# YesAllWomen

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 26, 2014, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277 "2014-05-26T11:09:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/21 "2014-05-27T03:20:42Z")

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> [@j666](#):
>
> The level of hostility expressed in response to the topic of the unwarranted hostility women are exposed to in real life and on even the most supposedly enlightened sites on the internet is the reason this little _movemette_ is necessary.

From what language have we borrowed the word _movemette_?

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**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/22 "2014-05-27T04:17:06Z")

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> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> From what language have we borrowed the word _movemette_?

I think it’s Italic for something.

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/23 "2014-05-27T05:31:31Z")

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[We don’t need to gender sexual violence: Men are raped at nearly the same rate as women, for example, and it’s widely known that non-rape violence hits men nearly as often as women as well.](http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/04/male_rape_in_america_a_new_study_reveals_that_men_are_sexually_assaulted.html)

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/24 "2014-05-27T13:47:00Z")

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I usually think most hashtivism is unbelievably pointless (#BringBackOurGirls being a prime example), but this one feels different to me. I read through a good portion of #YesAllWomen yesterday, and was struck by a lot of the comments. And even moreso, I was shocked at a lot of the reactions to those comments.

> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Is the theme that ALL women are victims of men? And/or that ALL men are pigs now (as if they haven’t always been)? The misogyny and hatred by one murderous dude is now representative of the whole of _man_kind?

From what I gather, the name “YesAllWomen” is a response to the typical rebuttal of “But not all men…”. Yes, not all men are pigs, or judge women, or whatever - but every woman has, at some point, been the target of misogynistic behavior. And by creating an environment in which hundreds/thousands of examples of that behavior are shared, people can see that “oh, maybe my behavior in the past HAS crossed that line”.

> [@bobot](#):
>
> Hostility? Really? I am not seeing it, pardon my lack of trendy hashtag.

You read through the hashtag and didn’t see any hostility at all? That’s hard to believe. It’s hard to get through 20 tweets without running into an example. Clicking on a random tweet to see any replies to it will usually bring up a hostile response or two.

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**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/25 "2014-05-27T14:10:30Z")

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> [@Derleth](#):
>
> [We don’t need to gender sexual violence: Men are raped at nearly the same rate as women, for example, and it’s widely known that non-rape violence hits men nearly as often as women as well.](http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/04/male_rape_in_america_a_new_study_reveals_that_men_are_sexually_assaulted.html)

Only assuming that “nearly as often” means “much more often”.

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/26 "2014-05-27T14:26:28Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> From what I gather, the name “YesAllWomen” is a response to the typical rebuttal of “But not all men…”. Yes, not all men are pigs, or judge women, or whatever - but every woman has, at some point, been the target of misogynistic behavior. And by creating an environment in which hundreds/thousands of examples of that behavior are shared, people can see that “oh, maybe my behavior in the past HAS crossed that line”.

The women’s center at my college had a sign outside its door for a while that said “every man is a potential rapist”. The rebuttal “not all men” is occasionally justified.

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**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/27 "2014-05-27T14:38:43Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> You read through the hashtag and didn’t see any hostility at all? That’s hard to believe. It’s hard to get through 20 tweets without running into an example. Clicking on a random tweet to see any replies to it will usually bring up a hostile response or two.

We thought you meant the placement and presentation of the OP. It was outside of board thread parameters without a statement of position or a question or any invitation to discuss… well… anything.  
If it had been for #turtlewax, this thread would probably be closed by now.

Violent, abusive, and generally disenfranchising behavior is a problem on ALL sides and it will never be addressed let alone solved without admitting that the table has 4 legs and not just the 2 spotlighted.

Actually more than 4 because thanks to technology, a person of any gender can be violated w/o there ever being a hand raised. Thanks,[Dharun Ravi](http://news.yahoo.com/ex-rutgers-student-guilty-webcam-suicide-case-165538673.html)…!

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/28 "2014-05-27T14:41:29Z")

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I hate all this stuff. It just sounds like victim thought to me. The first one I saw was “Girls grow up knowing that it’s safer to give a fake phone number than to turn a guy down.”

No, it’s easier to give a fake phone number than say what you feel.

There was a thread a while ago on the Dope about time traveling back to the 50s. Despite all the advantages it would offer to a modern woman all I saw was complaints about how badly they would be treated.

Admittedly as a WASA (atheist) male I have never really been a victim of any form of prejudice but why is it the default response for so many people?

