¹⁰ has acutely pointed out that the true romance never deals with happiness attained, but only with the prolonged struggle for happiness, with the troubles, disappointments, labors, and efforts of all kinds in search of happiness. It leads its heroes through a thousand difficulties and dangers, and the moment the end is reached the curtain falls! Tarde, well says¹¹ that love is essentially a “rupture of equilibrium.” The entire course of a romantic love is a heroic struggle for the restoration of disturbed equilibrium. What does all this mean? It means intense activity on the part of great numbers of the human race at the age of greatest efficiency.

All this activity is expended upon the immediate environment and every throe of the struggle transforms the environment in some degree. The greater part of this transformation is useful and contributes to its full extent to social progress. In the early days and in the upper classes the demands of woman may have been somewhat trivial. Man must do something heroic, must prove his worthiness by acts of prowess, and such acts may even be opposed to true progress. But they at least develop manhood, courage, honor, and under the code of chivalry they must have a moral element, must defend the right, protect the weak, avenge dishonor, and uphold virtue.

But in the lower ranks even then, and everywhere since the fall of the feudal system, woman demanded support and the comforts of life, luxuries where possible, and more and more leisure and accomplishment. To-day she demands a home, social position, ease, and economic freedom. More and more, too, she requires of men that they possess industry, thrift, virtue, honesty, and intelligence.

Man must work for all this, and this struggle for excellence, as woman understands that quality, is an extraordinary stimulus, and leads to all forms of achievement. But man also selects. Romantic love is mutual. Woman has as much to lose as man if it results in failure. And man sets ideals before woman. She must be worthy of him and she gently and naturally bows to his will and follows the course that he gives her to understand is most grateful to him. Thus she develops herself in the direction of his ideals and both are elevated. She may also to some extent transform the environment, if it be no more than the inner circle of the family.

The combined effect, even in an individual case, is considerable, and when we remember that in any given community, town, city, state, or country, the majority of men and women pass at least once, sometimes twice or several times, through the phase of life known as being in love, waiting and working for the longed-for day when they are to possess each other, struggling to prepare themselves for each other and for that happy event, we can readily believe that such a stimulus must work great social results. The history of the world is full of great examples, but the volume of achievement thus wrought is made up of thousands, nay, millions of small increments in all lands and all shades and grades of life, building ever higher and broader the coral reef of civilization.

_______________________________

REFERENCES:

1) International Journal of Ethics, Vol. VI, July, 1896, p. 453.
2) “Antimachus of Colophon and the Position of Women in Greek Poetry,” by E. F. M. Benecke, London, 1896. “Primitive Love and Love Stories,” by Henry T. Finck, New York, 1899.
3) “Angola and the River Congo,” by Joachim John Monteiro. In two volumes. London, 1875, Vol. I, pp. 242-243.
4) “Travels in Southern Africa,” in the years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806, by Henry Lichtenstein, English translation, Dublin, 1812, p. 261.
5) Journals, etc., Vol. II, p. 321.
6) “Histoire de la Civilisation en France depuis la chute de I’Empire Romain,” par M. Guizot, 3e éd., Vol. III, Paris, 1840, Sixième Leçon, pp. 351-382.
7) “Histoire générale de Ia Civilisation en Europe depuis la chute de I’Empire Romain,” par M. Guizot, 4e éd., Paris, 1840, Huitième Leçon, pp. 231-257.
8) The reverse is of course also true, and a decided aversion between a man and a woman means that their union would result in some prominent detect or imperfection in the offspring. The extent to which the great number of misfits in society, of people who are out of harmony with the social environment, of which criminals only represent the comparatively rare extreme cases, are due to conventional and compulsory marriages, which ought never to have been contracted, and which ought to be annulled as soon as they are found to be wrong, is little reflected upon, and society and the church continue to denounce divorces, when the very desire for divorce proves that such marriages are violations of nature and foes of social order and race perfection.
9) “On se lasse de penser, et même d’agir; jamais on ne se lasse d’aimer,” “Politique Positive,” Vol. I, Dédicace, p. viii; Discours préliminaire, p. 1.
10) “Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung,” Vol. I, pp. 377-378.
11) “La Logique sociale,” par G. Tarde, Paris, 1895, p. 426.

Gynocentrism paranoia

April 14, 2015 / rtbavfm / Leave a comment

https://youtu.be/lUMrmSjacD8

What ever happened to chivalry?

April 12, 2015March 3, 2024 / Peter Wright / Leave a comment

I have a Google alert for the word chivalry, and not a day goes by that I don’t receive several articles on the topic. The articles appear slightly tilted toward the theme ‘Male chivalry is dead,’ followed by a reasonable number demonstrating ‘Chivalry is alive and well’ – the latter because some man, somewhere, risked life, limb or money to serve a woman’s immediate welfare.

To be sure, chivalry displayed by individual men is on the decline and women, men, government and mainstream media denounce this devolution with one voice: Men are becoming selfish pigs. MRAs and MGTOW choose to summarize it differently; that men are sick of being exploited and have chosen to shed their unnecessary selflessness.

Chivalry is documented in etiquette manuals of prior centuries explaining how a man is to take off his hat in a woman’s presence, shake her hand, open doors, buy her gifts, and assist her in a multitude of ways. The message in these gestures is deference to the superiority of females:

“If you see a lady whom you do not know, unattended, and wanting the assistance of a man, offer your services to her immediately. Do it with great courtesy, taking off your hat and begging the honour of assisting her.” [Gynocentric etiquette for men – 1847]

“In the familiar intercourse of society, a well-bred man will be known by the delicacy and deference with which he behaves towards females. That man would deservedly be looked upon as very deficient in proper respect and feeling, who should take any physical advantage of one of the weaker sex, or offer any personal slight towards her. Woman looks, and properly looks, for protection to man. It is the province of the husband to shield the wife from injury; of the father to protect the daughter; the brother has the same duty to perform towards the sister; and, in general, every man should, in this sense, be the champion and the lover of every woman. Not only should he be ready to protect, but desirous to please, and willing to sacrifice much of his own personal ease and comfort, if, by doing so, he can increase those of any female in whose company he may find himself. Putting these principles into practice, a well-bred man, in his own house, will be kind and respectful in his behaviour to every female of the family. He will not use towards them harsh language, even if called upon to express dissatisfaction with their conduct. In conversation, he will abstain from every allusion which would put modesty to the blush. He will, as much as in his power, lighten their labors by cheerful and voluntary assistance. He will yield to them every little advantage which may occur in the regular routine of domestic life:—the most comfortable seat, if there be a difference; the warmest position by the winter’s fireside; the nicest slice from the family joint, and so on.” [Gynocentric etiquette for men – 1873]

“It must always be borne in mind that the assumption of Woman’s social superiority lies at the root of these rules of conduct.” [Gynocentric etiquette for men – 1897]

One reason for a decline of male chivalry is the vanishing payoff. Women no longer reciprocate for chivalry via good ol fashioned gestures like cooking, homemaking, praise, and affection that would have occurred at the time the above comments were penned. Today they don’t even receive a thank you… is it any wonder men are seeing chivalry as a bad deal? The meal ticket, the flowers, the slaving at a job, the deference is all better spent on oneself.

Despite the hand-wringing over a decline in chivalry, women appear to be doing very well for themselves; they are well decked out with material goods, they display increasing body-freedom and body-pride, and their entry into workplace and careers is unprecedented. Society continues to indulge them as much as it ever did – more.

With this bare fact one might ask if chivalry merely appears to be on the decline and if women are receiving it from another source? My observation – obvious to many in the manosphere – is that they have corralled a rich new source of chivalry.

From Husband Sam to Uncle Sam

This heading is from Dr, Warren Farrell’s Myth of Male Power, where he describes how men have traditionally striven to institute women-centered government by acting as women’s proxy agents in the political sphere. This behavior, explains Farrell, is based on the chivalrous tradition of male servicing of women’s needs. The following passage from Farrell’s book explains the phenomenon:

“Doesn’t the fact that almost all legislators are men prove that men are in charge and can choose when to and when not to look out for women’s interests? Theoretically, yes. But practically speaking the American legal system cannot be separated from the voter. And in the 1992 Presidential election , 54 percent of the voters were female, 46 percent were male. (Women’s votes outnumber men’s by more than 7 million). Overall, a legislator is to a voter what a chauffeur is to the employer – both look like they’re in charge but both can be fired if they don’t go where they’re told. When legislators do not appear to be protecting women, it is almost always because women differ on what constitutes protection. (For example, women voted almost equally for Republicans and Democrats during the combination of the four presidential elections prior to Clinton).

“The Government as Substitute Husband did for women what labor unions still have not accomplished for men. And men pay dues for labor unions; the taxpayer pays the dues for feminism. Feminism and government soon become taxpayer-supported women’s unions. The political parties have become like two parents in a custody battle, each vying for their daughter’s love by promising to do the most for her. How destructive to women is this? We have restricted humans from giving “free” food to bears and dolphins because we know that such feeding would make them dependent and lead to their extinction. But when it comes to our own species, we have difficulty seeing the connection between short-term kindness and long-term cruelty: we give women money to have more children, making them more dependent with each child and discouraging them from developing the tools to fend for themselves. The real discrimination against women, then, is “free feeding.”

Ironically, when political parties or parents compete for females’ love by competing to give it, the result is not gratitude but entitlement. And the result should not be gratitude, because the political party, like the needy parent, becomes unconsciously dependent on keeping the female dependent. Which turns the female into “the other” — the person given to, not the equal participant. In the process, it fails to do what is every parent’s and every political party’s job — to raise an adult, not maintain a child.

