thejokesonthem

[thejokesonthem]

[thejokesonthem]

tumblr is also not really the place to be organizing collective feminist action because guess what, we don't really know each other, we are not near enough to each other, and we don't want to reveal identifying information. the only collective action we can discuss on here safely are the individual actions that women can take in their personal lives that don't require joining up with an organization (that would need to be local and/or not anonymous) or events. since we aren't on here to doxx ourselves, the discussion on what kind of feminist action we can take is necessarily going to be limited to the individual action that each woman should take if she is able.

hence the encouragement to give up shaving, makeup, read feminist theory, focus on women in your personal lives and yes make personal choices which prioritize women! tumblr radfems are not an organization so obviously we don't have a collective agenda or goal besides the very general goal of being a community of women who not only talk about radical feminism but practice it as much as they can in their personal lives by making personal choices inline with radical feminism. and encouraging women we know both online and off to make those difficult choices because the more women as individuals make those choices, the more women as a class benefit. the more women give up shaving, makeup and men, the more women collectively and individually benefit. feminist goals specific to a particular country or organization or law can't be arranged on here because again, internet.

and that's why radblr is focused on encouraging women to make change their individual behavior. because on a public forum on the worldwide internet, that's what is safe/effective for. you should make an effort to find and support your local women's orgs and causes, but you're probably not gonna be sharing every little detail of those on the internet where anyone can find them are you?

you can also find women in your area on here and arrange to meet up and do things together! many women here have done that and will continue to do that. but again, you won't share details of that on here so there's no way for strangers across the internet to know how much radical action you're taking irl, because once again! internet! strangers!

[thejokesonthem]

[thejokesonthem]

—— 01.

preface: I shall start by saying 6B4T is a lifestyle choice. no one, no lesbian especially, has the power required to separate you from your males, we do not have the power to ban, or restrict, or kill you for continuing to date, idolize, and birth males while having no female solidarity and prioritizing no women. the most "backlash" you shall receive is online words on a screen. compared to real life as women are raped, beaten, assaulted by men repeatedly over and over; we are not wrong to demand feminist action and hold women up to a certain standard. 

6B4T: a South Korean & Chinese feminist movements that calls for radical action & provides the most practical and sensible way of ending the patriarchy. the tenets are:

"radical feminism"; there is a disconnect here, but not by much. western radical feminism is the one that originated during the 3rd wave feminist movement. the meaning of it was to 'get to the root' of the problem and dismantle the patriarchy. the word radical here also applies in a literal sense, meaning radical action. then there is the South Korean / Chinese radical feminism or the 6B4T group which is essentially the same, but with clear cut goals and lifestyle. a direct approach on how to best, and swiftly end patriarchal oppression; at the root. while they both refer to different sects, the end solution is always the same: separatism. which is why it is important that online radfems learn the difference between the radical feminist label, and gender critical. not centering & catering to males is an essential necessity of the movement. you cannot pick and choose when to call yourself a radical feminist while actively contradicting the fundamentals of the movement itself simply because you do not want to take radical action, in a radical feminist movement.

Separatism: I outright refuse to believe separatism constitutes as a 'radical' action, rather it should be considered the most natural solution. the obvious choice. the only power we have is to not serve men. let's break this down; for the sake of convenience let's just ignore male family members at this point, despite the fact that they're the ones who are most likely to benefit out of your subjugation. for now let's focus on romantic male partners. 

to start, I've heard many say that I, as a lesbian, have no right to give my input on this topic, and during my earlier r*dblr days I'll admit I thought that too as I was being silenced by every osa woman around me. still, that did not stop me from thinking and forming opinions; seeing things clearly. some lesphobic way's I've been shut down includes saying things like "lesbians just don't get osa oppression, t's easy for you to advocate for celibacy when you aren't the one being involved with or being affected by men", or "you get to say that & date, yet we cannot find love? how unfair is that" 

—— to a degree this is correct, I'll never understand what you as a osa go through, but that does not mean we do not face misogyny. we are women, and we are traumatized constantly by being forced to be in the presence of males, usually brought around by osa women. the axis of homophobia and misogyny here overlap. that aside 6B4T radical feminist movement isn't made solely by lesbians. it's a movement started by women of all sexuality in South Korean & china. many women abstain from sex & marriage whether for religious reasons, or protest; it is not a new concept.