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/29 "2014-05-27T14:45:26Z")

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> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> The rebuttal “not all men” is occasionally justified.

Absolutely - I’m not saying that it’s not. What I am saying is that it’s not a justified rebuttal _in this context_, since #YesAllWomen is itself a rebuttal to “not all men…”.

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**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/30 "2014-05-27T14:56:18Z")

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Do you think it would be possible for this board to have one single thread on women’s experiences without men making it all about them?

Also:

> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> I hate all this stuff. It just sounds like victim thought to me. The first one I saw was “Girls grow up knowing that it’s safer to give a fake phone number than to turn a guy down.”
> 
> No, it’s easier to give a fake phone number than say what you feel.
> 
> There was a thread a while ago on the Dope about time traveling back to the 50s. Despite all the advantages it would offer to a modern woman all I saw was complaints about how badly they would be treated.
> 
> Admittedly as a WASA (atheist) male I have never really been a victim of any form of prejudice but why is it the default response for so many people?

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say that maybe, just maybe, if you were aware of being the target of systemic prejudice, you would know why.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/31 "2014-05-27T15:06:50Z")

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> [@gallows\_fodder](#):
>
> Do you think it would be possible for this board to have one single thread on women’s experiences without men making it all about them?

You could try to start a thread and stipulate that men are not welcome to participate, I guess.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/32 "2014-05-27T15:09:06Z")

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Snark is really a lot more interesting if you find out what you’re talking about before you start in on it. I don’t think hashtag activism accomplishes much on its own, but Twitter is a good medium for sharing people’s experiences and I think the hashtag was very interesting in that regard.

> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> I’m sure this will clear that problem right up.

Zing! I now see Twitter in a whole different light!

> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Is the theme that ALL women are victims of men? And/or that ALL men are pigs now (as if they haven’t always been)? The misogyny and hatred by one murderous dude is now representative of the whole of _man_kind?

No. I thought the gist of it was that all women have had experiences with sexism, whether it’s with outright violence or threats or more common things like dealing with a guy who feels entitled to their attention or feels free to comment on their bodies or things of that nature. The connection to the Isla Vista shooting is that this psycho felt he was entitled to love and sex from women just because he was self-described “nice,” and that these women were horrible bitches who needed to die because they didn’t give him what he wanted. It goes without saying that this guy was a maniac, but it seems to me that a lot of women have experience with non-psychos who take the same general approach to women.

> [@Munch](#):
>
> And even moreso, I was shocked at a lot of the reactions to those comments.

Yup. There was a lot of horrible garbage there, too.

> [@](#):
>
> From what I gather, the name “YesAllWomen” is a response to the typical rebuttal of “But not all men…”. Yes, not all men are pigs, or judge women, or whatever - but every woman has, at some point, been the target of misogynistic behavior. And by creating an environment in which hundreds/thousands of examples of that behavior are shared, people can see that “oh, maybe my behavior in the past HAS crossed that line”.

Exactly. The general idea is that whenever a famous woman writes or tweets about some upsetting act of harassment, some guy will pipe in to say “not all men do that!” For which, thanks, Twitter bros, for an irrelevant reply that insults me by holding me to such an insultingly low standard.

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**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/33 "2014-05-27T15:10:55Z")

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> [@Munch](#):
>
> I usually think most hashtivism is unbelievably pointless (#BringBackOurGirls being a prime example), but this one feels different to me. I read through a good portion of #YesAllWomen yesterday, and was struck by a lot of the comments. And even moreso, I was shocked at a lot of the reactions to those comments.
> 
> From what I gather, the name “YesAllWomen” is a response to the typical rebuttal of “But not all men…”. Yes, not all men are pigs, or judge women, or whatever - but every woman has, at some point, been the target of misogynistic behavior. And by creating an environment in which hundreds/thousands of examples of that behavior are shared, people can see that “oh, maybe my behavior in the past HAS crossed that line”.

If you are defining “misogynistic behavior” as “behavior the woman didn’t like that was possibly related in some way to her gender”, that’s probably true. And indeed, that seems to be how the term is used in most of these tweets. But it is a far cry from actual misogyny.

Some examples as I was browsing through the Twitter feed:

> [@@cassyhough](#):
>
> For every single time a guy put me down for being smart/funny/loud and called me “intimidating” instead of “awesome.” #YesAllWomen

That may be annoying, but it is certainly not misogynistic, and maybe the guys just don’t like loud women?

