Y'know. I find it amazing the cognitive dissonance that exists within some people.

They think it's Ok to generalize an entire demographic of billions of individuals with myriad different views, experiences, beliefs and etc. based on nothing more than a shared immutable characteristic.

And that people who bring up that doing so is kinda shitty are problematic.

AND THEN in the very same breath.

they say it's problematic that people criticize an ideology based on the actions of the people who proclaim themselves as followers of it.

The double standard is so massive that I struggle to understand how they can't see their own bias.

When they say "it is on men to stop rape culture." or "Men need to be held accountable for male violence"

they are generalizing half of the population of this planet. With the only connecting thread being that we have a penis.

But when we say "hey, There's a rampant problem with misandry among people who subscribe to a particular ideology that promotes a number of beliefs and a specific worldview"

Suddenly there's zero connecting thread. "Those people aren't representative of feminism. Stop being such a misogynist incel"

And that brings me to my next point. That really helps understand why people don't seem to realize the olympic level mental gymnastics they do to defend their ideology.

And it's that I see a number of trends present broadly across feminism.

  1. People are shamed and ostracized for criticism of the group. Criticism is forbidden. People who contradict the group are viewed as persecutors and are often given negative labels

  2. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.

  3. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.

  4. The group is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

  5. Anything the group does or says can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.

  6. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as evil conspiracies and persecutions.

  7. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".

  8. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group

Now these aren't the only signs I see frequently. But like said. It does help me understand why people put some olympic level mental gymnastics. Seemingly without even realizing.

Because do you know what these are signs of?

A cult.