A tip of the hat to two subscribers for contributing to the fun. Mike N. coined OvaryActing, and Jim gave us HerPocrisy. Well done, gentlemen! Both are terrific additions to the list.
Maybe It’s Time We Invented a Few Words Too
It is truly remarkable how feminism has been able to create words that bolster their ideology and simultaneously demean men. Some of these have been accepted by the general culture and have even become household terms.
Over the years we‘ve seen mansplaining, manterrupting, bropropriating, himpathy, misogynoir, kyriarchy, toxic masculinity, gender washing, leg hair harassment, and many others.
These words have a double punch. They not only describe a behaviour, they also imply a motivation. For example, mansplaining describes a man who is explaining a phenomenom but it also carries the idea that he is doing this out of sexism, arrogance, or a desire to assert male superiority.
So these phrases don’t merely describe a beahviour, they shape it. And underneath it lies the reality that these phrases are actually relational aggression in a more hidden form. Hurtful words that are easy to deny.
Once a behavior has a catch phrase attached, people begin to notice it everywhere. And sometimes it encourages people to agree with the feminist lens of its creator.
So I started wondering...Why not create a counterpoint? Perhaps it’s time the rest of us invented a few words of our own. Not because we need more labels and not because we revel in using relational aggression. But because satire often reveals something ordinary argument cannot.
Here are a few candidates.
Feministsplaining
the act of a feminist explaining something to a man in a condescending, overconfident, and often inaccurate or oversimplified manner, without regard to his own expertise.
EmpathyGapping
The act of offering compassion and empathy to everyone...except when it comes to men.
OvaryActing
Finding patriarchy in places where normal people would just call it a bad day.
NarrativeProofing
When all the data, even contradictory evidence proves the narrative is sound.
Herpocrisy
The remarkable ability to spot bad behavior in men while somehow missing the identical behavior in women.
TheoryWashing
When inconvenient facts show up, cover them with enough theory until nobody notices.
Patriarchoscope
A precision instrument used to locate patriarchy in any situation. Batteries never included. Confirmation bias always is.
Examples:
Boys failing in school? Patriarchy.
Men dying younger? Patriarchy.
Men committing suicide? Patriarchy.
Men working dangerous jobs? Patriarchy.
Men drafted into war? Believe it or not... patriarchy.
Of course, these definitions are satirical.
Well, maybe....
The interesting thing about satire is that it exaggerates just enough to expose a pattern.
If you had a chuckle while reading these, ask yourself why. Is it because they are ridiculous? Or because they are plausible? That may be the larger point.
The words we invent are not simply descriptive—they encourage us to interpret reality in particular ways. Maybe that is why creating new words has become such a powerful part of modern political and academic movements?
So here’s my challenge. Can you invent a new satirical term?
Leave it in the comments.
Who knows?
If enough people use it, maybe one day some graduate student will cite it in a journal article.
Men Are Good
"Haven't you heard, it's a battle of words." -Pink Floyd, Us and Them, 1974
It is absolutely time to engage in a full-scale propaganda war, and memes can be a big part of that.
You could also add to this list Shelaborating