—— sorry but you won't receive any sympathy from me on the second point; lesbians are well resigned to the fact that we will never date, never find loved and will likely be sold or raped by our family members. and guess what? that isolation is unique to us, but it is also our norm. in every single tv show, play, books, media, conversation, history; every part of creation on the planet has been saturated in your favor; you were promised love from the start, you were given it in tv shows, in books, in historical stories, in songs, in poems — the world is made for you. everywhere you go. we never had that, we still don't. to me this sounds like the cries of the privileged. so sorry if I do not care much about how being celibate is a very difficult choice for you. I'm devoid of compassion here. I'm sure it's hard, but you will find someone else to hold your hand instead; the entire world always gives you what you want, so please bear my lack of sympathy. 

moving on, I don't think I need to expressly say it, but I will anyway: dating men is self harm. it's foolish; you endanger yourself and everyone around you. no, I am not infantilizing you when I say this. it is just a fact. I know it, and you know it, must I really pull out the beautiful words and string it all together lyrically? we both know the end result and the truth is this; men don't respect you, they do not care for you, and they do not love you beyond how one love's it's property. although I am well aware that when faced with uncomfortable facts women tend to double down often on their beliefs. it's a defense mechanism, so I have nothing to say to that. shut your ears, avert your eyes & scream about how wrong I am, I shall continue to speak to the ones who will listen then.  

I think the reason women on radblr find it so hard to be anti male centric is because of western privilege. due to the fact that the patriarchy you reside in is comfortable enough for you, you lack the empathy required to use your privilege to take radical feminist action & make a solid stance. western countries like America, Uk, etc have a lot of influence, the effects of colonization still ripple across many different countries; it is why popular fads like gender identity and pro-sexual abuse movements blaze through other countries. alternatively we can use this tide in the favor of all women; if western women take up such a bold feminist stance they shall cause a ripple effect and their actions will reflect the struggles of all women. 

However they refuse to do so because they are lazy and lack empathy for women in other countries because they aren't the ones being beaten, raped and sold by their family members into sexual slavery, because they aren't the ones being payed by governments to birth babies like cattle, because they aren't the ones who's parents kill them upon being born, because they aren't child brides (or at least pretend that it's not an issue in their countries), because they are not pawns; they have rights. and they lack empathy for us outside of reblogging posts to reaffirm their beliefs "oh look at those poor dirty countries, how those women suffer" while still being extremely individualistic and male centric. 

women do not need sex, to argue that having PIV / het sex is essential to your life as a woman is not only misogynistic, but homophobic as well. you are a multifaceted individual, your entire being is not tied to sexual acts you commit with men; it is not a need to have sex, you will not die if you do not have sex with men, insinuating so is very incel-like behavior. pleasing men sexually will not grant you liberation, no matter what gratification you claim to get out of it.

centering males is unfeminist. reproducing, marrying and birthing males is an unfeminist action. no amount of revolutionary online 'think' posts will aid in women's liberation unless you, yourself, take action. which brings me to the next point; some reasons & arguments that anti-separatists give: 

—— "it's too extreme": misogyny is extreme. feminism is extreme. you will not be liberated nor contribute to the liberation of anyone else as you drag your feet & hold any entire movement back by co-opting the 'radfem' label as a gender identity while taking no action. then calling everyone who rightfully follows and advocates for the principles of radical feminist 'deranged' and harassing them out of the spaces where they rightfully belong; lesbians & woc especially are a victim to such overwhelming target of harassment by bi/het privileged women as they continue to repeatedly prioritize men and themselves over marginalized minority women.

—— "how dare you say I don't deserve love" love has nothing to do with being deserving or worthy; I think you're too emotionally involved at this point where you cannot give up the privileges you acquire from bedding men, so instead you think yourself a victim of online hate crime. please go back to the preface at the start of this post, I don't want to retype it.

—— "if we stop reproducing with males, they will rape us". is that not more reason to separate from males? distance yourself so that they may never reach you again. being pressured to sleep with males; saying 'no' and getting raped: that is the true face of all males, these creatures will not 'love' you, no matter how much you try to romanticize it. for every 'good' male there is a girl he's harassed, a rapist friend he's defended, a porn watcher he's ignored, a woman he didn't help out, a comment he liked about misogyny. prioritize other women first, not males.

—— "osa women are the majority, they will never stop partnering with males, it's unrealistic to demand so & exclude them from feminism" you see.. here's the thing; separatists, lesbians, actual radfems: we have no systematic power to exclude or oppress osa's from feminism. there is no way to stop these women from benefiting of the labour of lesbians / woc radfems. however they, being part of the oppressor class, largely do have the power to come into radical feminist spaces and co-opt it, dismantle it and reconstruct it to 'function' within the frame work of their comfort (dating men, wearing makeup, watching porn, being hateful to lesbians and woc all the while simply being anti sex slavery and gender critical is enough for them to garner all the attention and positive reaffirmation they require about their male reformist feminism). 

