"Misogynist" -- Yet Another Word That Has Lost Its Meaning

In these Orwellian and lowbrow times, words assume a protean quality like jelly, constantly changing shape to suit the political agenda of the moment. Words such as "liberal," "fascist," and "democracy" have been tortured so much that their current usage is the opposite of their actual meaning. For example, "liberal" truly means someone who believes in individual freedom, limited government, and the rule of law, yet it is claimed by people who seek totalitarian and unrestrained government action to smother freedom in the fervid quest for Utopia. "Fascist" was coined by Italian leftists during the interwar years to praise the state as the highest good, symbolizing it with a bundle of sticks (fasces) to demonstrate that collective action is stronger and nobler than individual initiative. Today, the epithet "fascist" is hurled at people on the right who suggest that the government should intervene less in our lives. As for "democracy," the founding fathers denounced it in no uncertain terms as the rule of the mob and precursor to tyranny, yet since World War I it has assumed a holy status that supposedly justifies invading foreign countries to prop it up.

Then there are words whose misuse is so widespread as to become meaningless. One prominent example is "racist," which I'm not sure anyone can define anymore, but which remains quite popular as a weapon to delegitimize any person with whom one disagrees. Another example that is gaining popularity every day is "misogynist," and for much the same reason. Though it's probably a waste of time to try to inject sanity into all this, here is a quick breakdown of who is and is not a misogynist.

Who IS a misogynist?

• Someone who hates women.

Who IS NOT a misogynist?

• Someone who criticizes women or calls them them out on their BS.
• Someone who opposes abortion.
• Someone who believes that women are every bit as capable of sin as men.
• Someone who believes that women should be held accountable for their actions.
• Someone who notices that men and women are fundamentally different, beyond their physiology, and that they tend to have different strengths and weaknesses.
• Someone who refuses to bend or break rules to satisfy a woman.
• Someone who believes that women should receive the same punishment as men for the same crime.
• Someone who denounces no-fault divorce.
• Someone who denounces the current laws pertaining to alimony, property distribution, and custody in the wake of divorce.
• Someone who denounces the widespread, insulting portrayal of men in popular culture.
• Someone who believes in freedom of contract, private property, and freedom of association, even when the exercise of such freedom vexes a woman.
• Someone who believes that government has no business subsidizing birth control, vaccine research, breast-cancer research, or doing much of anything other than keep the peace and protect the border.

The vast majority of men (myself included) are not misogynists. We wouldn't want to live in a world without women. If anyone is a misogynist, it's the white knights and other sackless wonders who act as though women are incapable of sin or shouldn't be held accountable, an approach that reduces women to animals without dignity, souls, or the responsibility that goes with them.