But here’s the rub. When the entitled child has the majority of the votes, the issue is no longer whether we have a patriarchy or a matriarchy — we get a victimarchy. And the female-as-child genuinely feels like a victim because she never learns how to obtain for herself everything she learns to expect. Well, she learns how to obtain it for herself by saying “it’s a woman’s right” — but she doesn’t feel the mastery that comes with a lifetime of doing it for herself. And even when a quota includes her in the decision-making process, she still feels angry at the “male dominated government” because she feels both the condescension of being given “equality” and the contradiction of being given equality. She is still “the other.” So, with the majority of the votes, she is both controlling the system and angry at the system.” [The Myth of Male Power]

Do we need further evidence of “what ever happened to chivalry?” Not only have politicians taken over the job of chivalric appeasement of the ladies, it appears both the Left and Right of politics are jousting each other for the privilege to serve them. This I can understand… how else might they get elected?

John Stuart Mill, champion of feminism, urged shifting of the responsibility for chivalry out of the hands of every man and into the legislative framework of government proper, contending that chivalry was not always reliable and thus must give way to a more reliable, State-enforced protection and benevolence toward women. He writes:

“From the combination of the two kinds of moral influence thus exercised by women, arose the spirit of chivalry: the peculiarity of which is to aim at combining the highest standard of the warlike qualities with the cultivation of a totally different class of virtues – those of gentleness, generosity, and self-abnegation towards the non-military and defenseless classes generally, and a special submission and worship directed towards women; who were distinguished from the other defenceless classes by the high rewards which they had it in their power voluntarily to bestow on those who endeavoured to earn their favour, instead of extorting their subjection…

The main foundations of the moral life of modern times must be justice and prudence; the respect of each for the rights of every other, and the ability of each to take care of himself. Chivalry left without legal check all those forms of wrong which reigned unpunished throughout society; it only encouraged a few to do right in preference to wrong, by the direction it gave to the instruments of praise and admiration. But the real dependence of morality must always be upon its penal sanctions – its power to deter from evil. The security of society cannot rest on merely rendering honour to right, a motive so comparatively weak in all but a few, and which on very many does not operate at all.” [J. S. Mill: The Subjection of Women – 1869]

Ernest B. Bax confirms that the chivalric behavior of both Left and Right of politics was indeed, per Mill’s suggestion, well underway by the year 1907:

“All parties, all sorts and conditions of politicians, from the fashionable and Conservative west-end philanthropist to the Radical working-men’s clubbite, seem (or seemed until lately) to have come to an unanimous conclusion on one point – to wit, that the female sex is grievously groaning under the weight of male oppression.” [Essays: New & Old (1907), pp.108-119]

Feminism draws its strength from chivalry, but instead of soliciting chivalry from men in the traditional, interpersonal manner it has learned how to get it solely from the government – holding the government to ransom thanks to suffragettes gaining the vote for gynocentrism women.

Instead of men giving up seats in buses, government now provides seats in legislative assemblies and boardrooms via quotas. Instead of men opening car doors for women, government opens doors into universities and workforces via affirmative action. Instead of men being the sole protectors of women from violence, government now protects them with an army of police specially trained to service women’s accusations (over and above more serious crimes). Instead of men providing living expenses, governments now provide it as social welfare and compensation for the ‘wage gap’. Etc. ….. government as substitute husband.

All this compliments of feminism’s pressuring the Left and Right into chivalric leadership. The only difference between the two sides of politics is that the Left is more sycophantic in its deliverance of chivalric rule – and the Right more heroic in its deliverance of chivalry. Same gynocentrism, different knight.

Signing White House Council on Women & Girls

Gynocentric chivalry was an unbalanced idea to begin with. Men are now backing away from the custom, and we can yearn for the day government on both sides on the political fence does the same. Perhaps when the world’s growing army of grass eaters brings about a collapse in revenue they will see the light. In the meantime, let’s not give feminists a pass on their claim to have walked away from chivalry…. they have merely found a new source.

Auguste Comte’s cult of woman at the heart of the western-republic

March 17, 2015February 19, 2024 / gynocentrism / 1 Comment

Auguste Comte (1798 – 1857) was the founder of the doctrine of positivism, founder of sociology (coining the term), and a champion of the idea that women should be placed at the reverential centre of human affairs. The following excerpts are from Engendering the end of European history: Auguste Comte’s Cult of Woman at the Heart of The Western Republic by Professor Mike Gane. — PW

Introduction

Auguste Comte is not generally acknowledged to have played any major role in the development of modern historiography, and even in sociology (a word he coined in 1839) and philosophy he is today a neglected figure. Ending the neglect is timely, not least because we approach the bicentenary year of his birth (1998). There are, however, a number of obstacles to such a réévaluation. Sociology prefers to identify Marx, Durkheim and Weber as its principal modern founders, whereas as late as the 1960s Comte was still taken as the starting point in introductory courses.

In accounts of rationalism and positivism it is Hume who now dominates the picture. Comte’s own eccentricities, particularly the project of the religion of humanity with its idealisation of woman, and its Utopian restructuring of the ‘western republic’ under a new spiritual authority based in Paris, make it difficult for social scientists to read his contribution other than as an aberration. But is it adequate to treat Comte as ‘mad’ in order to move on? In this essay I want to explore what it is we miss if we do pass over his contribution. One way of examining his work is to ask questions about the nature of Comte’s strategic thought precisely as it encountered issues of space and gender.

Auguste Comte

After completing the founding study of the law of the three states in 1842, his life and thought were deeply shaken by two events. The first was personal. He separated from his wife, Caroline Massin, in 1842, the very day he completed his first major work. In 1844 he began an intense emotional affair with Clotilde de Vaux, at her insistence platonic, which lasted until her death in 1846 at the age of thirty-two.¹ The second event was the marked change in the social composition of French society and the experience of the revolution of 1848-1851, particularly the emergence of the proletariat as a political factor.

Clotilde de Vaux

In the 1840s Comte’s method and conceptions went through considerable transformations. He rationalised his emotional life as a salutory purification and spiritualisation, and after her death Clotilde was transfigured into a saintly figure whose image Comte began to worship.² Reassessing his own project he argued that all attempts to solve the western crisis through reason and science alone only exacerbated it. All reason, for him essentially masculine, could be effective in the human context only if guided by the moral and emotional superiority of love and affection, essentially feminine. Comte took his own experience of the sublimation of physical love as a necessary process for all those trying to resolve the social and cultural transition of the three states. He installed the maxims of Clotilde within the new religion of humanity in imitation of the medieval cult of the virgin mother.³

When he came to work out the logic of the revised strategy, he based the new construction on a subjective method: the law of the three states was to be completed by adding a theory of the emotions to the theory of science and industry. The final, third, state became, in Comte’s last version, a combination of science and fetishistic worship… This fundamental order was to be ruled by a purifying cult of woman, regarded as the centre of love and affection. In order to reach this final state there would be a transition period in which the dictatorship of the proletariat would purify economic life and the commercial spirit.⁴

***

Comte’s thoughts on the new society were far from communistic. Against the revolutionary and communist visions of the dictatorship of the proletariat, Comte argued that the positive doctrine would legitimate a new hierarchical social order: in the economy it would legitimate differences of wealth, and in the family it would legitimate the separation of the sexes and the spiritual ascendency of women based on the realisation of the principle of virgin motherhood. Comte aimed to appeal to all sections of political opinion, radical and conservative, since he wanted to reveal precisely how each element fitted into a broad scheme of social progression.⁵

***

Comte is just as radical in his proposal for a reorganisation of gender relations. Here his aim is to reverse the tendency to the debasement of love in Western culture, and to deal with the new phenomenon of feminism and the demand for equality between the sexes. Comte poses this issue again historically as a problem of the debasement of the ideals of chivalry and courtly love of the medieval period. His aim is to restore some substance to the idealization and purification which the medieval practice seem to inspire.⁶

He commends the principle of eternal widowhood (with certain limited exceptions which would have applied to Clotilde), and reasserts the value of the segregation of the sexes. The woman should obey the husband, but the latter should adopt the cult of women and guardian angels. Comte’s radical hypothesis, however, is that all sexual relations in society should be replaced by a utopia of the virgin mother. This utopia itself will reverse the decline in the status of women. The utopia would give women complete control over human reproduction. It is not absolutely clear just what Comte had in mind. There could be an organic development which itself would lead to a new hermaphroditic condition, or artificial insemination would become the norm.

The specific details of the cult of woman were developed and practised by Comte: the nature of the image, the prayers, the language, the gestures.⁷ The objective is purification and hygiene. What women will do is left an open question to be developed and solved by women themselves.⁸ His view is, however, that the physical act of sex so far as men are concerned is not principally to be understood in terms of reproduction but rather in terms of its sublimating function. Against the demands of feminism, for instance as exemplified by the demands of his wife Caroline Massin, he claimed that they could never form the basis of a set of stable human relationships, but produce only continuous metaphysical strife.

It is through the segregated and hierarchical structures, through idealisation and duty, that a new stability can be attained. In effect therefore, the Comtean programme for the family is intended to end the metaphysical phase within the domestic sphere. Once the final stage is achieved science itself comes to an end in a system of harmonised laws which are all conscious of their place in the totality. It seems at this point that life will be made up of rituals, ceremonials, re-enactments and reproductions of the various aspects of the three-state law. In this sense the law seems to reflect Comte’s own deep longing that the pain of the modern crisis be ended, as it predicts the certainty of a positive state in which everything will find its rightful place. Comte noted in 1852 that it is feeling which is;

the sole existing preservative of Western society from a complete and irreparable dissolution. Since the close of the Middle Ages, the influence of women has been the sole though unacknowledged check on the moral evils attaching to the mental alienation toward which the West more and more tended, especially its centre – France.