    —— as for the first point; women in china, south korea, women in conservative households or even nuns; these are real women who practice celibacy, they are doing it as we speak, it is possible. have some courage. this is not a new concept and you are certainly not alone in this. 

    —— lastly, separatism not only helps you, but lesbians as well. continuing to force lesbians to be near, and interact with males means continuing a society where we are preyed on by men. I bring this up not because I expect anything of any of you, but rather because you are so quick to bring up words like "solidarity" & "sisterhood" in regards to male reformist osa women. well. I am throwing this back there; solidarity and sisterhood means taking actions that save lesbians from a lesphobic society. (don't worry, I know none of you take lesphobia seriously, this was more a comment on principle than expecting genuine results)

Criticism of radical feminism: lesphobia; as I was alluding to in my fourth point, osa women have a lot of structural power, especially when it comes to oppressing lesbians. and the entirety of radical feminist movement has been infested with political lesbianism; women who believe lesbianism is a choice, that simply not dating males makes you a lesbian, that exclusive same sex attraction is not real — all of this lesphobia has been prevalent since the start of radical feminism. lesbians were a big help to the advancement of women in terms of feminism, yet we were abused for it repeatedly. our voices were silence, we were stripped of our labels as a woman, and as a actual lesbian. even still, to this day so many lesbians continue to be brave and fight for the rights of all women, all we have been given in return is repeated abuse; we are treated like how male-lites and predators and that is proven time and time again on 'r*dblr'. if you are going to start having solidarity with all women ('the majority of the women are osa's') how about prioritizing vulnerable groups? lesbians and women of colour. groups who's labour you've continued to reap from.

hypocrisy of Tumblr radfems: my last critique is the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Tumblr radfems; spineless. half of you are far too spineless due to your own comfort and privilege; (you excuse imperialism, racist jokes, birthing children and bedding males, why? because these issues don't affect you. did you know there are countries where women are paid to give birth to a minimum of 2-3 children? did you know that child brides, & arrange marriages are still a thing? do you even care? I think not, because you have the choice to not care and only focus on male reformation or defending your favorite r*dblr idols),  you have a disgusting clique mentality and shy away from holding people accountable for their actions, you are focused too much on trans issues and expend so very little energy or time to actually helping all women, you do not prioritize girls but instead groom and encourage them to sleep with men and be abused, you enable the worst inaction between each other all the while deluding yourself that you're achieving something big. you extend your compassion to worst people alive; anyone but a lesbian. women who are racist, women who are lesphobic, who bed men, women who birth men's children, women who cheat, women who sabotage — all of them are given 10000 excuses by self proclaimed radfems, they are never held accountable because perhaps it's your favorite popular blogger, or your mutual, or your friend — radical feminism is a feminist movement, do not derail it by letting your judgement be clouded. focus on what the objective is. 

(and because I know I will be told 'it's just tumblr', the original 6B4T movement was one that was started online too. you have no excuse). I have witnessed countless lesbians be run off radblr because simply asking certain women to be held accountable is apparently "drama/infighting/causing division" & oh — isn't it painfully, laughably funny? that only lesbians, women of colour and separatists are ever accused of 'causing a rift in feminism', isn't it funny that asking you to hold racists and lesphobes accountable is what gets us harassed and chased off a movement of our own creation? isn't it funny how you have more solidarity with osa white women then you will ever have with us? and isn't it funny that only we are told to "let go of a mistake / choice from x & y years ago, don't be mad over it anymore" by people who have no right to give any input? it's hilarious.

I am tired of lesbians and women of color making posts about how they are leaving because r*dblr collectively decided to side with class traitors. I am so very tired.

[thejokesonthem]

And I have talked to some genuinely mistreated men, and that was, indeed, how they reacted; they come up to me and say things like, “I really get what you’re talking about, because I actually had a pretty similar experience.” So I get immediately suspicious of a man who stands up angrily, and starts growling, “Why aren’t you talking about this happening to men?? This happened to me!!” This style of guy doesn’t express any caring about what is happening to women. Nor does he express any gratitude towards the women and men who are working to assist abused women and to stop abusers. There’s no sign that he feels any sense of common ground with abused women. So I don’t buy his story. I think what he’s really mad about is that we won’t shut up about what so many men are doing to women.”

