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Full Version: Camille Paglia: The 3 failures of modern feminism (septuagenarian style)
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https://youtu.be/lr-IGwyMWro

VIDEO EXCERPTS: . . . Camille Paglia has been one of the most critical voices in criticizing modern feminist movement since the 1990s. Today we explore why she criticizes the very movement she identifies with, and what makes her dissent so significant.

Paglia sees three main failures of modern feminism. 

First, its aversion towards men and masculine trait. Second, its victim mentality. And third, its aversion to acknowledging innate gender differences

Let us start with the aversion towards masculine traits. Paglia argues that contemporary feminism has both mischaracterized masculine traits and actively sought to demonize them. This concerns especially competitiveness, aggression, and assertiveness.

Paglia points out that competitiveness drives individuals to excel beyond their current capabilities, fostering Innovation as people strive to outdo each other and themselves, ultimately pushing societal advancements...

[...] Next is Paglia's criticism of feminist's victim mentality mindset. According to Paglia, the modern feminist narrative has become overly preoccupied with the idea that women are victims of the patriarchy. This focus diverts attention from the achievements of women, instead fixating on grievances and conflicts.

Paglia suggests that this victim mentality encourages a sense of helplessness and passivity. Indeed, psychologically people who adopt a victim mentality often see themselves as perpetually at the mercy of external forces, perpetually sidelined wronged or oppressed by others. With detrimental effect.

Paglia's critique extends to how feminist victim culture has been institutionalized. There's an industry built around maintaining women's status as victims through various advocacy groups and academic programs which persistently emphasize gender-based disadvantages.

She believes that this approach discourages women from pursuing success through their own efforts and abilities. Ironically, it disempowers women, letting them focus on a social oppression game instead of skill and merit. It also promotes a divisive "us versus them" mentality between genders...

[...] The authentic leftism is populist. It is based in working-class style, working-class language, working-class direct emotion, openness and brusqueness of speech. Not this fancy contorted jargon of the pseudo leftist of academe, who are frauds.

These people who manage to rise to the top at Berkeley, at Harvard, at Princeton. The idea that these people are radical -- they are career people, they're corporate types, who succeeded in and love the institutional context. They know how to manipulate the bureaucracy, which has totally invaded and usurped academe.

These people are company players, they could have done well in any field. They love to sit in endless committees, they love bureaucratic regulation, and so on...

Camille Paglia: The 3 failures of modern feminism
Quote:Next is Paglia's criticism of feminist's victim mentality mindset. According to Paglia, the modern feminist narrative has become overly preoccupied with the idea that women are victims of the patriarchy. This focus diverts attention from the achievements of women, instead fixating on grievances and conflicts.

Paglia suggests that this victim mentality encourages a sense of helplessness and passivity. Indeed, psychologically people who adopt a victim mentality often see themselves as perpetually at the mercy of external forces, perpetually sidelined wronged or oppressed by others. With detrimental effect.

I think women can have a healthy acknowledgement of how they are stereotyped and discriminated against in society without succumbing to a helpless victim mentality. Empowering women as survivors of systemic and generational bias and living out one's chosen life to the fullest extent is a moral and noble cause to get behind. It's not about resigning oneself to the fate of gender inequality. It's about standing up for what is right and just and changing the system from within.