He insisted that it is only when men begin to think under ‘the inspiration of women’ can they ‘bring synthesis into constant harmony with sympathy.’⁹

***

The final system of Comte’s sociology, with the modifications introduced from his reconstructed masculinity, suggests that the medieval system already attempted to install a cult of woman in the worship of the virgin. In 1853, Comte returned to the great western transition and again treated it in terms of the contrapuntal movements of its main phases.¹⁰ But Comte’s reorganisation of his explanatory forms did not change: he simply added a note at the beginning of the story indicating the fundamental but passive influence of women. –women preserved society from complete dissolution.¹¹ At the other end of the account of the transition he added a note on the effect of the decisive influence of Clotilde to the reconstruction of the positive philosophy.¹²

Nevertheless the social topography of Comte’s later vision was strikingly different from the earlier one: the western revolution is an interregnum between two social systems in which the feminine principle, the heart, rules the masculine principle, the intellect. More and more the systems at both ends of the historical sequence became structurally identical. the scientific elite would become the priesthood of the new religion of humanity, but a religion without theology. Paris would replace Rome as the sacred heart of Europe, and Clotilde would replace Mary at the heart of a new cult.

Notes:

[1] I have discussed Comte’s personal relations and how they related to his intellectual development in M. Gane, Harmless Lovers? Gender, Theory and Personal Relationships (London, 1993), ch 6; and in ‘Unresolved Comte’ in Economy and Society, 24 (1995), 138-49.
[2] In the crisis of the insurrection in Paris in June 1848, Comte wrote a ‘Saint Clotilde,’ an address of commemoration on the anniversary of Clotilde’s death. In the address he referred to the ‘ill-omened detonations… of bloody conflict’ going on around him. He said, ‘I am indebted to thee for finding some pure satisfaction in a dreadful crisis… Though mingled with warlike sounds, I already hear indications that the human metropolis is returning to its normal condition. The carnage on both sides may have ceased, at least until the next conflict, which will be still more terrible, unless the working men now in arms shall have discovered their real camp.’ A. Comte, Confessions and Testament: And his Correspondence with Clotilde de Vaux, edited by A. Crompton (Liverpool, 1910). pp.349-57.
[3] For a typical statement of these relations see the Preface in A. Comte, System (New York, nd) vol 1, pp.ix-xxix.
[4] See Comte, System (New York, nd).
[5] These propositions were worked out in continuous outpourings in the years of positivism after 1847.
[6] All the main details of his ideas are expounded in A. Comte, System, (New York, nd), all four volumes.
[7] Comte might well have been influenced by the revival of Catholicism which emphasised Christian love. See a discussion of this in E. Berenson, ‘A new Religion of the Left: Christianity and Social Radicalism in France, 1815-48’ in The French Revolution and the Creation of Modern Political Culture, edited by E. Furet and M. Ozouf (Oxford, 1989), vol 3, ch 29. For details of Comte’s religious practice see for example the collection of texts in The Religion of Humanity, edited by A. Crompton (Liverpool, 1907).
[8] In effect Comte leaves women little room for choice since his sociology has already allocated women their role, function, and place in the final state.
[9] In Comte, Preface to The Catechism of Positivism, (London 1891).
[10] See A. Comte System, vol 3, pp.452-531.
[11] See Ibib. p.436.
[12] See Ibid. p.530.

A New Psychology for Men

January 11, 2015July 8, 2025 / Peter Wright / Leave a comment

Psychology clings to a universal model – that men are incorrigibly flawed and require a dismantling of their identities, habits, and preferences before being reconstructed according to a feminist model of masculinity. All modern therapies have this basic premise in common.

For example, one of the more popular models of men and masculinity to emerge in the last 20 years, promoted as A New Psychology of Men, is described in the following terms by one of its founders:

The new psychology of men has emerged over the past 15 years within the larger fields of men’s studies and gender studies. Informed by the academic breakthroughs of feminist scholarship, the new psychology of men examines masculinity not as a normative referent, but rather as a problematic construct. In so doing, it provides a framework for a psychological approach to men and masculinity that questions traditional norms of the male role and views some male problems as unfortunate byproducts of the male gender role socialization process.¹

Since it’s inception this “new” psychology of men has restated traditional gender stereotypes about men; that they are flawed, violent, emotional primitives in need of reconstruction. This supposedly “new” model has also been developed into a training course teaching therapists how to effectively work with men.

The course, designed by former American Psychological Association President Ronald Levant, is based on two principles held almost universally by therapists working with men; a). that patriarchy theory represents the real world, and b). that males are stunted in their emotional processing abilities. Let’s look at these two pillars of therapy.

Patriarchy theory

As with most psychologists and therapists today, Levant is informed by feminist-inspired patriarchy theory which posits that all men have power over all women and that such power is enforced by men’s violence. The theoretical vision, trumpets Levant, provides a “new” way of looking at men:

What scholars in the area of men’s psychology have attempted is nothing less than a reconstruction of masculinity. It starts from the recognition that there is a problem, and locates the roots of that problem in the male gender role… The new psychology of men strives to address the feminist critique of patriarchy while remaining empathetic to men.²

As many readers will know there is nothing “new” in this characterization of men, which we can summarize with the phrase, ‘Women have problems, and men are the problem.’ As Levant stresses, the primary approach to therapy with men is first to problematize them; “It starts from the recognition that there is a problem.”

In this model men are viewed as being problems before they even meet the therapist, who ignores the possibility that men’s problems may lie outside themselves in a world of grief they did nothing to deserve.

In other words, whatever the presenting complaints of the client they are immediately dismissed by the practitioner in order to coerce the client into an ideological mold of manhood. The practitioner, depending on their degree of indoctrination, may actually believe this will address the client’s issues but even a cursory examination of the “masculinity as identified problem” approach reveals numerous, deep flaws. In fact, this approach proves to be abusive in any reasonable interpretation of the word.

As I explain below there are other approaches to working with men that don’t presume they are flawed and need fixing. That approach begins with asking men what they experience in life, and what they might want to achieve in therapy, and actually listening to their answers. Therapists may be interested to hear men speak of a range of experiences and goals wholly unrelated to patriarchal domination of women and children.

Men as emotionally dumb

Referring to men as dumb has the double-meaning of both lacking in intelligence and being mute. This forms the basis of Levant’s theory that men possess little emotional awareness about themselves or others, that they are lacking in emotional intelligence, and that even were they to discover some emotional awareness they would not know how to express it in words, such is the depth of male lacuna. He refers to this problem in men as alexithymia – a Greek term meaning no words for emotions, insisting that most North American males suffer from this syndrome.

Levant states that “it is so very widespread among men that I have called it normative male alexithymia,”³ a syndrome that by definition only men and boys can be labelled with. There even exists a Normative Male Alexithymia Scale used to assess the depth of men’s need for therapeutic correction. Levant states,

One of the most far-reaching consequences of male gender-role socialization is the high incidence among men of… the inability to identify and describe one’s feelings in words… men are often genuinely unaware of their emotions. Lacking this emotional awareness, when asked to identify their feelings, they tend to rely on their cognition to try to logically deduce how they should feel. They cannot do what is automatic for most women -simply sense inwardly, feel the feeling, and let the verbal description come to mind.⁴

This claim, that men are “unaware of their emotions,” an assumption so typical of psychology’s view of men, has been a cornerstone of the therapeutic world for the last 40 years. And it is demonstrably wrong.

According to the vast majority of studies on emotional processing, men and boys are able to identify emotional arousal in themselves and others equally to women, emotions like jealousy, love, anger, sadness, anxiety, etc. But men and boys choose to regulate that emotional arousal not by verbalizing it so much (women’s preferred method) but by taking intelligent action. A woman for example might talk with her melancholic friend about what is worrying her in order to cheer her up; the man may invite the same melancholic friend to the movies; both responses -talking, or acting- serve to intelligently modulate emotions.

What Levant has failed to discriminate are 1. recognizing emotions, and 2. verbalizing them. He, and so many psychologists who came before and after him, assume that by not verbalizing emotion males must also have failed to recognize emotions. Countless studies however show this to be a false conclusion.⁵ Men, like women, can sense the full range of emotions – but they may choose to respond to that knowledge in a different manner to women.

Breaking with the past – starting afresh

Repackaging patriarchy theory is a move we no longer wish to make – at least not if we wish to genuinely help men. Increasing numbers of men are tired of waiting for the psychotherapeutic industry to drag its collective ass out of gynocentrism-land to develop a genuine new model for tackling male psychology.

To attain that model there has to occur a break with patriarchy theory and assumptions that men and boys are emotional dummies. As in a court of law we begin the new therapy with an assumption that men are not only innocent until proven guilty, but that ‘men are good’ to use Tom Golden’s iconic phrase.

Nor will work with men be savvy until it admits the realities of cultural misandry, gynocentrism and their undeniably crushing effects on modern males. The daily assaults on men and boys from advertizing, mental health services, media, family courts, pharmaceutical companies, education from grade school to grad school, anti-male bigots and ideologically driven governance must be included in the picture.

These are problems which are deleterious to all aspects of men’s lives, including mental health. The mental health industry is a huge part of that problem, not a part of the solution.

A sane alternative to all this must disabuse men, women and society of the following myths:

men belong to a patriarchy and take that model as their life script;
men are emotionally inept;
men are default potential sexual predators;
men are violent and uncaring;
men are not necessary as parents;
men are unable to commit;
men are emotionally unavailable;
men are not as human or deserving as women.

.
The things we do want to include in a new mental health model are:

enhanced understanding of misandry, gynocentrism and their consequences;
recognizing and honoring men’s emotional acumen;
recognizing and combating misandry and gynocentrism in the mental health industry;
professional understanding of the ways men differ from women in how they cope with life;
a prohibition on the practice of expecting men to emulate women’s emotional processes;
an allowance of men’s legitimate anger without infecting them with ideological shame;
the steadfast belief that men’s issues, pain and needs are as important as anyone else’s.

.
These points alone are sufficient to create a revolution in the way we work with men. As a truly new approach to men’s welfare and psychological health, An Ear For Men has been launched and the coming Men’s Mental Health Network will be promoting these principles and providing a range of specialized services from professionals who have been thoroughly vetted in their knowledge of men’s issues, and in their compassion for the same.

