International Women's Day is a Fake Holiday - Louise Perry Subscriber Q&A | Maiden Mother Matriarch

Summary

The speaker shares a critical perspective on International Women's Day, viewing it as a recent and politically motivated invention. They express discomfort with the propaganda and politicization of the day, noting its origins in socialist and suffragette movements. The speaker also discusses the renaming of London transport lines to reflect feminist and marginalized histories, questioning the portrayal of suffragettes as heroes. They argue that the day reflects a broader societal trend of valuing weakness and marginalization, which they liken to a Christian heresy. Despite their skepticism, they acknowledge the day's role in highlighting women's issues and the preferential treatment women sometimes receive due to a 'women are wonderful' bias.

Takeaways

• 🎤 The speaker finds International Women's Day somewhat unnecessary and believes it primarily benefits female pundits with increased media opportunities.
• 📅 International Women's Day is a recent invention, dating back to the early 20th century, with explicitly political origins rooted in socialist and suffragette movements.
• 🚫 The speaker dislikes the compulsory political nature of the day and its association with propaganda, especially since the original intent has shifted over time.
• 🚇 The renaming of London transport lines for International Women's Day is cited as an example of the politicization of the event.
• 💥 The speaker criticizes the romanticization of the suffragettes, who were once considered terrorists, and the confusion between suffragettes and suffragists.
• 👦 The existence of International Men's Day is mentioned, highlighting the disparity in attention and importance given to men's rights versus women's rights.
• 🕍 Wokeness is described as a Christian heresy, embracing the idea that virtue lies in weakness and that marginalized groups deserve special recognition.
• 👩 Women are seen as lower status than men cross-culturally, yet simultaneously protected and adored due to a cognitive bias known as 'women are wonderful'.
• 📉 The speaker argues that women's lower status is not necessarily due to misogyny but is more akin to the status of children in society.
• 🤔 The speaker expresses indifference towards International Women's Day, except for its potential to offer personal benefits such as speaking engagements.
• 🌐 The script provides a critical perspective on the politics of gender and the role of International Women's Day in contemporary society.

Q & A

What is the speaker's initial opinion on International Women's Day?

The speaker finds International Women's Day a bit dumb and silly, as they believe it primarily benefits female pundits and media figures who are invited to speak on the day.

How does the speaker feel about the origins of International Women's Day?

The speaker acknowledges that International Women's Day has its roots in socialist, suffragist, and early feminist movements, but they express dissatisfaction with how it has evolved into a more politically neutral celebration.

What is the speaker's view on the politicization of International Women's Day?

The speaker dislikes the politicization of the day, feeling that it has strayed from its political origins and now often focuses on less controversial 'girl power' themes.

How does the speaker react to the renaming of London transport lines by Sadiq Khan?

The speaker finds the renaming to be a break with tradition and criticizes it for being politically motivated, particularly since some of the names chosen have a 'woke' or politically correct connotation.

What is the speaker's take on the suffragettes and suffragists?

The speaker differentiates between the suffragettes, who were a more extremist and violent group, and the suffragists, a larger and more moderate group. They argue that the suffragettes' actions were not necessarily what led to women's suffrage.

How does the speaker view the concept of 'wokeness'?

The speaker sees 'wokeness' as a kind of Christian heresy that values weakness and marginalization, and criticizes it for promoting an idea that is not universally accepted across different cultures and religions.

What does the speaker believe about the status of women in society?

The speaker believes that women are generally considered lower status than men cross-culturally, but this does not equate to hatred or misogyny. Instead, women are often simultaneously protected and adored.

How does the speaker explain the 'women are wonderful' bias?

The speaker describes a cognitive bias where people tend to prefer women over men in various scenarios, such as saving a life or doing a good deed, due to an ingrained preference for women.

What is the speaker's perspective on International Men's Day?

The speaker mentions that International Men's Day does not receive the same attention as International Women's Day, which some men's rights activists interpret as evidence of men being an oppressed group. However, the speaker does not believe this to be the case.

Why does the speaker think International Women's Day exists as a phenomenon?

The speaker suggests that International Women's Day exists because it aligns with the political dogma of valorizing low-status groups, and women, being perceived as lower status, receive special attention and recognition.

How does the speaker summarize their feelings towards International Women's Day?

The speaker is largely indifferent towards International Women's Day, except for the potential personal benefit of receiving speaking engagements. They find it an interesting phenomenon in terms of sexual politics.