> [@@someone else](#):
>
> Because I am really tired of stepping on eggshells around men who can’t listen without arguing, debating, interrupting #YesAllWomen

Ah, arguing with women is misogynistic now? Got it.

> [@@another one](#):
>
> #YesAllWomen Because breastfeeding in public is offensive, but scratching your balls is acceptable.

Uh…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/34 "2014-05-27T15:17:47Z")

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> [@gallows\_fodder](#):
>
> Do you think it would be possible for this board to have one single thread on women’s experiences without men making it all about them?

Is _that_ what this thread is about? The crappy OP certainly didn’t indicate that was the idea here.

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**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/35 "2014-05-27T15:23:31Z")

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And as for why men can’t help but participate in these discussions, it’s because they often end up filled with sexist bullshit from the women’s perspective:

> [@@emma\_pins](#):
>
> Because we are taught to wear clothing that doesn’t provoke men, instead of teaching men that women aren’t objects #YesAllWomen

Yeah, I have a great idea. Let’s just throw away all our locks, and teach criminals that houses are not to be broken into. Because it’s as simple as that, and we’re just not doing it.

If you saw this tweet, would you find it racist?

> [@](#):
>
> Because we are taught to lock our doors so as not to tempt black men, instead of teaching black men that houses shouldn’t be robbed. #YesAllWhateverthefuck

You’d say hey, not all black men are robbers, that’s racist as fuck! So why is it acceptable when women say similar shit about men in general?

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**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/36 "2014-05-27T15:33:48Z")

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I guess everyone should give up on this feminism thing now. The men have told us we’re wrong.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/37 "2014-05-27T15:39:53Z")

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> [@SciFiSam](#):
>
> I guess everyone should give up on this feminism thing now. The men have told us we’re wrong.

Overreact much? No one in this thread, let alone some imaginary unified group called “The Men” , have said any such thing.

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/38 "2014-05-27T15:45:17Z")

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> [@SciFiSam](#):
>
> I guess everyone should give up on this feminism thing now. The men have told us we’re wrong.

Hello!

I have not told anyone they are wrong.

But thanks for letting me know that because I have a penis, you know what I think.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/39 "2014-05-27T15:45:21Z")

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> [@Absolute](#):
>
> If you are defining “misogynistic behavior” as “behavior the woman didn’t like that was possibly related in some way to her gender”, that’s probably true. And indeed, that seems to be how the term is used in most of these tweets. But it is a far cry from actual misogyny.

So… argument by dictionary it is, then?

> [@](#):
>
> That may be annoying, but it is certainly not misogynistic, and maybe the guys just don’t like loud women?

You don’t know that she was actually loud. What she says is that guys sometimes put her down for being “loud,” which perhaps raises questions about how women’s personalities and actions are judged. In general I’d say we’re less tolerant of women expressing their opinions and their personalities.

> [@](#):
>
> Ah, arguing with women is misogynistic now? Got it.

This is a nice example of the phenomenon being described. Note where she used the words “don’t listen?” She’s talking about guys who talk down to women, not any man who argues with a woman.

> [@Absolute](#):
>
> And as for why men can’t help but participate in these discussions, it’s because they often end up filled with sexist bullshit from the women’s perspective:

There was nothing sexist in that tweet.

> [@](#):
>
> Yeah, I have a great idea. Let’s just throw away all our locks, and teach criminals that houses are not to be broken into. Because it’s as simple as that, and we’re just not doing it.

:eek: … Did you really just make that comparison? Telling guys not to be creepy and sexist is like trying to teach a criminal not to break into your house - i.e. it’s stupid to try because it’s impossible? That’s incredibly sexist.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yesallwomen/689277/40 "2014-05-27T16:04:38Z")

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> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Overreact much? No one in this thread, let alone some imaginary unified group called “The Men” , have said any such thing.

I’m not overreacting. I’m hyperbolising somewhat, and you know the difference. That’s why I said “the men” rather than “men.”

Do I really need to say “not all men” in this particular thread? A thread about women’s experience with online violence? A thread that is now all all about men disagreeing with their expression of it? FFS, take a look at yourselves. Men telling women how to talk about the way men talk about women.

(That did remind me of Blur’s Girls Who Like Boys, I must admit. :D)

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