References:

[1] Ronald F. Levant, ‘The new psychology of men,’ in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 27(3), Jun 1996, 259-265
[2] Ronald F. Levant, Men and Emotions: A psychoeducational approach – course material, Newbridge Publications, p.4, 1997
[3] Ronald F. Levant, Men and Emotions: A psychoeducational approach – course material, Newbridge Publications, p.9, 1997
[4] Ronald F. Levant, William S Pollack, A New Psychology of Men, pp.238-239, 1995
[5] For example, this Finnish study shows that while women were more proficient at verbalizing feelings, men and women were equally proficient at identifying feelings: Salminen, J. K. ‘Prevalence of alexithymia and its association with sociodemographic variables in the general population of Finland,’ Journal of psychosomatic research, vol. 46, no1, pp. 75-82, 1999

See also: Narrative Therapy with Men by Paul Elam and Peter Wright

The Dream of Heroism and Love – by Johan Huizinga

December 10, 2014May 26, 2023 / gynocentrism / Leave a comment

The following are excerpts from J. Huizinga’s 1924 book The Waning of The Middle Ages, chapter V: The Dream of Heroism and Love. – PW

The knight and his lady, that is to say, the hero who serves for love, this is the primary and invariable motif from which erotic fantasy will always start. It is sensuality transformed into the craving for self-sacrifice, into the desire of the male to show his courage, to incur danger, to be strong, to suffer and to bleed before his lady-love.

From the moment when the dream of heroism through love has intoxicated the yearning heart, fantasy grows and overflows. The first simple theme is soon left behind, the soul thirsts for new fancies, and passion colours the dream of suffering and of renunciation. The man will not be content merely to suffer, he will want to save from danger, or from suffering, the object of his desire. A more vehement stimulus is added to the primary motif: its chief feature will be that of defending imperilled virginity—in other words, that of ousting the rival. This, then, is the essential theme of chivalrous love poetry : the young hero, delivering the virgin. The sexual motif is always behind it, even when the aggressor is only an artless dragon; a glance at Burne-Jones’s famous picture suffices to prove it.

One is surprised that comparative mythology should have looked so indefatigably to meteorological phenomena for the explanation of such an immediate and perpetual motif as the deliverance of the virgin, which is the oldest of literary motifs, and one which can never grow antiquated. It may from time to time become stale from over-much repetition, and yet it will reappear, adapting itself to all times and surroundings. New romantic types will arise, just as the cowboy has succeeded the corsair.

______

Nowhere does the erotic element of the tournament appear more clearly than in the custom of the knight’s wearing the veil or the dress of his lady. In Perceforest we read how the lady spectators of the combat take off their finery, one article after another, to throw them to the knights in the lists. At the end of the fight they are bareheaded and without sleeves. A poem of the thirteenth century, the work of a Picard or a Hainault minstrel, entitled Des trois Chevaliers et del Chainse,¹ has worked out this motif in all its force. The wife of a nobleman of great liberality, but not very fond of fighting, sends her shirt to three knights who serve her for love, that one of them at the tournament which her husband is going to give may wear it as a coat-armour, without any mail underneath. The first and the second knights excuse themselves. The third, who is poor, takes the shirt in his arms at night, and kisses it passionately. He appears at the tournament, dressed in the shirt and without a coat of mail; he is grievously wounded, the shirt, stained with his blood, is torn. Then his extraordinary bravery is perceived and he is awarded the prize. The lady gives him her heart. The lover asks something in his turn. He sends back the garment, all blood-stained, to the lady, that she may wear it over her gown at the meal which is to conclude the feast. She embraces it tenderly and shows herself dressed in the shirt as the knight had demanded. The majority of those present blame her, the husband is confounded, and the minstrel winds up by asking the question : Which of the two lovers sacrificed most for the sake of the other?

______

The warlike sports of the Middle Ages differ from Greek and modern athletics by being far less simple and natural. Pride, honour, love and art give additional stimulus to the competition itself. Overloaded with pomp and decoration, full of heroic fancy, they serve to express romantic needs too strong for mere literature to satisfy. The realities of court life or a military career offered too little opportunity for the fine make-belief of heroism and love, which rilled the soul. So they had to be acted. The staging of the tournament, therefore, had to be that of romance ; that is to say, the imaginary world of Arthur, where the fancy of a fairy-tale was enhanced by the sentimentality of courtly love.

Note:

[1] Of the three knights and the shirt.

Wikipedia definition

September 5, 2014September 5, 2014 / rtbavfm / Leave a comment

Gynocentrism (2014)

Gynocentrism is the ideological practice, conscious or otherwise, of asserting a female (or specifically a feminist) point of view on social issues, possibly to the detriment of non-females.^{1, 2, 3} The perceptions, needs, and desires of women have primacy in this approach, where the female view is the lens through which issues are addressed and analyzed.⁴

Description

Scholars Katherine K. Young and Paul Nathanson state that ideologically, the overriding focus of gynocentrism is to prioritize females hierarchically, and as a result may be interpreted as misandry (the hatred and prejudice towards men). Feminist calls for equality or even equity are often, according to their research, a subterfuge for gynocentrism.⁵

Young and Nathanson define gynocentrism as a worldview based on the implicit or explicit belief that the world revolves around women, a cultural theme so well entrenched that it has become ‘de rigueur’ behind the scenes in law courts and government bureaucracies, which has resulted in systemic discrimination against men.⁶ They further state that gynocentrism is a form of essentialism – as distinct from scholarship or political activity on behalf of women- to the extent that it focuses on the innate virtues of women and the innate vices of men.⁷

Some authors make more subtle discriminations between types of gynocentrism, such as individual gynocentric acts and events (eg. Mother’s Day), and the broader concept of a gynocentric culture which refers to a larger collection of culture traits that have major significance in the way people’s lives were lived.⁸

History

Elements of gynocentric culture existing today are derived from practices originating in medieval society such as feudalism, chivalry and courtly love that continue to inform contemporary society in subtle ways.⁹ Peter Wright refers to such gynocentric patters as constituting a “sexual feudalism,” as attested by female writers such as Lucrezia Marinella who in 1600 AD recounted that women of even lower socioeconomic classes were treated as superiors by men who acted as servants or beasts born to serve them, or by Modesta Pozzo who in 1590 wrote, “don’t we see that men’s rightful task is to go out to work and wear themselves out trying to accumulate wealth, as though they were our factors or stewards, so that we can remain at home like the lady of the house directing their work and enjoying the profit of their labors? That, if you like, is the reason why men are naturally stronger and more robust than us — they need to be, so they can put up with the hard labor they must endure in our service.”¹⁰

Criticism

Some post-modern feminists such as Nancy Fraser question the assumption of a stable concept of ‘woman’ which underlies all gynocentrism.¹¹ Scholars Paul Nathanson and Katherine Young make a comparable claim that gynocentrism is a form of essentialism as distinct from scholarship or political activity on behalf of women, to the extent that it focuses on the innate virtues of women. Nathanson and Young add that “This worldview is explicitly misandric too, because it not only ignores the needs and problems of men, but also attacks men.¹²

Christina Hoff Sommers has argued that gynocentrism is anti-intellectual and holds an antagonistic view of traditional scientific and creative disciplines, dismissing many important discoveries and artistic works as masculine. Sommers also writes that the presumption of objectivity ascribed to many gynocentrist theories has stifled feminist discourse and interpretation.¹³

Feminist writer Lynda Burns emphasises that gynocentrism calls for a celebration of women’s positive differences – of women’s history, myths, arts and music – as opposed to an assimilationist model privileging similarity to men.¹⁴ However observed in practice, the preeminence of women associated with gynocentric narratives is often seen as absolute: interpersonally, culturally, historically, politically, or in broader contexts socially (i.e. popular entertainment). As such, it can shade into what Rosalind Coward called “womanism…a sort of popularized version of feminism which acclaims everything women do and disparages men”.¹⁵

Sources:

[1] Oxford English Dictionary 2010
[2] Wiktionary Gynocentrism
[3] Gynocentrism and its cultural origins
[4] Nicholson, Linda J. ”The second wave: a reader in feminist theory” Routledge, 1997
[5] Katherine K. Young and Paul Nathanson, Legalizing Misandry, 2006 p.116
[6] Katherine K. Young and Paul Nathanson, Legalizing Misandry, 2006 p.309
[7] Katherine K. Young and Paul Nathanson, Sanctifying Misandry, 2010 p.58
[8] Wright, Peter, ”Gynocentrism: From Feudalism to Modern Disney Princesses”, 2014 p.8
[9] Wright, Peter, ”Gynocentrism: From Feudalism to Modern Disney Princesses”, 2014 p.28
[10] Wright, Peter, ”Gynocentrism: From Feudalism to Modern Disney Princesses”, 2014 p.28
[11] Burns, p. 160-1
[12] Katherine K. Young and Paul Nathanson, Sanctifying Misandry, 2010 p.58
[13] Christina Hoff Sommers, ”Who Stole Feminism?: How Women Have Betrayed Women” (1994) p. 64-73
[14] Lynda Burns, ”Feminist Alliances” (2006) p. 153
[15] Rosalind Coward, ”Sacred Cows” (1999) p. 11

Early references to “Men going their own way”

September 2, 2014January 25, 2024 / Peter Wright / Leave a comment

Despite false claims that the phrase was invented during the last decade, “Men Going Their Own Way,” or variants such as “going his own way,” or “go his own sweet way,” is now hundreds of years old.

Here are a few examples (out of thousands) showing that the phrase, as used in reference to men’s freedoms, is an old one:

1996

1939

1936

1922

1917

1913

1902

1899

1897

1889

1886

1880

1856

1853

The 200th anniversary of the Good Men Project

August 29, 2014October 12, 2024 / Peter Wright / 1 Comment

“Many a good man of the Henpecked Club has to be on his good behaviour in order to keep on anything like peaceable footing with his better half – (1860)¹

It may come as a surprise to readers to learn that the Good Men Project is only the most recent incarnation of a longer tradition teaching men how to be obsequious ‘good men’ toward the fairer sex.

