Mary Schmich writes about the word misogyny, from the Greek words, misos for hatred and gune for women. She writes about how it has increased in use. One example is that from Jan. 1-Oct. 18, 1996, the Tribune used it 22 times; during the same time period in 2016, they used it 115 times. Currently it's in the top 1% of words looked up in the online Merriam Webster Dictionary, which defines it as "a hatred of women."
The definition seems to be changing, too. While it has meant "hatred of women," Schmich says that an editor of the main Australian dictionary states that it is becoming synonymous with sexism. Schmich disagrees, saying that sexism covers actions and attitudes, while misogyny is more about motive. That is, why would a man prey on women sexually? Because of misogyny.
What are your thoughts about the definition?
[If you can't access the article, I'll cut and paste it. Mary Schmich is always good.]This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,
Nah, "miso" is Japanese soup, and "misogyny" is women making miso soup. Men don't make it because it's women's work.
The above is an example of chauvinism, which puts yet another slant on "chattelizing" women, to coin a phrase. Now, how does one differentiate between biased cultural norms and actual hatred?
I have long believed that misogyny is just what Bruce Springsteen was quoted as saying: Fear. Men fear what they can't understand, and fear makes them want to control it in any way possible, or even kill it.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Geoff,
