It is now so prestigious to call oneself a feminist that people do it simply to self-promote. Remember how all of those spurious feminists who supported Sarah Palin suddenly cropped up? And then there were those weird Ukrainian “feminists” who ran around naked because, according to them, feminism is all about women having the right to get their naked bodies ogled in public spaces.
Now, there is a group of stupid little fools in Russia who try to self-promote by claiming they are feminists:
Anti-government protests in Russia are taking many different forms, from mass rallies and marches to defiant street art and music.
Just recently, members of a feminist punk group were arrested in Moscow’s Red Square after they performed a song ridiculing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The group, which calls itself Pussy Riot, says it’s planning more stunts before March’s presidential elections.
What this gushing article (and the gushing posts in my blogroll) forget to mention is that these “feminists” have defiled a church and insulted the feelings of believers by offering an unsolicited performance of a song whose lyrics are extremely offensive to religious people. I have many very serious issues with the Russian Orthodox Church (to put it very, very mildly) but defiling places that people consider to be holy is just not on. And it definitely has nothing to do with feminism.
The only good news is that money-hungry self-promoters see the feminist label as something that can bring them popularity. Only 15 years ago, producers of a certain TV channel in Russia wondered if the word “feminist” was decent enough to be pronounced on screen during prime time. And now people are using it to self-promote.
Clarissa's Blog 
Isnt it wonderful to have something in common with certain individuals? You feminist you. 😉
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These women and I also share our native language, which is much more central to identity formation than any political affiliation. But I’m not prepared to give up on speaking Russian because they sang their offensive song in Russian, you know? 🙂
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I know youre not, but you do make it fun. 🙂
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One night I was drunk and peed on a bishop’s lawn. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been drunk but it was very empowering.
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I suspect that his lawn wasn’t hallowed ground, so I’m sure that’s fine. 🙂
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Looks like it worked for them, I have seen people, both bloggers and journalists, drawing comparisons between them, Kathleen Hanna, Mia Zapata, Allison Wolfe, and other prominent Riot Grrrl artists… without hearing any of their music.
I found their artist page, and it says they’re on hiatus right now, and won’t be making any new music. The actual musical arrangements they do have up are pretty good, but the lyrics are only okay. It isn’t what I would call ground-breaking, the way everyone’s been treating them. The phrase “all flash and no substance” comes to mind, but then again, a lot of punk is like that…
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Oh I thought you knew that spinning and twisting labels for gain was all the rage now.
For example Glenn Sacks has been trashed for years as an MRA. Sometime last year the folks at Manboobz asked if there were any MRAs that have done any acts of merit, and someone mentioned Sacks. All of a sudden its not known if Sacks identifies as an MRA…
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I don’t know much about Glenn Sacks but what I do know is extremely positive. I remember that he fought against a very nasty ad campaign.
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Hopefully these Russian dissidents are found to be in better taste.
h/t Broadsnark
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They are exactly the ones I was talking about. This is nothing but silly self-promotion. There is no political conviction behind this.
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How about the “new” feminists who are encouraging women to get plastic surgery because they are becoming irrelevant as they age?
I couldn’t be quiet: http://meantforsomethingbetter.com/2012/02/17/response-to-bad-advice/
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God, what a stupid post. But your takedown of it is brilliant.
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Thank you….I was shaking in a rage as I typed it…you wouldn’t believe how many of my friends commented on facebook that they thought she had some good points. WHAT?!?!
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This kind of garbage makes me livid, too! It’s unbelievable that in this day and age people would seriously defend this “find a man and hold on to him at all costs” ideology.
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Sorry to hear you are so anti-feminist. You must be some young “la-de-daa” girl who lives in the midwest or something. Someone who has no real experience in the world. You do not realize how hard us feminists are working and have had worked to make your life easier. Remember how women could not vote and were property? Sounds like fun doesn’t it? Feminists desire to be treated equally as men-not as fucking sluts and whores or stupid or having below average intelligence just because we are women. Do you enjoy being treated this way? I bet your male “friends” are little angels aren’t they? And that boyfriend who watches porn and likes watching girls getting fucked in the ass? You have no idea what men do to women and you have some nerve putting down feminists who work around the clock to make women’s lives liveable in a patriarchal society.
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“You must be some young “la-de-daa” girl who lives in the midwest or something. Someone who has no real experience in the world. You do not realize how hard us feminists are working and have had worked to make your life easier. Remember how women could not vote and were property?”
– I’m 36, so I’m hardly a “girl.” But if you do remember the times when women could not vote, as you suggest you do, then I might really seem a girl to you.
“Feminists desire to be treated equally as men-not as fucking sluts and whores or stupid or having below average intelligence just because we are women.”
– I know and so do I.
“And that boyfriend who watches porn and likes watching girls getting fucked in the ass?”
– You are really confusing me with somebody. Are you sure you are on the right blog?
“You have no idea what men do to women and you have some nerve putting down feminists who work around the clock to make women’s lives liveable in a patriarchal society.”
– I only put down pseudo-feminists who disgrace our movement.
Have you tried reading the post you are responding to?
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You seem to have a huge hatred for feminism. After reading some of your other entries, I thought you were indeed a man posing to be a woman. The funny part is that feminists are out there, laying it all on the line to protect female misogynist’s freedom of speech and oh so much more. How do you feel about MRA’s (Men’s rights activists?) They are hiding behind a made up “movement” but are really staunch misogynists in a whiny man’s clothes. They disgust me because we already live in a patriarchy and they want “MORE?” More what? More power over women? They sound like a bunch of smelly old disgruntled men with small dicks who are angry because no woman wants them. Hey that’s not a woman’s fault. They, like you see feminism as threatening. Why did you even write this entry about feminists? It sounds ridiculous coming from a woman. Your blog is one of the worst ones I have seen written by a woman by the way. Are you an angry trans person? I don’t understand you at all. Women who hate other women hate themselves.
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Yes, I’m an angry trans person. And we, the angry trans people, hate stupidity. So can you please take your stupid rants somewhere else? Nobody is interested in them here.
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