Using words correctly

Why do people who criticize feminism confuse feminism with chivalry? Or patriarchy with men as a group? Feminism and the philosophy underlying chivalry couldn’t be more different or oppositional; it’s perhaps the one thing feminists might actually all agree on. And how does anyone confuse a word referring to a social structure with a word that’s simply a category title?

Hanlon’s Razor says “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity,” or, to put it more generously, ignorance is often more likely than malice. It’s a perspective I’ve always tried to take even before I knew there was a term for it.

Yet I can’t help but think that stupidity/ignorance isn’t adequate here. Everyone’s heard of feminism, and it’s not at all difficult to come across information about at least the very basics, like the problems with chivalry. Pop Feminism 101 right there. The difference between “patriarchy” and “men” should be obvious just from a linguistics perspective, even without knowing the exact definition. You can’t say “You are two patriarchy” as a replacement for “You are two men.” There can’t be that many native-English speakers who don’t know how their own language works.

The only reasonable conclusion I can come to is either outright malice or willful ignorance (which, frankly, is itself a form of malice since it means treating other people’s ideas as unworthy of serious consideration and accurate representation – refusing to learn). Perhaps the problem in fact comes back to something like a lack of application of Hanlon’s Razor on the part of these willfully ignorant people. They’re attributing malice to feminists rather than any other possibility, and so don’t even bother to attempt to learn what their words and concepts actually mean, or learn, but claim it’s a cover, lie, conspiracy on the part of feminists to hide some “true agenda,” which only makes sense if they go back to redefining terms to mean things feminists don’t mean. Again, Hanlon’s Razor; or better yet, stop assuming the worst.

 

Or perhaps it really is ignorance. Ignorance so deep that they can’t even comprehend that there are perspectives outside their own, and so, without anything for contrast, are unable to even see that they have a personal, non-universal/default perspective that can change. Terms thus get redefined because the terms changing is the only way they make sense.

 

If you find yourself frequently being told that’s not what a word means, be it in regards to feminism, evolution, or any other contentious subject, the problem is, indeed, most likely your (mis)use of the terms, not everyone else you disagree with.

 

(Next post, a follow-up to this "talking down")