Encased in the cocoon of America

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Ophelia Benson

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Ah, I see what prompted that comment by Richard Dawkins. I was wondering, because I certainly don’t think he generally spends his time reading my blog. Someone pointed out my post to him in a comment on his site, on his post about the NECSS statement and his response. He cross-posted his comment there. Immediately after that, we get this comment –

And I most certainly do not “jeer at feminism”. I remain a passionate feminist who looks at the world beyond America and clearly sees that by far the majority of misogynistic atrocities are committed in the name of Islam.

As does anyone who is not encased in the cocoon of America and insulate from what’s happening in the rest of the world.

Yes, that’s me, encased in the cocoon of America and insulated from what’s happening in the rest of the world. I’ve never once posted anything about misogynistic atrocities outside the US. Not a fucking word. Nothing about Saudi Arabia, nothing about Pakistan, nothing about Nigeria, nothing about Somalia, nothing about Ireland – nothing about India, Afghanistan, Brazil, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Colombia, South Africa, Malaysia –

I’m kidding. I write about misogynistic atrocities in those countries and others all the time. It’s one of my core subjects and has been from the start – some 13 or 14 years now.

But what I don’t do is barge into conversations that other feminists are having about more local issues and upbraid them for talking about that and not something else. I don’t think that’s my business as a woman and a feminist. If it’s not my business, it’s sure as hell not the business of David R Allen and Richard Dawkins.

Comments

14 responses to “Encased in the cocoon of America”

  1. Screechy Monkey Avatar
    Screechy Monkey

    To use a bit of phrasing of which Dawkins is fond:

    Non-Islamic societies engage in misogyny. Islamic societies engage in worse forms of misogyny. If you think commenting on the former is an endorsement of the latter, go away and learn how to think.

  2. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    And yet somehow, amidst Richard’s all consuming concern about islamic misogyny, he still found time to get upset about earth shattering issues such as his honey being confiscated or a young boy exaggerating when saying he built a clock. Who knew that it’s possible to care about more than one thing at a time. Still, he’s obviously very exceptional.

  3. iknklast Avatar
    iknklast

    Perhaps if he was encased in the cocoon of America, he’d realize things aren’t quite so hunky-dory here as he thinks they are? No, because he’d still be a white male with all the privilege that entails. (Note: I am NOT saying that white males are all unable to see these things – I know quite a few who see them quite well. But those men aren’t named Richard or Dawkins).

  4. Imber Fatalis Avatar
    Imber Fatalis

    So, I just followed the link, read the comments (despite my better judgement) and find myself completely flabbergasted – once again – by the sheer amount of sexism and unreflecting smugness of people who consider themselves skeptics and critical thinkers. ‘Neodarwinian’ reserves the right to ‘scold’ feminists? Like we’re dumb, petulant children who just can’t face the truth of our biological inferiority?

  5. Ariel Avatar
    Ariel

    I’m kidding. I write about misogynistic atrocities in those countries and others all the time.

    Obviously – to any reader of your blog. Just as obviously, it follows that David R Allen is not one of them.

    Allen’s comment doesn’t surprise me in the least. It is a stereotype which I saw too many times. What really surprised me is … something different. After clicking your links, I found the following comment by one “SteersmanOaring”:

    while Dr. Dawkins of course didn’t say that feminism – in total – was the proximate or sole cause of his stroke, it is hard not to infer that the views and statements of some “feminists” (of some unspecified “sects”) were at least a contributing cause – and somewhat disingenuous to suggest otherwise. Which is, to be somewhat fair to Ophelia Benson, the import of her “sort of kind of blaming us for his stroke”.

    As far as I know, the author of these words is a slymepitter. Moreover, in the quoted fragment he is (imo) quite correct! I must say that I count it as my most amazing discovery of today :)

  6. Screechy Monkey Avatar
    Screechy Monkey

    Rob @2,

    I also don’t see Dawkins chiding the Michael Shermers and James Randis and Ben Radfords of the world for writing about psychics, dowsers, bigfoot, or chupacabras when religion is the “bigger” problem in his mind. Or taking Brian Dalton and his “Mr. Deity” series to task for mostly mocking Christianity when Islam is “worse.”

    He certainly doesn’t dare tell his audience that they should look beyond the cocoon of America and appreciate that “ethics in video game journalism” is maybe not such a big issue when people are being mutilated or executed.

    Somehow, it’s just (the “wrong” kind of) feminists who need a lecture from the good professor about priorities. Which starts to look like maybe it’s not really just a question of priorities after all.

  7. Ophelia Benson Avatar
    Ophelia Benson

    Well, to be fair, we don’t so much need a lecture as we need many many lectures over the course of years, all ignoring everything we’ve said in response to the first lecture, and the second, and the third, and………….

  8. Rob Avatar
    Rob

    Screechy, indeed. I ran out of both typing time and fucks, so kept it brief for once. incidentally, I’m sure it is absolutely all about priorities…

    OB, no no no. As helpfully explained to us in the comments to that article and elsewhere, we’re all either too stupid to understand, or wilfully mistaken, or lying about the great man’s words and the copious absolutely correct explanations given by his acolytes.

  9. Ophelia Benson Avatar
    Ophelia Benson

    Sigh. Yeah, I saw that. Never mind the fact that Dawkins told Kimberly Winston that that is what he meant – he spelled it right out.

  10. John the Drunkard Avatar
    John the Drunkard

    ‘…by far the majority of misogynistic atrocities are committed in the name of Islam.’

    Might be true, but who’s keeping the statistics? This is a highly competitive field. Dawkins is sliding into ‘what-aboutery’ as badly as the jihad-deniers.

  11. Your Name's not Bruce? Avatar
    Your Name’s not Bruce?

    Is this the same “cocoon” in which one of the two major political parties is doing its best to overturn women’s rights and access to abortion and contraception? Of course, to the extent to which this can be blamed on religion, it makes a great cudgel with which to beat the religious, so you might have an in with him there. But otherwise, it’s probably best to consult with and defer to the Great, Passionate Feminist Himself. So until He has rid the world of Islamist misogyny once and for all, you best bide your time by the water cooler, waiting for someone to invite you for “coffee”. Is that Zero Bad enough for you?

  12. clamboy Avatar
    clamboy

    To Ariel at #5 – ugh, Steersman. His posts always read to me like the words of someone who is fairly inebriated but is trying to sound intellectual.

  13. maddog1129 Avatar
    maddog1129

    I never understood why RD was so encased in the cocoon of the clock, and never said a word about the atrocity of a 14 year old being arrested for no reason (being muslim), when the baselessness and bigotry of the arrest was the entire point of the story.

  14. John Avatar
    John

    I’ve never once posted anything about misogynistic atrocities outside the US. Not a fucking word. Nothing about Saudi Arabia, nothing about Pakistan, nothing about Nigeria, nothing about Somalia…

    To your credit, you talk this up almost every day. You tackle the horrific situations/events in these countries head on, and it’s refreshing to see someone do that.

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