The Good Men Project takes its place within a long-running tradition exemplified by ‘The Henpecked Club’ — a very real organization, global in scope, that has been in continuous operation for at least the last 200 years.

The Henpecked Club, essentially a project for creating Good Men™, consists of an international network of meeting-places where men came for marital support, especially if enduring emotional and physical abuse from wives. In this aspect the club reminds of Al-Anon, the modern support-movement for spouses of alcoholics. However, the club members had a strange way of showing support – they actively encouraged husbands to tolerate their wives’ abuse, and to placate her with any means necessary to moderate her behaviours. Henpecked Club members, moreover, were expected to take their wives breakfast in bed daily, and to do most of the household chores, even after a hard day’s work, with the hope that this would place wives in a more amiable frame of mind or – perhaps more accurately – in a less abusive mood.

Men were also advised to absorb any violence or abuse without complaint, stoically tolerating it so as not to provoke or further upset his wife. This, explained club policy, was how one become a ‘good man.’ If his wife continued with her abuse after these conciliatory gestures, Club officials would ask the man what he may have unwittingly done to provoke her, followed by “How might you better serve her so she doesn’t become upset again?” The answer to that question was typically for the husband to do more housework, but there was also a novel intervention of ‘rocking a wife to sleep,’ of which I will say more shortly.

Henpecked clubs existed in their hundreds from the 1700s through to contemporary times, and in places as diverse as England, Austria, USA, Germany, France, Australia, Yugoslavia, China, and Japan.

Why haven’t we heard of these clubs – many containing several hundred members struggling to find ways to deal with difficult marriages – in an age when we are so hyper-focused on gender relations? Not even a peep from historians, despite the availability of material about Henpecked Clubs. Why?

Because it doesn’t chime with the image of a ‘dominant patriarchal husband’ proffered in modern interpretations of history.

So in a gesture of redressing history, here is small part of an 1810 book entitled, Some Account of that Ancient and Honourable Society, Vulgarly Denominated The Henpecked Club – showing that the project of creating ‘good men’ has been going on for at least 200 years, and probably more:

“[Husbands] submit to the pleasing bondage of their wives, in as great numbers, and with as much good will, as in any enlightened period of ancient or modern times.

“Henpeckicism, which has been graced by ranking as its Members the greater part of the most celebrated men who have appeared since the creation to the present day, whether legislators, philosophers, conquerors, poets of divines, requires no other argument to vindicate and establish its right to the most extensive influence and operation, than the language of every lover, who readily acknowledges himself to be, and swears to continue, the slave of his mistress, before marriage; ergo, he who denies her supremacy, when she becomes his wife, is guilty of the most criminal and unnatural rebellion against womanly authority that God himself have set over him. If other arguments were wanted, however, many might be adduced to prove that the superiority of the female is an ordination of Nature. For example, the noblest or fiercest dog will tamely submit to the snarling and snapping of the most pitiful bitch of the species.”

“For in Henpeckicism there is no distinction: the peerless woman lords it over her vassal even as the peasant: All are equally comprised in the description so happily given by the poet:

“The crouching vassal of the tyrant wife,
“Who has no sixpence but in her possession,
“Who has no will but in her high permission,
“Who must to her his dear friends secrets tell,
“Who dreads a curtain lecture worse than hell”

“The rules observed by the Members of those Meetings were every way adapted to preserve the existence of the institution. Such Members as had the honour of receiving a black eye from their spouses, were entitled to an allowance of 10s. 6d. per week, for so long as the glorious colouring remained: The allowance for two black eyes was £1 1s 0d. In all cases, proof was required that the contusion was received according to the true spirit of genuine Henpeckicism, that is, without resistance or murmuring, according to the example of that inestimable deceased Member, Socrates, who, together with his Lady, is alluded to by the poet in the following lines:

“How oft she scolded in a day he knew,
“How many pisspots at the sage she threw,
“Who took it patiently, and wip’d his head-
“Rain follows thunder – that was all he said.”

Such married men as had not the honour to appertain to the Society, were earnestly requested to attend these Meetings, not as Members, but as visitors, in order that they might be induced to unite themselves with it, by witnessing the perfect happiness which it was calculated to confer. For what happiness can be greater than that of belonging to a spouse who takes upon herself the weighty care of regulating not only her own conduct, but that of her husband and the rest of her family; to a spouse who takes the trouble of receiving and paying all money; to a spouse who kindly undertakes the task of judging for her husband (in every occurence) of what is proper for him to do; of what time he should spend in public houses; of how much money he must expend; of what secrets ought to be retained in his or rather her possession, and of what ought to be divulged to the world? In short, she who takes upon herself all anxiety, all trouble, and leaves to her darling husband nothing to do but the delightful task of executing her commands; well remembering that:

“His proper body is not his, but mine,
“For so said Paul, and Paul’s a sound divine.”

The design and ostensible object of the Institution having always been to preserve, and even, if possible, to extend the just and laudable dominion of the fair sex, the several meetings thought it proper, also, to request the attendance of bachelors, not merely with a view that they might be benefited by witnessing such perfect examples of submission, but that those bachelors who had not yet turned their thoughts toward matrimony, or who might have overlooked so great an inducement to enter into the married state as the existence of out Institution, might be induced, as early as possible, to place themselves on a level, in this respect, with most of the greatest men in the world.

“The most common methods by which females attempt the full exercise of that unlimited power which of right belongs to them, is, at a very early period after marriage, to become extremely noisy and abusive, and to make a point of dealing out blame very liberally to their husbands for every action which they commit, whether they are really of the opinion that their conduct has been reprehensible or not. This method is at some times attended by blows. Though a vigorous and persevering course of this treatment may frequently be successful, yet there is considerable danger of resistance from those brutal fellows injudiciously termed men of spirit, a resistance which may be attended with consequences extremely injurious to female countenance. I would strenuously recommend this method be pursued by women, however, with all those effeminate characters who are more afraid of sustaining a drubbing, than eager to vindicate their title to manhood, as would especially advise it to be practiced on the whole tribe of fops or puppies, creatures possessed of no better proofs that they are privileged to rank as men, than that they have two legs and wear breeches.

“Some women pursue a course quite the opposite of this, and with greater success. They at one time load their husbands with caresses, magnify their own affection, and seem to have no other avocation worth their attention but that of convincing them that the sole study of their lives will be to invent fresh blandishments, and to render them in all respects completely happy. At other times, however, they affect a sulkiness of behaviour: a sudden and sullen gloom succeeds their former cheerfulness; they sigh frequently, and burst into floods of tears; nay, they are even seized with swoonings and hysterics.

The wretched husband of such a wife, alarmed at these surprising symptoms, anxiously enquires the cause. She affects to evade the question–he becomes more importunate–she persists in declining to assign a reason–his importunities are redoubled–till he is at last informed, with gentle reproaches and a burst of grief, that he himself is breaking her heart; that the reward of all her love is his neglect, &c. &c. Astonished at a charge which he is wholly unconscious of having merited, he at first endeavours to ridicule what he terms her childish uneasiness. She affects, however, still to doubt–he makes solemn protestations of his innocence; and they are reconciled. In a few days, however, the same farce is played out again, and again, and again, till the unhappy man is at length almost convinced, contrary to the evidence of his own senses, that his conduct has been criminal. Nay, to pacify his afflicted partner, he is even brought to confess his imaginary faults, and to promise amendment in the future. For fear of unintentionally giving offence, he learns to keep a strict watch over his own actions, becomes afraid to take any notice of those of his wife, and is, for the same reason, cautious of contradicting her, lest his cruelty should cause her to swoon; and, in short, becomes a Member of the Henpecked Society.

“Though the great object of our Society is to extend the domination of the female sex, it is far from being its intention to obtain that end by such reprehensible or unhappy means. The only worthy Members of the Society are those who have become so, as much by conviction of its utility, as by entertaining a due sense of the superiority of their wives. All such Members, however, have been treated in a manner very different from the preceding. They have (and let every wife endeavour to follow the same plan) been first brought to acknowledge that their wives, by their care and economy, were better adapted than Themselves to manage their concerns; have been satisfied, by their attentive behaviour, that they were well qualified to govern their families; and have been convinced, by their mildness and moderation, that the authority with which they were invested would never be abused. In such a family, resistance will never be attempted. Commands from the one party will be met by prompt obedience from the other. Perpetual harmony will be established; and correction, when necessary, will be submitted to, according to the fundamental rule of the Society, without murmuring and without resistance.”

The Good Man’s Wife Pacifier

Henpeck’d Club’s Peace Box – Patent Cure for a Cross Wife

The good men of the Henpecked Club were responsible for an interesting innovation: an adult-sized rocking cradle, which was used for soothing nagging wives instead of babies. If you look closely you can see curved feet that allowed the cradle to be gently rocked from side-to-side by the dutiful husband.

The ‘Peace Box’ was invented by a club member named Harry Tap in 1862, and several were manufactured for hire by Henpecked Club members suffering under tempestuous behaviour from wives. If a wife was abusing her husband too much, the husband would entreat his wife to recline in the box, which could be rocked like a child’s cot in order to send the wife to sleep. While she was sleeping the husband would perform all the household chores then awaken his wife who would hopefully have calmed down.

With those juicy historical morsels now in the open, we seem to have come full circle, back to the future. Here we remain, with hat in hand, beseeching Dear Woman for forgiveness for having displeased her, hoping that she will notice how hard we are trying to be good men.

You may at this point be feeling nauseous in the knowledge that men have been kowtowing to such abuse for hundreds if not thousands of years, and yet we’re still being asked to to Take It Like A Man™, Man Up™, and be Good Men™. If you are feeling that way you are not alone, and with the growing army of men and women in the MHRM you can help bring an end to such appalling gynocentric customs.