Outlines

00:00

💭 Opinion on International Women's Day

The speaker begins by sharing a skeptical view on International Women's Day, suggesting it primarily benefits female pundits and media figures who are invited to speak on the occasion. They express indifference towards the day itself but criticize the propaganda and political nature of the celebration, which originated from socialist and suffragist movements. The speaker also discusses the recent renaming of London transport lines to reflect more 'woke' values, including those honoring the suffragettes, which they find ironic given the suffragettes' extremist actions.

05:01

🤔 The Paradox of Women's Status and International Women's Day

The speaker delves into the paradox of women's status in society, noting that while women are often protected and adored, they are also considered lower status than men. They argue that 'wokeness' is a Christian heresy that values weakness and marginalization, which is reflected in the focus on women for International Women's Day. The speaker also addresses the concept of 'women are wonderful' bias, where women are given preferential treatment, and how this contributes to the celebration of women on International Women's Day.

10:01

🧐 Understanding the Roots of Women's Status and Celebration

The speaker explores the historical and cultural roots of women's lower status, comparing it to that of children. They argue that women's treatment in law and society has often mirrored that of children, with limited rights and independence. The speaker concludes that International Women's Day exists and is celebrated because it aligns with the political dogma of valorizing low-status groups, and because women, due to their status, are beneficiaries of this bias.

Keywords

💡International Women's Day

International Women's Day is a global event celebrated on March 8th every year to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. In the video, the speaker expresses a mixed opinion about the day, noting that while it brings attention to women's issues, it has become somewhat politicized and is seen as a day for female pundits to get media attention.

💡Propaganda

In the context of the video, propaganda refers to the spread of information, ideas, or rumors to influence people's opinions, often in a biased or misleading way. The speaker criticizes International Women's Day as a form of propaganda because it represents a political effort to promote certain narratives about women, which she finds unappealing.

💡Socialist Movements

Socialist movements are political and economic movements that advocate for a social and economic system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. In the video, the speaker traces the origins of International Women's Day back to these movements, highlighting its political roots.

💡Woke

The term 'woke' is used to describe a heightened awareness of social and political issues, particularly related to racism and inequality. In the video, the speaker uses 'woke' to describe the current trend of naming London transport lines after concepts or groups that are seen as marginalized or oppressed, which she views as a form of political statement.

💡Suffragettes

The Suffragettes were a group of women and men who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fought for women's right to vote in the United Kingdom. They are known for their militant tactics, which included direct action and civil disobedience. In the video, the speaker discusses the controversial legacy of the Suffragettes, noting that while they are now often celebrated as freedom fighters, their actions were extreme and considered terrorist by some at the time.

💡Wokeism

Wokeism is a term used to describe the ideology associated with being 'woke,' which involves a focus on social justice and awareness of systemic inequalities, particularly related to race and gender. The speaker in the video criticizes 'wokeism' as a modern phenomenon that takes certain Christian ideas, such as valuing weakness, and applies them in a political context, often in ways that she finds problematic.

💡International Men's Day

International Men's Day is a day observed on November 19th to promote positive male role models and address issues faced by men, such as mental health and gender stereotypes. The speaker mentions International Men's Day to highlight the disparity in attention and celebration between it and International Women's Day, suggesting that the latter is more widely recognized and celebrated.

💡Sex and Gender Politics

Sex and gender politics refer to the social and political dynamics related to gender roles, identities, and relations between men and women. In the video, the speaker discusses how these dynamics play out in the context of International Women's Day and broader societal attitudes towards women.

💡Status

In social sciences, 'status' refers to the relative position or rank of a person or group within a social hierarchy. The speaker argues that women are generally perceived as having a lower status compared to men, which influences societal attitudes and behaviors towards them.

💡Wokeness

Wokeness is a term that describes a state of being alert to or actively interested in social and political issues, particularly those related to racial and gender justice. In the video, the speaker critiques 'wokeness' as a modern ideology that has its roots in Christian values but is applied in a way that often leads to political partisanship and identity politics.

💡Cognitive Bias

Cognitive bias refers to the systematic errors in thinking that occur due to the way the human brain processes information. In the video, the speaker mentions the 'women are wonderful' bias, which is a tendency for people to prefer women over men in certain contexts, reflecting a complex perception of women's status in society.

Highlights

The speaker finds International Women's Day somewhat unnecessary and propagandistic.

International Women's Day benefits certain women, like media figures, who get more opportunities to speak.

The day is seen as a recent invention, dating back to the early 20th century with political roots in socialist and suffragette movements.

The current celebration of International Women's Day has shifted from its political origins to more 'girl power' themes.

The speaker criticizes the politicization of public spaces, such as the London transport network, in the name of wokeness.

The renaming of transport lines to reflect historical and cultural movements is seen as a political act.

The suffragettes are remembered as freedom fighters, but the speaker notes their extremist and violent tactics.

