Introduction

This post was inspired by a video I stumbled upon during a late night Youtube binge and it made me wondered if #feminism was in fact something that mostly benefit men basic instincts rather than women's best interests.

My conclusion...yes it did. As you watch this video, enjoy the irony of the situation we are in today.

The Father of Propaganda and How He Used Feminism

I'm a student of marketing and any marketer's worth it's salt knows who Edward Bernays is. I'm bringing him forward so that people can realize that there are agents who fashion social movements...while most people think those same movements are "organic".

What Wikipedia says about Edward Bernays:

Edward Louis James Bernays; November 22, 1891 − March 9, 1995) was an Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda, referred to in his obituary as "the father of public relations". He combined the ideas of Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter on crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, Sigmund Freud.

He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous as a result of the "herd instinct" that Trotter had described. Adam Curtis's award-winning 2002 documentary for the BBC, The Century of the Self, pinpoints Bernays as the originator of modern public relations, and Bernays was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine.

Feminism Used by Edward Bernays to Sell Cigarettes - "The Torches of Freedom"

Historically, smoking was an inappropriate act for women just like it is today for most women to grow their armpits hair and leg hair. It was seen as unattractive. Dutch painters used cigarettes as a symbol of human foolishness in the 17th century and in the 19th century, cigarettes were perceived as props of “fallen women” and prostitutes. Back then, even some women’s groups also fought against women smoking.

So how do you reverse this mass perception? With a smart propaganda / public relation stunt of course!

The formula was simple. In 1929, Edward Bernays paid women actress to smoke their "torches of freedom"during a big Easter Sunday Parade in New York. He hired his own photographers to make sure that good pictures were taken and then published around the world.

Feminist Ruth Hale also called for women to join in the march saying, “Women! Light another torch of freedom! Fight another sex taboo!” Once the footage was released, the campaign was being talked about everywhere, the women’s walk was seen as a protest for equality and sparked discussion throughout the nation and is still known today.

Today's Feminists Are Useful Idiots

Useful Idiots: In political jargon, useful idiot is a term for people perceived as propagandists for a cause whose goals they are not fully aware of, and who are used cynically by the leaders of the cause.

How does having a "Slut Walk" or an International "Free the Nipples Day" actually empowering for women?

How is working "for the man" in a stupid office for 40h+ per week and not spending time with their kids empowering for women?

How does having sex with unvetted men, expose themselves to STDs and at risk of becoming a single mother empowering for women?

Last time I check, being a single mother is a straight ticket to poverty.

Did Feminism Make Women Less Happy in Aggregate?

Average happiness index value for the period of 1972-2006
Source: Based on responses to question 157 of the General Social Surveys

As this Huffington Post article puts it:

Greater educational, political, and employment opportunities have corresponded to decreases in life happiness for women, as compared to men.

My theory

So what if most women doesn't like this "feminist paradise" we now live in today? Technically, there is no law in the book that discriminate on women. Women are in politics, work in every fields they want to, got to sleep with anyone they like and even have abortions to not deal with the consequences of having sex. Why are they less happy than before?

Maybe they've been sold on the idea that it is their career that defines their identity. Maybe they've been told their careers would make them happy. Maybe they've been told that focusing on family and being a homemaker is for losers who don't have ambitions. Maybe they've been told that they should never count on men because they are not to be trusted. Maybe it's because they actually lost something in this process of "emancipation"...what's actually needed to live "The Good Life".

In Conclusion

As Gavin McInnes crudely puts it in his clip:

I'm telling you man, this feminism thing is the best deal dude have ever had ever. You don't just get the milk for free...you get all the milk you want and the cow is happy. The cow think it's cool to give you milk. You don't have to buy the cow!

Feminism along with the rise of the secular values created the perfect environment for people who want to live like rabbits and who's sole goal in life is pleasure seeking. It is also a sad place for a lot of people who will ultimately realize that no amount of self-indulgence actually fill the existential hole they have in their heart.