SOURCES:

[1] Huddersfield Chronicle – Saturday 11 August 1860

Women Against Feminism – a snapshot of concerns

August 7, 2014July 4, 2024 / Peter Wright / 3 Comments

The following is an analysis of all Women Against Feminism Tumbler ‘selfie’ messages (March 16 to August 7 – 2014), categorized according to the ten subject headings listed below. Each message posed between one and several reasons for being against feminism, and each reason is counted in this analysis as a separate data point.

Altogether there were 279 items isolated below and categorised under the respective heading to which each item best applied. A percentage of the overall number is calculated for each category:

SNAPSHOT: 10 primary categories of concern & their popularity among WAF:

1. – Rejects being classified as member of victim class – 20.4%
2. – Feminists are misandric / unconcerned for men – 15%
3. – Views feminism disengenuous about seeking equality – 14.7%
4. – Other – 14%
5. – Pro human-rights / egalitarian / humanist – 12.9%
6. – Desires traditional gender roles / chivalry-seeking – 6.09%
7. – Feminists/feminism is misogynistic – 4.6%
8. – Anti-gynocentrism / anti female supremacy / anti unreasonable entitlements – 4.3%
9. – Values being a mother – 3.9%
10. – Doesn’t want feminists speaking for her / women’s personal life not a political tool – 3.9%

_____________________________________________________________

Desires traditional gender roles / chivalry-seeking – 6.09%

http://38.media.tumblr.com/042a72ee9e6312696e2969853ed48505/tumblr_n8u73epCwc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/ec564cbbd0257edaa592d800029e0048/tumblr_n8vfzuYjCs1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/1d994c4d08407d49b1e697b10278e56f/tumblr_n8vt6lRV551syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c3a296d9d2b25c641986216686243de5/tumblr_n8vxhqhw1c1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/65b1be76aae84947bafb18f78caab0d7/tumblr_n91jnfjgLh1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/eb6da9e21543f1e96dee77ebf4c40f8c/tumblr_n91uizHsSw1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/2a81733315ddb91da21c0fdcf2ed4c19/tumblr_n95mjxxBe71syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/bb4fe6ff04b966392195fd48951d0db9/tumblr_n96mpiD6iC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f0411c7ac8a35a16c4bbe8e11d29179d/tumblr_n98ireWyD11syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e73d0f40025685c08a18c618d8852db1/tumblr_n98ossTFuE1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/043f5a62c119be1cf1d914dd18a97ed5/tumblr_n9gckk5ble1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f275c217dd930019d8e1d42782b00132/tumblr_n9ipzv921T1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/28b3ba70c947d1c89565044dcf6160ed/tumblr_n9lorl4iNy1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/649687393a290b5ec142235d3cd523a6/tumblr_n9lrybRLoL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/90f1f55ab5e9105edda7e05e2d8c2a8c/tumblr_n9nzu67UzL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/a7a81a736915a2db6b8935e6453c15d6/tumblr_n9wkwaynLr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/61c5fc0450ce58f8ba5ad02314b2205e/tumblr_n9wl386Cn71syitgfo1_500.png

Anti-gynocentrism/female supremacy/unreasonable entitlements promoted by feminism – 4.3%

http://38.media.tumblr.com/cb17ab04795e7bce761faa65d56f5272/tumblr_n6ex7wwAAo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e959568619bc1cdbcd4aa43ff271a7fa/tumblr_n6exgw7ZUJ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/5a338d512bbc83a8b04bf1ff763a3ce5/tumblr_n8zmljS2vR1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/3cf1d7a8d284ee101b10f70a34385263/tumblr_n95m6fLL5g1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e66a3529b134c15bf661f3d748919eae/tumblr_n9abs5G3bT1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/42003bde48f2fe610ecb14ec3dfe8739/tumblr_n9eivtf1QO1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/15bd4cab6d610deb4f15005ef0468561/tumblr_n9iumjmzsO1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/b083128e8e643c64a8472ed0630c6e8c/tumblr_n9k97j3vmj1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c7cfd5740daa9baa04b71d96bcde301f/tumblr_n9kbnuOT6m1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/a05337ba572d57e00d120005c6b7b56e/tumblr_n9lmmc7KWr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/b0992c897853b473ee5625eb659513a2/tumblr_n9m4um6Lkq1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/6cbc187b0d38b8b6bc07d54b1824666a/tumblr_n9pw0cI8N01syitgfo1_500.jpg

Views feminism as disengenuous about seeking equality / bigoted / corrupt – 14.7%

http://33.media.tumblr.com/74b0d835e5708b3ab06dc09db732e3bc/tumblr_n8qrb29DBv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/cb17ab04795e7bce761faa65d56f5272/tumblr_n6ex7wwAAo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/042a72ee9e6312696e2969853ed48505/tumblr_n8u73epCwc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/83942bef61d64d4fe970d4c70c30d236/tumblr_n8ue21RxT21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8fe1f5f2838000b84c1964a87b330c86/tumblr_n8w3f0Ogkr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/8e398bc984d6472686f4eaf464df702e/tumblr_n8xclcuF9b1rukh8to1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/85478608522cc483d436b475d04995da/tumblr_n8yavs9Wr71syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/18cb9af28aaecc296cbb4343d4a309a1/tumblr_n8z8k3yfwk1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/771ab0af32380c3b297ca69deff8de5d/tumblr_n9531jfWew1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/85ce2be9f10fcce25faf6f9507508cdb/tumblr_n96kucNj1j1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/22f17c638cbaef929582dc6f5ad8ec40/tumblr_n98iglpDmL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8f1f01c420868fcc9697b85e8e126522/tumblr_n98ny69NdQ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b98befc25aa47b06e3d9efda216f257a/tumblr_n99a44Tung1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/ffef55342546868caf94a39ea1d2d247/tumblr_n9a6pvLmTC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/80ee384d83108c3959049c61b7294a1e/tumblr_n9coz5iqJa1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/02916f5aefc80d0e19b68d17a10ccf85/tumblr_n9eftumvKx1s0xajso1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6bcc40404afbb41338203308676b6e7b/tumblr_n9g56q1png1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/82d570d43bb065fa8f83098c561f5594/tumblr_n9gciwAIad1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/558bc8de1d3cb5cbc64176655878c7a4/tumblr_n9ip4jbyiL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/941661a75c4313f2f8443cc4346266be/tumblr_n9irdlAgid1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0d70b4c26aaf160cec722adfb984cad9/tumblr_n9it8fghLd1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/69fb3ae53219a364371cb3eb72e82158/tumblr_n9itrjc2q21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0f221c2352f669361e70dc781fbe2950/tumblr_n9itufPQZn1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/3d9fd2a4554d743e369d8bec6efd10d3/tumblr_n9iug40x0Q1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/15bd4cab6d610deb4f15005ef0468561/tumblr_n9iumjmzsO1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/bdcb0248274e5085b6a717292eab7c08/tumblr_n9jqy80Mno1syitgfo1_500.png
http://38.media.tumblr.com/89692af9e06f60f0ea9b8b7dfe3d1091/tumblr_n9kctxMl1O1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/1f933c748b580c3aaba4128cf83beabe/tumblr_n9lmhgbyFK1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6da542ef2cab32f7a41b4766a33efc3a/tumblr_n9lmpf98kQ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/0f6e48be4153a62c0dc433a2b7f5bf91/tumblr_n9lmvgdjx41syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/a24a3c052cf682b015e0ee5d63aabf43/tumblr_n9lmzm7VKM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/bbe874ff130af10495b36a1adba079d4/tumblr_n9lnm2mR9l1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/b0992c897853b473ee5625eb659513a2/tumblr_n9m4um6Lkq1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/919e6b4234e718cecda468fb7dd75226/tumblr_n9puhghP7o1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/6cbc187b0d38b8b6bc07d54b1824666a/tumblr_n9pw0cI8N01syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/97dd588ed10969ca159e0aebdc12f533/tumblr_n9pxjzTRfU1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/182038a5f1a98d1c5568fed84eef29c6/tumblr_n9py1kEImF1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0b2d7a9f50ad362f53219872d03bba62/tumblr_n9t24ooTTc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/d73cd6f7bbe82a4eac41c7643c9b9fbb/tumblr_n9vh5vPLIN1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/a7a81a736915a2db6b8935e6453c15d6/tumblr_n9wkwaynLr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/ea4e621cea2a9e5fcf9f23a6d684fc26/tumblr_n9wyqd52Zz1syitgfo1_500.png

Pro human-rights / egalitarian / humanist (simple definition of humanist applies) – 12.9%

