Dear Nevermorons,
Recently, we published a piece about porn by Alicen Grey, which stimulated a lot of interesting debate. Clearly, there is a demand for such content.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SEX-POSITIVE FEMINISM?
When I was coming up in the anarchist scene, there were two kinds of feminists - second wave and third wave. The main difference between the two was their attitude towards men and towards sex.
Second wave feminists were heavily influenced by Andrea Dworkin, who was clearly severely mentally ill.
Third wave feminists were more likely to be punks and anarchists. Perhaps the figures that best typify the spirit of this movement were Kathleen Hanna and Ani DiFranco.
Ani DiFranco had a massive influence on my political thought, because of the album that she did with the great anarchist & Unitarian Universalist folk singer Utah Phillips.
I encountered this album when I was 15, and it was a big part of the reason that I converted to anarchism.
I am forever indebted to Ani DiFranco for bringing the words me Utah Phillips message. I deeply respect the values of Third Wave Feminism, and consider them very contiguous with anarchism. In many cases they’re the same thing.
There’s not actually any meaningful difference between anarchism and anarcha-feminism in terms of core values. Anarcha-feminism simply emphasizes the gender egalitarianism that is inherent to anarchism.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
Anyway, one of the big differences between the Second Wave and Third Wave feminists was their attitude towards sex work and porn.
Andrea Dworkin was deeply and profoundly opposed to pornography, which she believed would lead to an increase in rape.
She was wrong. By every available metric, there has a precipitous decline in rape since internet pornography became ubiquitous. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that fewer and fewer people are having sex, fewer and fewer and people are forming lasting intimate relationships, and fewer and fewer people are sexually satisfied.
It’s called the Great Sex Drought, and no one is talking about it.
I certainly don’t agree with Dworkin’s views on porn, but she was right that porn has turned out to be a horrible thing for society.
To be fair, Dworkin was not the only anti-porn feminist, nor is it fair to tar all Second Wave feminists with the same brush.
Ann Hansen, Canada’s most badass anarcha-feminist of all time, literally fire-bombed porn shops.
Anyway, I’m not claiming to have all the answers. All I want to do is start a conversation.
I also want you to become a paid subscriber, and I know that sex sells.
So I’ve decided to post a classic essay by a great sex-positive feminist. Speaking of great sex-positive feminists, have you ever read the obituary that Susie Bright wrote for Andrea Dworkin? It’s one of the most unforgettable obituaries I have ever read.
Perhaps the reason that it stuck in my mind is because it included one line that I have found absolutely incomprehensible.
Malcolm pointed out “The problem is WHITE PEOPLE.” Dworkin said, “The problem is MEN.” And for all the holes that can be poked in that cloth, there is something about that grain that is absolutely true, when you are the short end of the bolt.
I loved that she dared attack the very notion of intercourse. It was the pie aimed right in the crotch of Mr. Big Stuff. It was an impossible theory, but it wasn’t absurd. There is something about literally being fucked that colors your world, pretty or ugly, and it was about time someone said so.
Anyway, I have chosen to publish something behind this paywall that may or may not copyrighted.
If you want to read it, you’re going to have to cough up five smackeroos.
If you don’t want to become a paid subscriber right now, I suggest checking out this interview with Mary Harrington, which I think is a great introduction to the political reorientation currently occurring in feminist theory.
You might also be interested in these articles:
March 8th, 2023: The Most Sexist Thing Imaginable
June 24, 2023: Why Are Women Ditching Feminism? (Rozali Telbis)
November 5th, 2023: “Slayer of Taboos”
December 18th, 2023: The Ultimate Misogyny
January 14th, 2024: “A Woman Needs a Man like a Fish Needs a Bicycle.”
January 17th, 2024: Why Feminism Ain’t Cool No More
February 1st, 2024: Are Women Slaves?
March 26th, 2024: “We Could Have Erotica. But we choose porn.” (Alicen Grey)
March 28th, 2024: The #MeToo Era is Officially Over
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