Donna Zuckerberg

Not a wholly unneeded book, but one that was still somehow pretty disappointing. I don't know why I keep reading books on contemporary politics and then getting surprised that the authors come across as weird, myopic liberal elites (yes, I said it), but this one was more grating than most.

This short book (80 pages are dedicated to notes and a bibliography) engages specifically with the "Manosphere's" interpretations of Classical texts and their ideological goals. The book is split into four hefty chapters, and each reads a bit like an academic article pieced together for publication. It weaves together examples of specific Manosphere texts with original Classical texts, explaining and arguing how these texts are used my these men as well as the academics who study them.

This book was interesting in parts (I particularly enjoyed the feminist readings of myths), and I absolutely loved when the author added a good ol' "[sic]" to some poor dude's sexist rant. Unfortunately, many of the points Zuckerberg was trying to impart felt meandering. The author does not have a stronger thesis than that Classicists (and those interested in the study) should engage with the alt-right's co-opting of Classical civilization. Without a deeper reason for this small exploration of such a political topic, I was left asking "so... why?" again and again. What's worth arguing with these people? Additionally, the book doesn't go deep enough into the Manosphere to be worth recommending to others as a way to learn about them either; we are only told about the relevant areas for sexist critique, which in a world of tradwives and pick-me's, felt very limited.

Beyond this structural weakness in the text then, I think this may be a player error on my part: why the hell do I care about weirdo men on the internet? I've come to find a lot of peace from knowing that my true feminist "enemy" are the mundane, routine sexism embodied in social expectations, law, and the body. Not a fucking Redpill loser.

So, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I most likely agree on a lot with authors like these on progressive topics, but this breed of white wealthy liberal that so eternally grace our academic and cultural spheres always show the most gaping lack of understanding of their opponents and of the actual present dangers that oppressed communities face. The alt-right and the Manosphere is a threat to many people, but books like these can rarely engage with the root cause of their opponent's anger and only seek to make their readers feel vindicated in how brilliant and enlightened they are. Really, the "enemies" we have as feminists are assuredly more mundane and pernicious than the alt-right—But I know it's hard to see from that ivory tower.… (mehr)