Thursday, August 14, 2008

"I've been trying for some time to develop a lifestyle that doesn't require my presence." - Garry Trudeau

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On feminists in Sweden; some may recall that this is the country where feminists demanded the right to go topless on beaches:

Stanley Kurtz on Marriage in Sweden - "The rise and burnout of Sweden’s first political party built entirely around women’s issues... [Gudrun Schyman] had stirred up controversy by proposing a “man tax:” a tax leveled only on men, to help pay for the government’s extensive array of feminist-run shelters for battered women. Schyman’s “man tax” idea stirred outrage from more moderate commentators like Liza Marklund: “To declare that all men are guilty of all rapes, that all men are guilty of violence against women — that’s not just offensive and wrong; if the purpose is to get anywhere with this issue it’s just plain stupid.” Marklund’s comments proved prophetic. Yet the man-bashing had to reach an unheard of pitch before the reaction finally began... FI planned to change Sweden’s rape laws by requiring men to ask women permission for sex... Prominent feminist academic and activist, Eva Lundgren, claiming that half of all Swedish women are victims of male violence. Lundgren went on to assert that a network of male Satanist groups had carried out hundreds of ritual baby murders in Sweden... FI’s victorious radical faction was led by Tiina Rosenberg, a feminist professor who made a badge of her lesbianism. Rosenberg raised public hackles for reportedly calling women who sleep with men “traitors to their gender.”... Schyman blamed “homophobia” for the attacks on Rosenberg."
I don't understand the bit about promoting androgyny, though. And recognising alternative unions is not the same as abolishing marriage.

Swedish feminism put to the test - "At its recent founding congress, for example, instead of tackling a mainstream platform as planned, the party presented proposals to abolish marriage and create "gender-neutral" names. Support for feminism took another hit this summer with the airing of a Swedish television documentary called "The Gender War." A wrenching debate was set off by the film, which showed militant feminism to be widespread, reaching into official circles: Ireen von Wachenfeldt, the chairman of Roks, Sweden's largest women's shelter organization, for one, was shown asserting that "men are animals."... Gudrun Schyman, the most high profile of the party's co-founders, says it is "a myth" that Sweden is a very equal country... Government-funded research on gender, which formerly had broad popular support, was recently called "bizarre" and "crazy" on the opinion pages of Dagens Nyheter, Sweden's leading daily."

The Failure of Swedish Feminism by Nima Sanandaji - "Gender feminism is an ideology that grew as socialist sought new ways to promote their ideas following the fall of communism. This leftwing branch of feminism is closely related to a Marxist way of thinking and assumes that men as a group have constructed "hidden barriers" in society through which they can oppress women. In Sweden this branch of feminism has gained popularity among politicians. The former social democratic government not only included the ideas of gender feminism in public education but also created opportunities for feminist researchers to promote their ideas in state financed universities (it should be noted that gender feminism is far from scientific – the ideas are seldom tested against reality)... Gudrun Schyman... compared Swedish men with the Talibans in Afghanistan... The strongly ideological view of the world that gender feminists promote is often simply assumed to be factual by policymakers."

Miss Sweden cancelled after "feminist harassment" - "The organiser of the annual 'Miss Sweden' beauty pageant has been forced to cancel this year's contest following "harassment from feminist groups". The decision means that Sweden will not be sending a delegate to the global 'Miss Universe' event - for the first time since it was inaugurated in 1952... Papadopoulos declined to name the specific feminist organisations which had pressured him into cancelling Miss Sweden but he told The Local that he had received negative calls and messages of a personal nature. "It's impossible to talk to these people," he said... "I could understand this kind of reaction in an Arabic country," he said. "But not in Sweden - particularly considering what you see on TV here every day. Sweden's main feminist groups were unavailable for comment."

Sweden’s Feminists Kill Herr Gårman - "In Sweden, the cross walk signs have a character known throughout Sweden as Herr Gårman or Mr. Walkman... The figure looks pretty gender neutral really... But the Fru Gårman will most likely have a skirt. Because all women wear skirts. Which brings up all sorts of strange sexist questions in and of itself. But no matter. I’m just appalled that this is seen as progress. Is this really what equality is about? Making sure that a road sign is changed? Really? Work on something that matters. Because the gender of a black silhouette on a crosswalk sign can’t be what those women who fought for the right to vote were really worried about. Then again, I’m not a feminist. Or a woman. So what do I know. But either way, I’d like to say Welcome to Sweden. Where feminists have managed to emasculate even a road sign."

Unraveling Feminism in Sweden - "A lone fathers' rights advocate pointed out that violence by women against men is just as common as the reverse and that the high statistics feminists quote regarding violence against women include mostly false allegations made during divorce proceedings. The man-haters responded in an angry huff... In a new televised debate, journalists and experienced social commentators seriously questioned entrenched feminists (women who make a living at it) about the beliefs upon which their political and social empires are built. The feminists seemed to babble a bit. They weren't used to facing such a challenge. Under serious questioning they could not defend their propaganda as part of a battle for equal treatment or justice... In an extension of her "scientific" work, [Uppsala University religious historian Eva Lundgren] also asserts that it is in the male nature to abuse women and that all men are guilty. Therefore, the political argument goes, all men are obligated to support the feminist cause financially and to take up the battle against all other men. In the face of a Swedish law against hate speech, male bashing was in, and more feminist legislation (and funding) on the way... The message typically arrives in the form of false statistical information about domestic violence. In the 1990s, promoting the "Violence Against Women Act" in the U.S., statistical claims kept going up until nearly every man was an abuser."

Tax-Hungry Swedish Feminists - "The Brazilian magazine Veja recently interviewed Margareta Winberg, Swedish ambassador to Brazil and the former Swedish minister of equality. During the interview Winberg said that 40 percent of Swedish women are exposed to violence and that the numbers have climbed steadily as equality has increased... The definition of abuse in her report includes having been shoved, having been exposed to verbal threats or having been given an unwelcome hug, at least once since you were 16 years old. Any women who has admitted to have been shoved once by her brother after the age of 16 years old has been included in the same category as women who are regularly beaten by their husbands. This "research" report is a manifestation of lunacy which has been financed by taxpayers’ money. It is also a disgrace against any women who has actually been subjected to abuse. More importantly, it is a warning to other countries of the consequences of giving left wing feminists too much influence... The radical feminists have infested Swedish universities with their government sponsored ideology "genus science". This political doctrine is constantly imposed on the universities and the schools. The University of Gothenburg, one of the largest in the country, has for example enforced a policy where each scientist who wishes to get funding must include a "genus perspective" in his or her research proposal in order to get funding. "A research project in mathematics you say?, how will this help to bring down the male-dominated system of society?" This might sound like a joke, but is unfortunately the hard reality for researchers in every scientific field in the University of Gothenburg. Courses in "genus theory" are given in many major Swedish universities and colleges. Many of them are obligatory and enforce postmodern Marxist ideas on young Swedish students."

Swedish military lion gets the snip after women troops protest - "The proud lion of Sweden's Nordic Battlegroup's coat of arms has been emasculated because a group of female soldiers lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice. Christian Braunstein, from the Tradition Commission of the Swedish Army, said: "We were forced to cut the lion's willy off with the aid of a computer."... "The army lacks knowledge about heraldry. Once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown." Vladimir Sagerlund told the Göteborgs-Posten."
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