Hysterical paroxysms
Aug. 1st, 2009 09:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamer_easyLast year I posted mourning the demotion of the word misogyny from its original, powerful meaning, "hatred of women", to a mere replacement for the word "sexism". Language naturally changes like this. But I was reminded that we're going to need a new word to describe woman-hating the other day, when I observed a self-described lesbian feminist describe a weakly sexist remark by RTD as "resounding misogyny".
Can't talk about this in detail without SPOILERS for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
You may have seen the remark in question at the end of the After Elton interview to which I linked:
Almost certainly my fellow feminist's objection to the remark is the word "hysterical". The word has been, erm, historically used to dismiss women's legitimate, rational objections. In fact, in the Victorian era a woman showing signs of stress or sexual dissatisfaction could be "diagnosed" as suffering from "hysteria". Although the diagnosis has disappeared, the basic sense of the word remains the same: women complain about stuff because they're all overwrought and hormonal and so, conveniently, we don't have to take them seriously.
(Given the hostility to my scribbles here on "fangirls" and "fanboys", it's also possible she objects to the word "women", in the sense that RTD is dismissing complaints because they're coming from women. I think the fact that the campaign is composed of slashers - heterosexual women - is absolutely relevant - especially when it comes to IMHO rather disingenuous claims that sinking their ship was "homophobic".)
It would have been more elegant for RTD to choose a different word to describe the overwrought behaviour of a small number of fans. However, it would also have been more elegant to choose a less severe word than "misogyny" to criticise it. Issues of gender and sexuality are fundamental here and can't be dismissed, but the word "hysteria" has changed its meaning over the last century or so. Headlines about "swine flu hysteria" are not gynophobic gibes, invoking instead the other meaning of the word: "exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement", "behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess". Which, let's be honest, is not an entirely unfair characterisation of responding to an imaginary death by abusing and threatening real live people.
ETA: Only really posted all of that because I hit the word "misogynous" in Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, on which I decided to make an assault this evening. I'm starting to worry I'm only contributing to the problem by banging on about it here, as though the overwhelming majority of fans were not perfectly sane on the subject, so I think it's time to take a break.
ETA ETA: Although I suppose we're going to need a new word for "homophobic", too.
Can't talk about this in detail without SPOILERS for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
You may have seen the remark in question at the end of the After Elton interview to which I linked:
I asked Davies if he stood by all of his previous statements. He did so emphatically saying he believed the "controversy" over Ianto's death was bascially "nine hysterical women."The "Russell, you heartless wench!" photo they used still makes me lol.
Almost certainly my fellow feminist's objection to the remark is the word "hysterical". The word has been, erm, historically used to dismiss women's legitimate, rational objections. In fact, in the Victorian era a woman showing signs of stress or sexual dissatisfaction could be "diagnosed" as suffering from "hysteria". Although the diagnosis has disappeared, the basic sense of the word remains the same: women complain about stuff because they're all overwrought and hormonal and so, conveniently, we don't have to take them seriously.
(Given the hostility to my scribbles here on "fangirls" and "fanboys", it's also possible she objects to the word "women", in the sense that RTD is dismissing complaints because they're coming from women. I think the fact that the campaign is composed of slashers - heterosexual women - is absolutely relevant - especially when it comes to IMHO rather disingenuous claims that sinking their ship was "homophobic".)
It would have been more elegant for RTD to choose a different word to describe the overwrought behaviour of a small number of fans. However, it would also have been more elegant to choose a less severe word than "misogyny" to criticise it. Issues of gender and sexuality are fundamental here and can't be dismissed, but the word "hysteria" has changed its meaning over the last century or so. Headlines about "swine flu hysteria" are not gynophobic gibes, invoking instead the other meaning of the word: "exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement", "behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess". Which, let's be honest, is not an entirely unfair characterisation of responding to an imaginary death by abusing and threatening real live people.
ETA: Only really posted all of that because I hit the word "misogynous" in Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, on which I decided to make an assault this evening. I'm starting to worry I'm only contributing to the problem by banging on about it here, as though the overwhelming majority of fans were not perfectly sane on the subject, so I think it's time to take a break.
ETA ETA: Although I suppose we're going to need a new word for "homophobic", too.
