All men are rapists.







Sounds like a parody of feminism, right?

Makes you think of those (very very few) militant people who make feminism about hating and tearing down men instead of working for equality.



I thought so, anyway.

When I mentioned this to my dad - who’s been a staunch feminist ever since I can remember, and was part of the movement when the “all men are rapists” slogan became popular - he told me this:

“All men are rapists. Not because all men rape, but because all men benefit from rape culture. Whether we like it or not, we are beneficiaries of a society that trivialises and even sexualises rape. In the same way that all white people are racist, not because we all actively participate in racism, but because we all benefit from casual racism. In our daily lives, men are beneficiaries of rape culture, and until that ends all men are rapists.”

I still think that this phrase is antagonistic and not very useful in practical conversation, but it did give me an entirely new perspective on something I’d written off as ludicrous before.

I’m not sure if other people are already aware of this slogan’s context, but if, like me, you weren’t, I hope this sheds some light on its use and why it is important to feminism.