The speaker differentiates between suffragettes and suffragists, highlighting their contrasting approaches and impacts.

The politicization of International Women's Day is contrasted with the lack of attention given to International Men's Day.

The concept of wokeness is discussed as a Christian heresy, valuing weakness and marginalization.

The speaker argues that women are generally considered lower status than men cross-culturally, but not necessarily hated.

The 'women are wonderful' bias is introduced, explaining preferential treatment towards women in certain contexts.

The speaker suggests that women's lower status is linked to perceptions of them being more childlike than men.

The historical treatment of women is likened to that of children, with limited legal rights and independence.

International Women's Day is viewed as a phenomenon that capitalizes on the status of women and the ideology of wokeness.

The speaker expresses indifference towards International Women's Day, except for potential personal benefits.

The discussion serves as a critique of sexual politics and the role of women in society.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi everyone I've got a nice simple

question from Jessica for this week's

AMA which is um what is your opinion on

International women's day um I guess the

short answer is I think it's a bit dumb

basically the only women in the world

who benefit from the existence of

international women's day um

female pundits including me who are more

likely to get invited on the Telly or to

do speaking engagements or whatever

because media and other organizations

are looking for women to speak on

International women's day and to speak

about women's things so you know at the

risk of look looking at gift horse in

the mouth I think it's a bit silly I

don't

really I don't care that much either way

except that I don't love the propaganda

effort that it represents

right so International women's day

unlike mothering Sunday or Valentine's

Day or any of these other festivals sort

of folk festivals is not a long-standing

celebration it is a recent invention it

dates back to the early 20th century and

more importantly it's always been sort

of explicitly political so it was always

it's so from the beginning it was an

idea spawn by um socialist movements and

suffer

movements and I I guess early well first

wave feminist groups to draw attention

to um women political problems that

women have experienced it obviously

hasn't really turned into that's not

really what it's about now the stuff

that gets run in the papers on

International women's day tends not to

be politically controversial it tends to

be

um girl bossy kind of girl power stuff

which is obviously um slightly annoying

I I don't really like these sort of

compulsory political holidays so people

outside the UK UK might not be aware of

this but recently the London mercied K I

live in London renamed some um parts of

the London transport network uh with

breaking

convention so normally the London um

tube network is named after either where

the tube uh line goes or after monarch

of some kind there's the Victoria line

and the g line and the Elizabeth line

and so on monarchs I mean

obviously di hard Republicans would say

that monarchs are political figures but

that that the constitutional monarchy

that we have now is kind of deliberately

non-political it's a safe neutral thing

to name a tube line after what sadik

Khan has done breaking with that

tradition is he has named the lines

after I basically woke things right for

for want for better terms

so um the suffragette line is one of

them the wind Rush line so that's

referring to the first wave of Caribbean

migration to the UK postwar and uh the

lioness's line um named after the

English women's football and the mild

mayine which is named after a hospital

which um was involved in

the uh HIV and AIDS crisis of the 80s in

particular and has done good work and

treating patients obviously the function

of so so like 2third of the names were

had some kind of political had some kind

of like identity

politics relevance right and so you got

two for women I mean the funny thing

about Sreet one is that um people

remember the suffragettes now as being

these Freedom Fighters the suffragettes

were terrorists the suffragettes tried

to kill people it's quite bizarre that

they didn't end up killing people

because they tried loads and loads of

times they were just bad at building

bombs they were a very extremist group

suffragists who were the much larger and

more moderate group of suffrage

activists didn't like the suffragettes

and thought that they were really

damaging the cause which they probably

were and also it probably actually had

nothing to do like their activism

probably didn't

really like lead to women's suffrage

given that women's suffrage was secured

in all parts of the developed world at

basically the same time probably had a

lot more to do with both the first World

War

and with other economic and

technological changes that's probably

for another day anyway it's really weird

to be valorizing the suffer Jets now 100

years later particularly when City KH

put out tweets kind of promoting this

and he used a picture of ment fer who

was famously not a suffragette she was a

suffragist the suffragettes and the

suffragists did not like each other very

much

anyway I don't like this politicized I

don't like compulsory political stuff in

this this I don't like this

partisan stuff okay particularly when

it's dressed up as not being partisan

and it's one of the things that I don't

like about International women's day

very much there is obviously an

international men's day lots of men's

rights activists who are incredibly

annoying will make a big fuss about oh

when's International men's day you know

right there there's like a grain of

Truth there in the sense that people

don't really care about International

Men's Day whereas International women's

day gets a lot of fanfare men's rights

activists interpret this as being

evidence that men are an oppressed group

I don't think that's true I think that

the reason

why well okay so going back to the the

the the tube lines

