Reframing the Relationship between Feminism and Democracy

Overview: The difference between tyrannical relationships versus democratic relationships is discussed in the feminist circle when analyzing domestic abusers and can be carried over into our views of the politics. But divisive article titles, like Rebecca Solnit’s “Feminism taught me all I need to know about men like Trump and Putin” (2023) distances people from exploring their similarities.

Why it Matters: Some feminists may argue that politics in the U.S. and beyond has turned into a game of who is loudest, and this comes from the success that abusive behavior has historically.  Yet, in name calling Republican leaders and party members, those who may see “feminism” as radical would simply scoff and scroll by after reading such headlines. Traction cannot be gained in name calling of any sort, because it is an attempt at the game they are trying to defame.

How to Play: Instead, the discussion must be reframed with mutually digestible language. Political Realism versus Liberalism, for example, defends the idea that there is crossover between feminist and democratic ideas without ruffling any feathers; it allows for both sides to see the issues in which authoritative power brings and highlights the effectiveness of democracy. 

Zoom Out: It may be true that power abusers wish to tear away not only rights, but personhood from those they view as illegitimate thus attempting to control the physical and the general idea of truth; an idea founded in Feminist and Democratic principles. However, finger-pointing reinforces partisanship which crushes any hope for a conducive conversation. 

Go Deeper: Check out Peter Boghossian’s and James Lindsay’s book How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide (2019).

Image Credit: Image by standret on Freepik