“Twenty years or so ago, we started to hear that it was important to talk more about male victims. The argument was that it would give our movement against domestic violence more appeal, because men would realize that it can happen to them too. We’d broaden our reach. It’s been a tremendous mistake.”

“The domestic violence movement has de-genderized itself. The programs are now called “domestic violence programs,” not “abused women’s programs” as they were known before. We talk about abusers and victims as “he or she,” ignoring statistics that show that it’s overwhelmingly male-on-female. When we talk about the issue, we try to make sure we aren’t hurting men’s feelings with too much truth-telling.Has this broadened and strengthened our movement? No, not a bit. The domestic violence movement is far weaker than it was twenty years ago, not stronger. Many, many of the gains that we made are now being stripped away, more every year. (Women’s rights in general are being stripped away in our times, as you have most likely noticed.)”

“Don’t be apologetic about making women your agenda. Don’t apologize for putting women’s needs and rights front and center. When someone tells you that you should be talking about male victims too, I encourage you to respond, “There are hundreds of issues in this world that need to be addressed. Are you saying that I can’t address what happens to women unless I also address every other wrong that happens in the world? Why isn’t it okay to make women my focus?””

Excerpts from: Lundy Bancroft. Men’s Angry Messages to Me Part 2. November 14, unknown.

[thejokesonthem]

The whole point of the internet is sending women in abusive relationships pdf links for "Loving to Survive" by Dee L.R. Graham, “Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them” by Dr. Susan Forward and Joan Torres, “Why Does He Do That” by Lundy Bancroft, and “Women Who Love Too Much” by Robin Norwood. Here is a link for all of them!

[thejokesonthem]

i can’t read about a lesbian bar in France being vandalized with “fuck terfs” and not think “en anglais? really?”

like if you don’t have the language to express your ideas in your own language, are those ideas really your own, and not, say, an obviously american import?

[thejokesonthem]

Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint (Halina Dyrschka, 2019)

[thejokesonthem]

Sakalava women of Madagascar and face paint

[thejokesonthem]

this is your sign to stop shaving when you go to the beach. this is also your sign to wear comfortable bathing suits that allow you to move and swim and jump without worrying about readjusting them every minute to avoid flashing someone. this is also your sign to stop the constant body monitoring - sit comfortably on your towel and ignore your belly rolls, get your hair wet and don't stress about it looking bad, walk along the shore and enjoy yourself without thinking about how your body is looking like while you do so, crouch down to inspect the sand and focus on the pretty seashells below you not on how your body looks in that position, lay down and feel the sun on your skin without caring about your double chin

free yourself from this mental burden. you don't owe anyone prettiness, but you owe yourself this

[thejokesonthem]

I'm not exaggerating when I say all women in my family meet the statistics. It is an epidemic. Please watch Murder In Bighorn a documentary about MMIW that came out This Year. If you have Instagram please take a moment to sign the link for your state senators to care about the issue, the message to them is already pre-written.

[thejokesonthem]

i don’t even have words for this, this moved me to tears. like all of life, all the suffering, all the grief, the joy, the beauty, the miracle of birth and the devastation that can accompany the postpartum period, all expressed in this piece by a ten year old girl. i hope she’s doing okay, i wish i could see her other work. what a gift.

[thejokesonthem]

I wish it were more acceptable for girls and women to just call feminine beauty rituals degrading.

[thejokesonthem]

[thejokesonthem]

They've found another prehistoric cave in France, with engravings, silex and jewellery made of seashells. One of the major engravings is of a vulva and it's said to be 16 000 years old.

It's not the first time they find female engravings in french caves so I'll leave you with some more:

[thejokesonthem]

Feminist Literary Resources - MASTERPOST

Disclaimer: I have not read all of these books and essays. This is not an endorsement of the content of any particular books. I just hoard pdfs and wanted to share. Books I read or am reading are italicized, books that I recommend are bolded.

Full Books 

Outlaw Woman - A Memoir of the War Years 1960-1975  Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - PDF Link

A Deafening Silence - Hidden Violence Against Women and Children Patrizia Romito - PDF Link

Letters From a War Zone  Andrea Dworkin - PDF Link

Our Blood - Prophecies and Discourses on Sexual Politics Andrea Dworkin - PDF Link

Angela Davis - An Autobiography Angela Davis - PDF Link

Assata (Shakur), An Autobiography Assata Shakur - PDF Link

Beyond the Frame - Women of Color and Visual Representation Angela Davis and Neferti Tadiar - PDF Link

Caliban and the Witch - Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation Sylvia Federici - PDF Link

Feminism Unmodified - Discourses on Life and Law Catharine A. MacKinnon - PDF Link