thing wokeness takes of a kind of core

Christian

idea which is that there is virtue in

being weak and that you know that that

the first shall be last and the last

shall be first okay that we should we

should valorize and protect the

weak and we should humble the strong you

know that's a that's a it's it's a

Christian idea it's it's not an idea as

Tom Holland makes very clear in his book

Dominion it's not an idea that's shared

across other religious Traditions by any

means it's certainly not an idea that

Roman society in which Christianity

emerged believed in at all it was a very

radical idea at the time I think wokeism

should probably has be understood as a

Christian heresy in the sense that it

rejects a lot of other Christian ideas

right workism Embrace Embraces abortion

Embraces

euthanasia the completely incompatible

with Christianity in that sense but it

does take this idea that there's

something really good about being weak

and there's something particularly

virtuous about being um being

marginalized being oppressed um that

makes people worthy of um veneration

you like you look at the the I me

basically the groups that that wokeness

is is interested in prizing and

representing are groups who are

oppressed either historically or now or

groups that are underperforming in some

way or groups that are disliked in some

way

basically

the people at the margins I mean I'm

kind of I'm I'm W like w people will say

this licitly right like this isn't a

secret this is this is this is at the

center of the of the

ideology the reason why women benefit

from this well the the reason why women

are a focus of concern in this ideology

the reason why women are getting two New

London overground lines is because women

are lower status than men right is I

bang on about this all the time but I

think it's true and I think it's an

important I think it's important in in

order to understand what's going on with

feminism and and the relationship

between men and women in

general women are lower status than men

this is cross-culturally

true that doesn't mean that women are

hated that doesn't mean that all

cultures are misogynist necessarily

people really hating women is or men

really hating women it does happen

obviously but it's actually quite

unusual I think that the best way of

understanding the way in which women are

generally regarded

is that they are

simultaneously actually kind

of protected and adored right so there's

this cognitive bias um called the women

are wonderful bias so basically test

subjects if they're asked um whether

they

prefer particular individuals you know

and and and and changing sex as the

variable they will tend to prefer women

if they're given the opportunity to save

someone's life or to do a good deed to

someone they're more likely to save the

woman or do a good deed to the woman

women actually get sort of preferential

treatment right from both men and women

in this cognitive because of this

cognitive bias so that doesn't really

square right with cultures being

misogynist at all but at the same time

things that are associated with women

are often considered to be lower status

you know you'll have noticed that boys

being sissies is considered to be very

terrible very low status very much to be

avoided girls being Tom boys is kind of

fine no one really cares like there is

the when I was at school I remember that

I um a a playground insult was eight or

nine or something a playground insult

was just just to call someone a woman

right and there are lots of other

playground insults which do the same

thing which basically say you're you're

girly you're throw like a girl

this kind of stuff it's particularly

insulting thing to say to boys there's

this long there's this very deeply held

view that women are

just women are just lower status than

men women are lower status than men but

women are also loved at the same time

it's quite confusing right and I think

that the best way of understanding

what's going on is that women are

basically considered to be child

adjacent women are considered to be much

more childlike than are men and children

in the same way are considered to

be lower status right so referring to

someone as being immature or juvenile or

whatever is insulting but we also love

children and given a choice between

saving a child's life and saving an

adult's life people will Che save the

child's life it has exactly that that

that Paradox that's at the the heart of

how women are regarded as well so and

and if you look at historically how

women are treated in a legal sense and

so on being denied the vote not being

able to drive not being able to make um

independent decisions not having a

independent legal identity being able to

own property and so on again it's women

having the rights of children or having

rights that are more like those of

children than like those of men so all

of wish is to say the reason why

International women's day exists as a

phenomenon why it why it caught on is

precisely because one we have this kind

of Christian heresy which has become

political Dogma where groups that are

low status for whatever reason um not

always I mean like I don't know

pedophiles are an exception to this or

something but the thing that that that

workers does generally is try and scoop

up these kind of groups marginalized on

the basis of certain identity factors

and women get that special treatment

because we because everyone kind of

knows we're L status so we sort of

definitionally end up like grouped with

the low status people who who get all

this um special like political all these

empty political prizes also because

women benefit from the women a wonderful

bias so it's kind of nice to have

international women's day and to be um

everyone say nice things about women so

I mean I'm I don't in

conclusion I don't really care about

International women's day except to the

extent that maybe I could get some I

know lucrative speaking gigs or

something that would be nice but um

generally yeah I don't really care about

it but I do think that it's quite an

interesting phenomenon in terms of being

a very good example of what I think is

going on in terms of sexal politics

[Music]