Feminism, Sexism and the false dichotomy

This text was written to my another blog in September of 2015, having been translated in August 2, 2017. The original, in Portuguese, can be read at: http://diariosdeharveydent.blogspot.com.br/2015/09/feminismo-machismo-e-falsa-dicotomia.html

It is common to hear the statement that Feminism is the opposite of Sexism¹. I want to argue, first, that I agree and, at the same time, strongly disagree with this statement. However, to argue let’s define the word Sexism, according the Merriam-Webster it means: [noncount] : unfair treatment of people because of their sex - especially : unfair treatment of women. This is the point in what I agree, sexism and feminism are opposite because the first defends equality, and the second defends doesn’t believe in equality between the sexes. Contrary to what some argue, feminism isn’t a sexist doctrine, but seeks equality between men and women. What equality does the movement seek? Equality of rights, duties and opportunities.

Well, I’m not Sexist. I believe in equality between genders; I don’t see any problem in having women in leadership positions, in politics (even in the presidency), earning more than a man (as is the case of my wife in relation to me), division of household tasks, etc. It means that I am feminist, isn’t it? No, I’m not!

But... how so? – I hear my reader questioning – didn’t you say that you believe in equality between genders? Are you Sexist?

No, and this is the prank about which I want to talk today, it consists in a fallacy called false dilemma or false dichotomy (also called false dilemma or black-or-white). But as The Ripper (who by the way can be accused of misogynistic without dramas of conscience) let’s do it by parts.

First of all, what does mean “fallacy”? According Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP)² the term "fallacy" is not a precise term, it can refer either to (a) a kind of error in an argument, (b) a kind of error in reasoning (including arguments, definitions, explanations, and so forth), (c) a false belief, or (d) the cause of any of the previous errors including what are normally referred to as "rhetorical techniques."  Simplifying, fallacy is a logic error in an argument or a “little lying argument”, with looks like true but isn’t. To better understand where the error lies, fallacies are divided into categories, with the IEP² citing 209 of them; one of these categories is the aforementioned false dichotomy, in which the error consists in presenting two choices and implying in the compulsory choice of one. The example quoted in IEP² is: “I want to go to Scotland from London. I overheard McTaggart say there are two roads to Scotland from London: the high road and the low road. I expect the high road would be too risky because it’s through the hills and that means dangerous curves. But it’s raining now, so both roads are probably slippery. I don’t like either choice, but I guess I should take the low road and be safer.” Ok; where is the argumentative error? In the fact that there are many other ways to go from London to Scotland, therefore you don’t have to limit yourself to the two choices presented! You can, example, get other ways, choose to go by train, or boat, or maybe an airplane. Analyzing other options beyond those on the unfairly limited menu, you can “hold the dilemma by the horns” Instead of being chanted by it.

Other example is if someone says: “will you contribute $ 20 to our preservation fund, or are you on the side of environmental destruction?”² Do you understand the prank? You may be totally against the destruction of the environment, but still don’t cooperate with the $ 20, either because you don’t have money, or because you consider that you can collaborate with other funds with a more acting in what you think is the best, or even to disagree of the form of action of these environmentalists, even also being against the destruction of the environment!

This is exactly how I perceive the struggle of Feminism vs Sexism. I don’t agree with the Sexism. I think it is deplorable to consider someone inferior for whatever reason, I consider that all human beings must have the same rights; however, at the same time, I disagree of Feminism, especially feminism called the “third wave.” I disagree, for example, when feminism places all women as oppressed and all men as oppressors. Although I think that a man who harasses a woman has to be in jail, I disagree when Feminism says that the problem of domestic violence is a problem exclusively directed against women, because when one looks at the statistics of the Brazilian federal government itself, one can see that this is not true Analyzing data of the site Mapa Violência³ (which provides data from Brazilian government), we can see that total number of deaths in Brazil in 2010 was 49,932 people, of which 4,273 were women. According Feminists isn’t so important that every ten deaths in Brazil nine are men, they says that we need focus on domestic violence, which causes 40% of women’s deaths and only 14,7% of men’s deaths. Interpreting the data, we can see that the popular saying that “statistic is the art of torturing numbers until they say what you want” is correct: if 4,273 women die violently every year, and 40% of these die from domestic violence, a total of 1,710 women die from domestic violence; about the men only 14,7% of the total violently deaths ar

e from domestic violence, but when you think that 45.659 men die violently, you have 6,712 men dying from domestic violence, that is, men are nine out of ten violent deaths, and 8 out of 10 deaths from domestic violence (watch the charts), yet Feminists – besides masking the data and presenting only the percentages – find it important to focus only on the deaths of women. That is, I think a man who attacks a woman has to be in jail, but contrary to Feminism, I think that a woman who attacks a man must also be in jail. I disagree when Feminism selects scientific theories which should or shouldn’t be disclosed, which researches should or shouldn’t be done, but mainly when it frontally denies science because it does not fit into its vision of a dichotomous world without presenting any evidence that the theories attacked are not the best explanation for the phenomena. I disagree when Feminism defends equality between genders, but focuses just in women problems generating distortions. For instance, in Canada Feminists went to the struggle for better working conditions for women in hazardous jobs; such a struggle was based on evidence that the percentage of women among people who have suffered work-related accidents has doubled in five years. However, when you analyze the data, you see that had no increase on number of rugged women, but a reduction in the number of injured men because of changes in safety mine work, where men are still the overwhelming majority. That is, supposing (I will suppose because I don’t know the real numbers) that there were one thousand work-related accidents per year of which 50 were women; then had a percentage of 5% of women in the numbers of occupational accidents. Because of the increase in safety in mines, let’s assume that the number of occupational accidents has dropped to 500 in five years, With the number of women injured being fixed at 50. Now there is a percentage of 10% of women suffering work-related accidents, doubling the percentage without increasing even one digit in the numbers. This has generated the uprising of Feminists who have come to demand special laws for women, even with the reality that numbers of casualties have not increased and that the number of men who suffer accidents is still immensely higher. I disagree with Feminism when it presents the false dichotomy that if you are not a Feminist then you automatically agree with the Sexism, that you are oppressor, that you do not want men and women to have the same rights.

Summarizing, I disagree with feminism in most of its theories, I consider them taken from a magic top hat, without enough evidence to support them, but at the same time I strongly disagree with sexism and its theories of sexual inferiority. What do I do? I work for equality of genres, but without joining the Feminist movement; that is, I don’t choose any of the roads presented, I choose another way, either a train, or a boat, or maybe an airplane…

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1 – Sexism. In: Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary. Springfield: Merrian Webster, 2008.

2 - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Fallacy. Available at [http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/]; access at 15 sep 2015.

3 – Mapa da Violência. Available at [http://mapadaviolencia.org.br/]; access at 15 sep 2015