Only Words Catharine A. MacKinnon - PDF Link

For Her Own Good - Two Centuries of the Experts’ Advice to Women Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English - PDF Link

Going Out of Our Minds - The Metaphysics of Liberation Sonia Johnson - PDF Link 

The Great Cosmic Mother - Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor - PDF Link

Beauty and Mysogyny - Harmful Cultural Practices in the West Sheila Jeffreys - PDF Link

How to Suppress Women’s Writing Joanna Russ - PDF Link

Loving to Survive - Sexual Terror, Men’s Violence, and Women’s Lives Dee L. R. Graham - PDF Link

Beyond God the Father - Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation Mary Daly - PDF Link

Gyn/Ecology - The Metaethics of Radical Feminism Mary Daly - PDF Link

Sexual Politics Kate Millett - PDF Link

Natural Liberty Sage-Femme Collective - PDF Link

Pornland - How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality Gail Dines - PDF Link

Radical Feminist Therapy - Working in the Context of Violence Bonnie Burstow - PDF Link

Right Wing Women  Andrea Dworkin - PDF Link

The Dialectic of Sex - A Case for Feminist Revolution Shulamith Firestone - PDF Link

The Spinster and Her Enemies - Feminism and Sexuality 1880-1930 Sheila Jeffreys - PDF Link

The Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism edited by Dorchen Leidhodt and Janice G. Raymond - PDF Link

This Bridge Called My Back - Writings by Radical Women of Color editors: Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua - PDF Link

Toward a Feminist Theory of the State Catharine A. MacKinnon - PDF Link 

Trauma and Recovery - The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror Judith Herman, M.D. - PDF Link 

Unpacking Queer Politics Sheila Jeffreys - PDF Link

Who Cooked the Last Supper? - A Woman’s History of the World Rosalind Miles - PDF Link

Why Does He Do That? - Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men Lundy Bancroft - PDF Link

Wildfire - Igniting the She/Volution Sonia Johnson - PDF Link

Woman Hating Andrea Dworkin - PDF Link

Women, Race, and Class Angela Davis - PDF Link

Essays, Pamphlets, Articles, Manifestos, Letters, Shorter Books

Post-Mortems - Representations of Female Suicide by Drowning in Victorian Culture Valerie Messen - PDF Link

Consciousness-Raising: A Radical Weapon Kathie Sarachild - PDF Link

A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology and Socialist-Feminism in the Late 20th Century - PDF Link

Ancient Hatred and Its Contemporary Manifestation: The Torture of Lesbians Susan Hawthorne, Ph.D. - PDF Link

Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights Angela Davis - PDF Link

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses - A history of Women Healers Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English - PDF Link

Bringing Together Feminist Theory and Practice: A Collective Interview PDF Link

The Combahee River Collective Statement PDF Link

Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence Adrienne Rich - PDF Link

A Collection of Essays on Feminism and Sexism in the Anarchist Movement PDF Link

Everyday Male Chauvinism - Intimate Partner Violence Which is Not Called Violence - PDF Link

Free Space - A Perspective on the Small Group in Women’s Liberation Pamela Allen - PDF Link

Is Art Creating Patriarchy or is Patriarchy Creating Art? Mary B. - PDF Link

Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought Patricia Hill Collins - PDF Link

Liberalism and the Death of Feminism Catherine A. MacKinnon - PDF Link

Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw - PDF Link

Marx and Gandhi Were Liberals - Feminism and the “Radical” Left Andrea Dworkin - PDF Link

The Subsistence Perspective - Beyond the Globalized Economy Maria Mies and Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen - PDF Link

Off Our Backs - The Feminist Newsjournal - Issue on Mary Daly PDF Link

Disappearing Ink: Early Modern Women Philosphers and Their Fate in History Eileen O’Neill - PDF Link

Hands, Tools, Weapons Paola Tabet - PDF Link

S.C.U.M. Manifesto Valerie Solanas - PDF Link

Sexology and Antifeminism Sheila Jeffreys - PDF Link

Sinister Wisdom - A Gathering of Spirit - North American Indian Women’s Issue PDF Link

Taking Our Eyes off the Guys Sonia Johnson - PDF Link

We Should All Be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - PDF Link

Why a Materialist Feminism is (Still) Possible - And Necessary Stevi Jackson - PDF Link

Please reblog and share, and add any PDF links that I don’t have!

[thejokesonthem]

honestly pisses me off when men say “feminism is good for me too!” women are being raped and murdered. i would drag you over hot coals to save even one child bride. and all you can think about is yourself.