http://33.media.tumblr.com/8f240edafcc57dc44dae8a59a3ca3e3f/tumblr_n3agofjfwl1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/cb17ab04795e7bce761faa65d56f5272/tumblr_n6ex7wwAAo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/74b0d835e5708b3ab06dc09db732e3bc/tumblr_n8qrb29DBv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/68b1f19dec372b644fd1f41ad7ceca72/tumblr_n8qja6dN7Z1rncsi3o1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/1299eb0f2f663dfa0b761f71f9ba109c/tumblr_n8u34e4sZF1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/83942bef61d64d4fe970d4c70c30d236/tumblr_n8ue21RxT21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/47065b105ac181b42b9e758b96404c11/tumblr_n91thl7F201syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/14590438aabc31055162c931c86f4be2/tumblr_n9lod6u8N21syitgfo1_400.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/771ab0af32380c3b297ca69deff8de5d/tumblr_n9531jfWew1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8f1f01c420868fcc9697b85e8e126522/tumblr_n98ny69NdQ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b98befc25aa47b06e3d9efda216f257a/tumblr_n99a44Tung1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/ffef55342546868caf94a39ea1d2d247/tumblr_n9a6pvLmTC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/93e286f3fccbd660ef11b86e54f85dce/tumblr_n9ehxdrHqB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/02916f5aefc80d0e19b68d17a10ccf85/tumblr_n9eftumvKx1s0xajso1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6bcc40404afbb41338203308676b6e7b/tumblr_n9g56q1png1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/558bc8de1d3cb5cbc64176655878c7a4/tumblr_n9ip4jbyiL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/f1a341c0445d7a6722e7619e9a0be616/tumblr_n9ip9aA9Hd1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/0a2c515df0f7e43debfe2fdac1a4ab7d/tumblr_n9irtpR7JI1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/36c49a93eee81b514320bef6c85a39f1/tumblr_n9isbhs6Cs1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/583b11521f544407b43bf4576cfa5134/tumblr_n9isgffXkW1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/36c49a93eee81b514320bef6c85a39f1/tumblr_n9isbhs6Cs1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f532de71eca06881f50cf7da0698473e/tumblr_n9it6k47gM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0d70b4c26aaf160cec722adfb984cad9/tumblr_n9it8fghLd1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/69fb3ae53219a364371cb3eb72e82158/tumblr_n9itrjc2q21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0f221c2352f669361e70dc781fbe2950/tumblr_n9itufPQZn1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/3d9fd2a4554d743e369d8bec6efd10d3/tumblr_n9iug40x0Q1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/15bd4cab6d610deb4f15005ef0468561/tumblr_n9iumjmzsO1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/bdcb0248274e5085b6a717292eab7c08/tumblr_n9jqy80Mno1syitgfo1_500.png
http://38.media.tumblr.com/89692af9e06f60f0ea9b8b7dfe3d1091/tumblr_n9kctxMl1O1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/0f6e48be4153a62c0dc433a2b7f5bf91/tumblr_n9lmvgdjx41syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/be8a1669a882e88132d1e007b6686399/tumblr_n9lnd3QkqY1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/6cbc187b0d38b8b6bc07d54b1824666a/tumblr_n9pw0cI8N01syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/b1bdb4c61d57e91613e178d6cdf2b5ff/tumblr_n9pxlhRI231syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/d73cd6f7bbe82a4eac41c7643c9b9fbb/tumblr_n9vh5vPLIN1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/1299eb0f2f663dfa0b761f71f9ba109c/tumblr_n8u34e4sZF1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/83942bef61d64d4fe970d4c70c30d236/tumblr_n8ue21RxT21syitgfo1_500.jpg

Rejects fixation on female victimhood/weakness narrative / sees self as strong / advocates self reliance / rejects intantilizing women / does not want to be “seen” “classified” as a victim – 20.4%

http://31.media.tumblr.com/678f73e7327392ae0fa75e363fdd3096/tumblr_n6excdxPkp1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/d12478604d8231ac2d77053960f8503d/tumblr_n2k7jimoGc1tw0kmzo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e959568619bc1cdbcd4aa43ff271a7fa/tumblr_n6exgw7ZUJ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/56183601f26cf2488cc3cb9a3ed25547/tumblr_n6f52iKt2b1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/74b0d835e5708b3ab06dc09db732e3bc/tumblr_n8qrb29DBv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/d19c4c19b6dffa5143196b994d40aace/tumblr_n8u638gnol1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/042a72ee9e6312696e2969853ed48505/tumblr_n8u73epCwc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/75bd14527fc8f86349fd770c0d04544b/tumblr_n8u9zeWpat1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/938d160d4472fcbc9827ac5c55b9e6f2/tumblr_n8vhyu2vB51syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/9ab6fb525550ff85a00ff6580a34c194/tumblr_n8vjhj6nNo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/402bac900502bb20d1d445e2fca04f71/tumblr_n8vjl3f6TF1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/1b08c1458ef40dee14fdd5e421834129/tumblr_n8vnmiQN4V1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/eaf2677b3b0ce433fb46a1833b49ebd9/tumblr_n8vo0tNsz91syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/ee8c4a059591976bfd63fb2994c89030/tumblr_n8vsl9013d1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/afd7c065ef372574685c34780391465c/tumblr_n8vv4cllv21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b755ede6cd6b3df7b87a8a2b766875e5/tumblr_n8wcxhQ04Q1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/6b220147b66606226dd014fc2a69099d/tumblr_n8z51yzUyn1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/18cb9af28aaecc296cbb4343d4a309a1/tumblr_n8z8k3yfwk1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/5a338d512bbc83a8b04bf1ff763a3ce5/tumblr_n8zmljS2vR1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/080666c832223d857edc620968ddf270/tumblr_n91s29xgm11syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/845fe575923c03053738e75164fb863e/tumblr_n95m33uzoU1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/3cf1d7a8d284ee101b10f70a34385263/tumblr_n95m6fLL5g1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/885db318c481d7af5ef8e4b242fd8742/tumblr_n95m8gC8QK1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/63e6c7fd8cbd4e00c31f9af6d4dc524a/tumblr_n96l0iwaXr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/bb4fe6ff04b966392195fd48951d0db9/tumblr_n96mpiD6iC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c014f0c34f27e9ea4128ab20500ec5bd/tumblr_n972h8R7Is1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/e2102680e403fe9cf859f39dc528593a/tumblr_n98ilgvSEo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/abd0d2f66a528655fd2dad326b91a6df/tumblr_n98ld9X9eX1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f3f3bed2c6643eb36aad43a9caeab7ba/tumblr_n98lvw16yt1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b98befc25aa47b06e3d9efda216f257a/tumblr_n99a44Tung1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e66a3529b134c15bf661f3d748919eae/tumblr_n9abs5G3bT1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/f99b6cead5f328f2522556f839d54966/tumblr_n9cpk9ubqc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b757d91833bb7a5cab5df8dc62ea04b1/tumblr_n9cr4toUdP1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/f94e70a9a53657ac45afbf0cfd3ba7f0/tumblr_n9crp7lWe61syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/47e0f8bd1a8ff6e075b09d14fbaae964/tumblr_n9d1z5Tf1q1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/93e286f3fccbd660ef11b86e54f85dce/tumblr_n9ehxdrHqB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/02916f5aefc80d0e19b68d17a10ccf85/tumblr_n9eftumvKx1s0xajso1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/90ef5af50e641d5d5cde7d1e4f117157/tumblr_n9eiopH2Bn1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c9c792c7e732cfe128b0ed38c8ac5a57/tumblr_n9gazw57bM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/8a616124b8911188db881bd5e385012a/tumblr_n9iotiSzAH1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/f1a341c0445d7a6722e7619e9a0be616/tumblr_n9ip9aA9Hd1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0bc6f61f3c22c301e8783fcf74619dfe/tumblr_n9ipp1n5571syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/7855271ec885e71abcb32468a1192a4d/tumblr_n9iqi0ptt71syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/941661a75c4313f2f8443cc4346266be/tumblr_n9irdlAgid1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/e4711ab4ad21720b70ebf7d59294f4bb/tumblr_n9iu5vvKoB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/39da90bcfea4009a2d8f8de09996f496/tumblr_n9k9ae3FIa1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c7cfd5740daa9baa04b71d96bcde301f/tumblr_n9kbnuOT6m1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/1f933c748b580c3aaba4128cf83beabe/tumblr_n9lmhgbyFK1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/a05337ba572d57e00d120005c6b7b56e/tumblr_n9lmmc7KWr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/1e29f13b24219f0bd10aca536f6ea0eb/tumblr_n9m4t9xris1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/4dd6bd2b59a46954a0b9f290d091f81e/tumblr_n9nzrdtyI21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/0ea763826c01c602486d799e7b5cb620/tumblr_n9o56j4Zd51syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/3b261bf07de136f281ded93f8f1678b4/tumblr_n9ptwgYZz41syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/919e6b4234e718cecda468fb7dd75226/tumblr_n9puhghP7o1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/380a5804e1cf7c9ef948e73c43a2278e/tumblr_n9px2rtut31syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/6c202de17a2a4d70c2f02094b24f2a5f/tumblr_n9ryvplIzy1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/dbdfe37e908c0ab22229a4b19d85c55e/tumblr_n9wxxgDZWk1syitgfo1_500.jpg

