Throughout the history of feminism and its different stages, called waves, the concept of feminist it has been attacked and discredited, both by social discourse and from some sectors of the population. This misinterpretation has been due to ignorance, ignorance and the explicit discredit of an entire movement and of those people who compose it because of political objectives. Currently, attempts are being made to disqualify and incapacitate feminists by using the term feminazi. If you want to know more about how this neologism arose and its implications, keep reading this Psychology-Online article to know what is feminazi and feminist and the difference between feminist and feminazi.
What is feminazi? The term feminazi It emerged in the 90s, specifically in 1992. This was first used by Rush Limbaugh, a conservative American politician and radio host. Limbaugh popularized the word feminazi among his followers and listeners, although he stated that it was the writer Thomas Hazlett who coined the neologism.
This word, an acronym between the word feminist and Nazi, has a pejorative sense against the feminist movement and feminists in general and their origin responds to a campaign to discredit and attack feminism. The definition of feminazi refers to radical feminists, who from certain sectors opposed to this movement try to associate it with Nazism and totalitarianism, denying the search and fight for the equality of women and mens. The feminazi concept has been linked with a composite image of a series of alleged stereotypes and characteristics of those women who are considered through this appellation:
- Ugly and wicked women: Feminazis are portrayed and caricatured as physically undesirable, frustrated, cruel and bloodthirsty women.
- Male women: They are associated with a masculine aesthetic that is considered negative for transgressing traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
- Dominance: they are accused of wanting to subdue men through intolerance, intransigence and authoritarianism.
- Contempt towards men: Feminazis are related to hatred towards man and the need for revenge towards him.
- Sexually immoral: the stereotype of sexual indecency is due to feminists' consideration of female sexuality beyond motherhood and family.
Therefore, the word feminazi is about a conservative propaganda strategy, a movement that opposes progressivism by defending traditional values.
On the other hand the finished feminist arises at the end of the XIX century in France. Etymologically it comes from Latin; of the word female which means woman and the suffix -ist, which is added to both nouns and adjectives to indicate occupation or trade or to be a person in favor or inclined towards a movement or doctrine.
The word feminist is conceptualized as that person who is a supporter of feminism, a term that in turn is defined as the political and social movement that fights for equality of men and women.
The word arises for the first time in the field of medicine, where it was used to designate a developmental disorder in men that produced a weakening and feminization of the bodies. It is later used by the writer Alexandre Dumas Jr., in 1872, to refer, in a derogatory way, to those women who were fighting for their rights at that time. However, the popularization of the concept of feminist is attributed to Hubertine Auclert, journalist and the first suffragette of French origin, who appropriated this word and resignified it with the meaning that we know today in day. In the following article you will find information about the history and currents of feminism.
Although the term was not coined until the 19th century, the hegemonic Western feminist movement emerged in the late 18th century formally in the context of the French Revolution and the framework of the Enlightenment movement, at which time a series of women, aware of their inequality, they claimed their rights.
Feminism is a dynamic movement that has evolved based on the challenges and challenges that occur both in each moment of history and within the own movement, incorporating new knowledge and contributions, as well as adapting to the objectives, changing according to the circumstances and particularities of the context. It is thus a historical movement with a political, social and theoretical base. In the following article you will find what is currently considered a feminist.
Once we have clarified both terms, let's look specifically at the difference between feminist and feminazi and why the concept of feminazi is derogatory and inappropriate.
Having clarified what it is to be a feminist and a feminazi, we delve into the difference. The basic difference between feminazi and feminist lies in the fact that the first term is a misogynistic fictional concept that does not correspond to the feminist movement or any of its currents, is not based on reality. On the other hand, the second of them refers to the people who are part of a movement in history that lasts today and presents a theory and solid foundations. Why does the term feminazi make no sense?
- Objective to discredit. Throughout history there has been a counter-movement that has tried to discredit the feminist struggle, since this threatens the foundations of a system, the patriarchal, and challenges the privileges of the collective male. One of the current manifestations of this campaign to delegitimize feminists is the invention of the term feminazi.
- Absence of similarity between feminism and nazism. The word feminazi is anti-historical because, in a cruel and disrespectful way, it associates feminism with genocide and totalitarianism that took place in the twentieth century, claiming a large number of victims and constituting a crime against humanity.
- Opposition of nazism against feminism. The term feminazi is anti-historical because Adolf Hitler came to power with a position contrary to the movement German feminist by closing family planning clinics, declaring abortion a criminal act and strong repression against feminism, which is why many women who belonged to this struggle had to flee from Germany or were killed in labor camps. concentration. Therefore, it is completely incompatible the union of the terms feminism and nazism in the same word.
- Misunderstanding of radical feminism. As noted above, this neologism consists of a demonization of feminism and their claims from conservative political positions. Likewise, this acronym has been used to refer to the members of the current of the radical feminism, which reveals an ignorance about the radical term within this movement, which refers to the root, the search for the roots or origins of inequality and oppression of women, since to eliminate them it is necessary to address and attack the root of the problematic. Because radical feminism does not settle for small reforms in society and the system, but instead aspires to change it, it generates suspicion from sectors that defend tradition and conservative values, adverse to any progress or alteration on their beginning.
- Unreal vision of feminism. While feminism fights to end the privileges of men to obtain equity between the two sexes, the term feminazi implies that women consider themselves superior to men and aspire to their domination. This idea is also defended through the criticism of the feminist word, which is conceptualized as equivalent and comparable to machismo, but on the part of the female sex. However, this term allows the visibility of a specific struggle, in which women are the first and direct victims of violence. patriarchal system, since although the male sex is also the victim of certain oppressions of the patriarchy, it holds the privilege within he.
You may also be interested in knowing the differences between liberal and radical feminism, Y the differences between feminism and feminism.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
