The Patriarchy Phrasebook
Patriarchy: ‘He loved women’
Translation: ‘He fked a lot of women’
Patriarchy: ‘You’re a feminazi/ b###h/ dyke/ delusional woman/ w@##e/ desperate for a f@#k’
Translation: ‘I am threatened by your argument and am scared of you and it’
Patriarchy: ‘Smile, love!’
Translation: ‘Why are you not deferential to my masculinity?’
Patriarchy: ‘I’m not being racist/ sexist/ hetrosexist/ agist, but…’
Translation: ‘I’m about to say something racist/ sexist/ hetrosexist/ agist and I don’t want to be called on it’
Patriarchy: ‘feminists are humourless’
Translation: ‘feminists don’t laugh at my jokes about rape and violence’
Patriarchy: ‘you’re delusional’
Translation: ‘I can’t attack your argument, so I’ll have to attack you’
Patriarchy: ‘if we didn’t have prostitution/ pornography there’d be more rape’
Translation: ‘if we don’t get exactly what we want, you’ll pay for it’
Patriarchy: ‘you’re too emotional’
Translation: ‘this issue only hurts women, so why get upset?’
Patriarchy: ‘it’s natural’
Translation: ‘if I say it enough times, that makes it true!