Feminists/feminism is misandric / unconcerned for men – 15%

http://38.media.tumblr.com/e959568619bc1cdbcd4aa43ff271a7fa/tumblr_n6exgw7ZUJ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/74b0d835e5708b3ab06dc09db732e3bc/tumblr_n8qrb29DBv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/9ab6fb525550ff85a00ff6580a34c194/tumblr_n8vjhj6nNo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/402bac900502bb20d1d445e2fca04f71/tumblr_n8vjl3f6TF1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/d4ce939222941a4ce09569e55654a016/tumblr_n8vq9hS2wv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/ee8c4a059591976bfd63fb2994c89030/tumblr_n8vsl9013d1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/8e398bc984d6472686f4eaf464df702e/tumblr_n8xclcuF9b1rukh8to1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/d1b4eba820ea68a1df75a356ab6d002d/tumblr_n8y7bg2gPB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/85478608522cc483d436b475d04995da/tumblr_n8yavs9Wr71syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/a253a3319ac21ed0158c85422b18018c/tumblr_n8ycslSzMo1syitgfo1_400.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/21082520daea3278e5922908d30ff99a/tumblr_n91k0hDb791syitgfo1_400.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4493a0d2699f71565a01e256179a6357/tumblr_n95lt40EPN1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/845fe575923c03053738e75164fb863e/tumblr_n95m33uzoU1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/85ce2be9f10fcce25faf6f9507508cdb/tumblr_n96kucNj1j1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/bb4fe6ff04b966392195fd48951d0db9/tumblr_n96mpiD6iC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/22f17c638cbaef929582dc6f5ad8ec40/tumblr_n98iglpDmL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f0411c7ac8a35a16c4bbe8e11d29179d/tumblr_n98ireWyD11syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/abd0d2f66a528655fd2dad326b91a6df/tumblr_n98ld9X9eX1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f3f3bed2c6643eb36aad43a9caeab7ba/tumblr_n98lvw16yt1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e73d0f40025685c08a18c618d8852db1/tumblr_n98ossTFuE1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b98befc25aa47b06e3d9efda216f257a/tumblr_n99a44Tung1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/5d8d2924d9392e70ca790ed17a5a9535/tumblr_n9a4keGXsm1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8f0c8ed13843e541fd95bab0b6a6c74d/tumblr_n9acsbpRJz1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/f99b6cead5f328f2522556f839d54966/tumblr_n9cpk9ubqc1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/80ee384d83108c3959049c61b7294a1e/tumblr_n9coz5iqJa1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/c53d482895e5798bd361f853f63f0811/tumblr_n9cusaOdPr1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4c5cca61de969b120f7352061e693e0f/tumblr_n9e7j3r2xm1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/93e286f3fccbd660ef11b86e54f85dce/tumblr_n9ehxdrHqB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f275c217dd930019d8e1d42782b00132/tumblr_n9ipzv921T1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/7855271ec885e71abcb32468a1192a4d/tumblr_n9iqi0ptt71syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/941661a75c4313f2f8443cc4346266be/tumblr_n9irdlAgid1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0d70b4c26aaf160cec722adfb984cad9/tumblr_n9it8fghLd1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/e4711ab4ad21720b70ebf7d59294f4bb/tumblr_n9iu5vvKoB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/3689cf3e49af9f688d486084c8b798d8/tumblr_n9iukcGmXD1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/559b4d1be3e0c754121b3268cc4ebc0a/tumblr_n9kblg4kIy1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/0f6e48be4153a62c0dc433a2b7f5bf91/tumblr_n9lmvgdjx41syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/be8a1669a882e88132d1e007b6686399/tumblr_n9lnd3QkqY1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e4bba858e728c2b8db2b6b5a9e1085a1/tumblr_n9lnej8WuJ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/0ea763826c01c602486d799e7b5cb620/tumblr_n9o56j4Zd51syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/919e6b4234e718cecda468fb7dd75226/tumblr_n9puhghP7o1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/6c202de17a2a4d70c2f02094b24f2a5f/tumblr_n9ryvplIzy1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c60876176f34c6226a4897f1cbca10c6/tumblr_n9t2620sAr1syitgfo1_500.jpg

Feminists/feminism is misogynistic – 4.6%

http://31.media.tumblr.com/56183601f26cf2488cc3cb9a3ed25547/tumblr_n6f52iKt2b1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/d19c4c19b6dffa5143196b994d40aace/tumblr_n8u638gnol1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/9ab6fb525550ff85a00ff6580a34c194/tumblr_n8vjhj6nNo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/eb6da9e21543f1e96dee77ebf4c40f8c/tumblr_n91uizHsSw1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/c014f0c34f27e9ea4128ab20500ec5bd/tumblr_n972h8R7Is1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/aa8a3a823b64ab6d13049cc0ec018939/tumblr_n98nf9gdhX1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8f0c8ed13843e541fd95bab0b6a6c74d/tumblr_n9acsbpRJz1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/f94e70a9a53657ac45afbf0cfd3ba7f0/tumblr_n9crp7lWe61syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/07d6dc791222a669f69d4ba27e84d06e/tumblr_n9iodbpcXk1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/e4711ab4ad21720b70ebf7d59294f4bb/tumblr_n9iu5vvKoB1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6da542ef2cab32f7a41b4766a33efc3a/tumblr_n9lmpf98kQ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/3bd4534d349d2535d697844fe838fd69/tumblr_n9puk8PCsU1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/ea4e621cea2a9e5fcf9f23a6d684fc26/tumblr_n9wyqd52Zz1syitgfo1_500.png

Values being a mother – 3.9%

http://31.media.tumblr.com/579c51cce5f30798659c52fd163d5cdd/tumblr_n8u3hnKRAL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/8517c75eeb635b02fcc16e544b0b2f82/tumblr_n91mm9Mf061syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4493a0d2699f71565a01e256179a6357/tumblr_n95lt40EPN1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/67dab9b5b7d2402369ca48a436f07173/tumblr_n95kiyHmKi1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/45e96ff07c3cb2ee017b2576416fedac/tumblr_n998vjPAeZ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/e961656aa154c60d1b3c45f015699a45/tumblr_n9ioc4GLX61syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/a759a294811d9f81372963fc2dc36dee/tumblr_n9iopwJPJv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/649687393a290b5ec142235d3cd523a6/tumblr_n9lrybRLoL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/1e29f13b24219f0bd10aca536f6ea0eb/tumblr_n9m4t9xris1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/aee178a62cee4f33a25f5faf40d77568/tumblr_n9o55lQcIE1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/579c51cce5f30798659c52fd163d5cdd/tumblr_n8u3hnKRAL1syitgfo1_500.jpg

Doesnt want feminists speaking for her / women’s personal life not to be used for political gain – 3.9%

http://33.media.tumblr.com/e2102680e403fe9cf859f39dc528593a/tumblr_n98ilgvSEo1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/cdd77eecddf3c796a2bacd30c9c270f6/tumblr_n98oaawF6j1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4c5cca61de969b120f7352061e693e0f/tumblr_n9e7j3r2xm1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/c5cb9fc8c91f6f5e81b336928ba97d0f/tumblr_n9im15lKyq1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/f275c217dd930019d8e1d42782b00132/tumblr_n9ipzv921T1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/bf4ac07d177d3cc1a0871593ab4cc68d/tumblr_n9iqpzs1hT1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/4dd6bd2b59a46954a0b9f290d091f81e/tumblr_n9nzrdtyI21syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/ece8c25a2d05cefb90f01167dfa24ea8/tumblr_n9pu5qOLij1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6b8d17118496278e1f491133817d3576/tumblr_n92ux2eZdM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/648290517f2c37abf32fddd857051a01/tumblr_n96mh7MwIu1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/6f2a3589d8f0ff8244806b1250d4375e/tumblr_n972axli4c1syitgfo1_500.jpg

Other – 14%

http://31.media.tumblr.com/1e2b7a67ca6d216f25c228e46626c9bb/tumblr_n8u4qukFP11syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/3df8fc12e425fbec6d15903aeeb2c8d6/tumblr_n6f4wcEJIR1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/f3e979286aea51c5cce87496394e9cd5/tumblr_n8u65nedIp1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/eaf2677b3b0ce433fb46a1833b49ebd9/tumblr_n8vo0tNsz91syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/d4ce939222941a4ce09569e55654a016/tumblr_n8vq9hS2wv1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/ee8c4a059591976bfd63fb2994c89030/tumblr_n8vsl9013d1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/42b33712c434a0778a9c1f03eb0c4202/tumblr_n8vvppf4iR1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4f051d71c65961fdc1e62f4f7c5a10c9/tumblr_n8wa68P4DC1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/8e398bc984d6472686f4eaf464df702e/tumblr_n8xclcuF9b1rukh8to1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/fbf1168cfd83db536df781ec8feaea6f/tumblr_n91njoEMgt1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/b8cf126c2c99c9c5993ac719f40a385b/tumblr_n91yc7DD3Q1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/6ab3a461c6ad346709b58dff8b3ecbc5/tumblr_n91uktoNYH1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/5a050675ba4190154425bdb8c434bc8c/tumblr_n92xfv2sPQ1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/6b8d17118496278e1f491133817d3576/tumblr_n92ux2eZdM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/3ee98c746882636cfb02a91bc2faf9b8/tumblr_n950vem0mx1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/771ab0af32380c3b297ca69deff8de5d/tumblr_n9531jfWew1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/85ce2be9f10fcce25faf6f9507508cdb/tumblr_n96kucNj1j1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/648290517f2c37abf32fddd857051a01/tumblr_n96mh7MwIu1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/6f2a3589d8f0ff8244806b1250d4375e/tumblr_n972axli4c1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/203c78c7d25519eaf140f984e92298e1/tumblr_n98mtv2cYm1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/d381cdcac0192b5b63837fcc6fed7bb2/tumblr_n9cu8kSQ8G1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/9ea55684c1e04b44946c9f03f21048fd/tumblr_n9d17rgOUq1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/a1adc88cb13136df2960ad70961eee7b/tumblr_n9d4cwdQFK1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/4e01d604e9ca6e7f0db2ebb7b1bd47b4/tumblr_n9ece4meIZ1rkj5f1o1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/0845b07c89f8412488d1029e45315008/tumblr_n9g53c1goP1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/652f1e3ef8433ca22f18617fc59c961b/tumblr_n9gb0zKyZi1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/82d570d43bb065fa8f83098c561f5594/tumblr_n9gciwAIad1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/158f24e1b898eb00e48c5c1cd3379309/tumblr_n9imfvoEvN1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/65b65384a286b39706cba86628a43416/tumblr_n9ipuaujxM1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/888b86d6639991778fc536f966a7ce95/tumblr_n9iunkLIGL1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/68fa10719bb2e2ba2ef7fea3d7a30576/tumblr_n9jr0h2wJH1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/eaadd78d7119b7145e9554ebaf020e09/tumblr_n9kd603nCb1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/2315858185b726fec3c89033b3e71d23/tumblr_n9lmqhQvaK1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/38e67385572cb38e4d5eb6368ce00a33/tumblr_n9ls271Qom1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/aee178a62cee4f33a25f5faf40d77568/tumblr_n9o55lQcIE1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://37.media.tumblr.com/2357294176ef7686a8eab475d62bfd70/tumblr_n9pwgiItkz1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/3a53145acc98cd4d839726ba1119db33/tumblr_n9pxzsPYzm1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/5412e4dec2a0bded89df844101080136/tumblr_n9v2yqpIFH1syitgfo1_500.jpg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/4076470d66f3999532ad268de134a22c/tumblr_n9vh7b49AI1syitgfo1_500.png

See also a similar, independent analysis by Astrokid: Prima Facie Motivations of women against feminism

Gynocentrism and its Cultural Origins

Uncategorized