Who here has any Sympathy for the views of Andrea Dworkin?

Question

I have practically no sympathy for anything that she has said excluding that women should not be subject to domestic violence.

Who here has any sympathy with her views?

Do you consider her a Pariah within the feminist movement?

Yanno Jay - that's probably a good thing.

Brian - don't think they would do her much good now. She is quite quite dead.

To waswis - she has said some utterly toxic things in very public forums about all men being abusers and worse besides that. Even a quick glance at wiki will give you a good idea.

Hopscotch, I checked your post, and it is a MEMORIAL. Generally speaking not the time when anyone with any taste takes potshots over disagreements.

If you note the wording, it is actually very careful NOT to agree with the things she has said, only to remember the good aspects of her life vis:

"Dworkin was one of feminism's most rigorous minds and fiercest crusaders. In her determination to articulate the experiences of poor, lower-class, marginal, and prostituted women, Dworkin deepened public awareness of rape, battery, pornography, and prostitution. Called "the eloquent feminist" by syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, Dworkin's impassioned words always informed, provoked and inspired."

I do not see how your reference in any way backs up the views you ascribe to it, but then maybe you did not actually expect anyone would read it.

Answer 1

Dead or alive I have no use for her, yet I recognize she lived a life of excruciating been both physically and emotionally.

Answer 2

I am no expert, but after the publicity people do about her in this Forum, I bought some books. I just have had time to read one "Heartbroken", which is her biography.
She is an admirable woman, who went through a lot, rape, abuse and other nasty things during her life. I have read also many of her quotes, but as Wiswgirl said, many are from fiction writings. I like many of her real quotes, but to say this in this place, is to receive hate mails. I don't like extremists, I don't like when Dvorking writes with so much anger, but after reading her biography, I understand where this anger comes from.

I am planning to read her other books once I finish my dissertation, then I will come back to you. I still can't make a valid judgement about the whole ideology of the author, I need more info

Answer 3

I wonder why NOW would do this then:

http://www.now.org/history/dworkin.html

Now why would those noble & righteous feminists say such lovingly & glowingly things about such a man-hating sexist bigot?

I'm shocked!

After all, according to NOW they themselves are:

"NOW is the largest, most comprehensive feminist advocacy group in the United States. Our purpose is to take action to bring women into full participation in society — sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination."

Wow! ...That sounds just like the textbook definition of feminism.

Imagine that.

EDIT:

(twilight)

The fact that:

a. She was given a memorial in the first place tells you something (think about that.)

b. Referencing terms like " the eloquent feminist" to describe her has very positive connotations

c. To say that her "impassioned words "informed" "provoked" and "inspired" is to put them in a place of importance & shows clear support of her sexism

Face it. Someone as wretched as Dworkin should not have been celebrated by feminists. You just don't like to admit that. Maybe even you have a little admiration for the man-hater yourself.

Answer 4

Hmm, there's plenty of things she said that I don't agree with, if she really said or wrote them! But since she wrote fiction and non-fiction, some people have mixed up the two and badly misquoted her. I was curious if she really said some of the things associated with her, and found a couple of interviews with her, where she said she had not said quite a few wild and crazy things attributed to her.

Since she's dead, it's very difficult to sort out what she said, wrote as fiction, wrote as non-fiction, or how her work was interpreted by others or taken out of context. She did have extremely radical views then, and would still be considered radical today, not only to non-feminists, but to feminists as well. But I think you need radicals to scare the heck out of the powers-that-be, and every movement has them. Whether you agree with the radicals or not, they're the ones who get the attention when they're alive, and obviously in Dworkin's case, even after they die. I understood some of her point of view, but I could never make it very far into any of her work. It was too depressing. She was very intellectual, so she's not someone that you can make glib comments about, and easily explain her point of view. And that is usually what her work is reduced to by her "enemies", a couple of hostile sound bites.

Answer 5

Why is she being brought up all of a sudden? She's been dead for years. How come nobody brings up the name of Valerie Solanis, the founder of the group SCUM (Society To Cut Up Men). She was just as much an extremist. Her biggest claim to fame was the shooting of Andy Warhol in 1968.

Answer 6

I am much like Object, I honestly cant make a valid judgment because I have never read any of her work. However, what little I do know of her I generally disagree with.

Answer 7

I( have sympathy for the girl, she needs some good antipsychotic meds and counseling. anyone who thinks everyone in the worlds father is a rapist because all consensual sex is rape, is looney. And people who take her seriously are loonier!

Answer 8

She had made a couple of statements that I've agreed with, but for the most part, her way of expressing her opinion has been extremely one-sided.

Answer 9

I don't profess to know anything about her views. I have never read anything she has written, never learned about her in any university courses. I am not qualified to speak, or pass judgement.

And unlike so many others, I am aware of it.

Answer 10

I don't know who that is.