Woman Hating

“There is no middle ground with Andrea Dworkin. She writes with a force that compels a reader to think.”

Andrea Dworkin was a radical feminist and managed to irritate, alienate, and generally piss off almost everyone at one time or another. Reading Woman Hating today, a reader might still find things to disagree with, question, challenge, or outright deny. And that was the unique talent that Dworkin brought to all of her writing. Disagree with her at will but she does make one think.

Woman Hating was Dworkin’s debut book, and from this launchpad she embraced a take-no-prisoners attitude toward issues that continue to be fought over today. Other books include Pornography, Intercourse, Right-Wing Women, Life and Death.

Originally published in 1974 and out of print for 30 years, Woman Hating is Andrea Dworkin’s remarkable dissertation on women, patriarchy, and feminism, which continues to trigger an emotional response for readers.

Dworkin’s book is timeless. While a half century has passed since she wrote the book, the topics she covers and her take on each one rings true today. Was she prescient? Reading tea leaves? Or did she just have the foresight to realize that nothing much was going to change.

“The nature of women’s oppression is unique: women are oppressed as women, regardless of class or race . . . women are found everywhere, but own or control no appreciable territory . . .”

In light of what the country is experiencing today there is no doubt that “[G]iven the structure of power politics and capital in Amerika [sic], it is ridiculous to expect the federal government to act in the interests of the people.” One would think Dworkin was writing for a 21st century America.

This book was published at a time when reading books was common but even then she wrote, “[M]ost Americans do not read books—they prefer television . . . books and the writing of them have become embroidery on a dying way of life . . . there is contempt for the process of writing, for writing as a way of discovering meaning and truth, and for reading as a piece of that same process . . .”

Dworkin wrote these words before the internet or social media existed; before and publishers refused to publish books because someone, somewhere, might not like it. What would she make of things now?

“[M]any see that the triumph of authoritarian consciousness is its ability to render the spoken and written word meaningless—so that we cannot talk or hear each other speak.” This is occurring now while the country watches legitimate mainstream media sink to its corporate knees while kowtowing to an oligarchy in the dismal hope that they will be left alone.

There is no middle ground with Andrea Dworkin. She writes with a force that compels a reader to think while breeding a visceral emotional response. It is doubtful that Dworkin was ever surprised by the controversy her writings generated because she was a writer who could not be ignored. After all, what’s the point in taking a position if all everyone will do is nod in agreement. It’s much more fun to challenge the status quo and common beliefs. Only then can anyone be said to be truly alive.

She was and continues to be the source of enlightenment, insight, and thought-provoking reactions. And 20 years after her death it’s good to know that Dworkin continues to get under the skin while grabbing people’s attention and making it fun to read outside one’s comfort zone.