“The claws of feminism”: anti-feminist hate speech on Facebook and the sense of controlled urgency

This paper aims to analyze how antifeminist content published on Facebook mobilizes hate and uses it as a powerful political tool. The methodological path was to collect content made available in the pages of the mentioned social media website and to examine them using the Discourse Analysis from the Foucaultian perspective. I consider, therefore, that these enunciations exist in a context and meet the urgent needs of antifeminism. In this work, the need to promote a sense of controlled urgency will be specifically discussed: narratives are created to encourage both explosive and continuous reactions, in order to ensure that aversion felt for these militants retains its intensity and lasts throughout time. This strategy solidifies the union between the antifeminist group under the idea of confronting a terrible villain.

Keywords
Hate speech; Feminism; Anti-feminism; Facebook

Authorship

Júlia Cavalcanti Versiani dos Anjos

(Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Comunicação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Cultura. Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil).(Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Comunicação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Cultura. Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil).(Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Comunicação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação e Cultura. Rio de Janeiro – RJ, Brasil).

Júlia Cavalcanti Versiani dos Anjos Temporary Professor at the School of Communication of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (ECO-UFRJ) in Journalism and Communication. Doctoral student in Communication and Culture at ECO-UFRJ in the Media and Sociocultural Mediations research line. Master’s degree from the same institution. Graduated in Communication – Advertising from ESPM. Currently developing a research project on femicide in the media. This work was carried out with the support of National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq). E-mail: julianjos@gmail.com.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9024-1267

Júlia Cavalcanti Versiani dos Anjos

Temporary Professor at the School of Communication of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (ECO-UFRJ) in Journalism and Communication. Doctoral student in Communication and Culture at ECO-UFRJ in the Media and Sociocultural Mediations research line. Master’s degree from the same institution. Graduated in Communication – Advertising from ESPM. Currently developing a research project on femicide in the media. This work was carried out with the support of National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq). E-mail: julianjos@gmail.com.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no confl ict of interest.

Editor: Maria Ataide Malcher

Editorial assistant: Weverton Raiol

SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Figures

Figures (6)

Thumbnail

Figure 1
Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page depicting an aggressive protest by alleged feminist activists⁶ 6 Text from caption: In Argentina, brave Catholics form a human chain to avoid the entrance of naked feminists inside the church. Ps. I am not a Catholic, but I believe these actions on the part of the feminists are completely wrong. Am I wrong?

Thumbnail

Figure 2
Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page that shows a female activist protesting half-naked

Thumbnail

Figure 3
Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page that dismisses feminists as irresponsible and dependent on men

Thumbnail

Figure 4
Publication from the “Moça, você não precisa do feminismo” page, that identifies feminists as losers and envious⁷ 7 Text from the image: I fight for the end of feminism. Text from caption: Feminism is the type of movement in which the leaders and the activists are losers that envy beautiful and successful women, and through feminism they want to lower these women to the same level of failure they are.

Thumbnail

Figure 5
Publication from the “Moça, você não precisa do feminismo” page that presents 3 types of feminists⁸ 8 Text from captions: “They are hypocrites and lost, but very dangerous. Their arguments are shallow, but can convince the unsuspecting and unprepared. It is important to stay alert at all times and argument against them! Sadly, the feminist movement takes advantage of deluded people to propagate their obscure agenda”. Text from the image: Feminists. “The radical: Has a certain theoretical knowledge about feminism, is a pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality activist, names as sexist and patriarchal, everything that is opposed to her views. Some are masculine and rude, others are vulgar. The narcissist: shares many of the feminist precepts, as being pro-abortion and homosexuality, sex before matrimony, etc, but doesn’t say it openly neither participates in demonstrations. Her blazing mark is an exacerbated vanity. The closeted: pretends to be a good lady but actually lives by many of the feminist precepts. She is against horrendous practices like abortion and homosexuality. Her feminism concentrates on family values, like motherhood and wifely duties. She uses her false quest for virtue as a mask to hide her wickedness”. “Feminism is condemned to failure, once it is based on an attempt to revoke and restructure human nature”. Phyllis Schlafly.

Thumbnail

Image 6
Publication from the “Moça, não sou obrigada a ser feminista” page that fantasizes about the death of feminists⁹ 9 In the images, Superman walks by a building on fire. When he sees that the building houses a Feminist Global Assembly, he changes back into Clark Kent and calmly strolls alongside the flames. .

Figure 1 Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page depicting an aggressive protest by alleged feminist activists⁶ 6 Text from caption: In Argentina, brave Catholics form a human chain to avoid the entrance of naked feminists inside the church. Ps. I am not a Catholic, but I believe these actions on the part of the feminists are completely wrong. Am I wrong?

Source: research collection.

Figure 2 Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page that shows a female activist protesting half-naked

Source: research collection.

Figure 3 Publication from the “Anti-Feminismo” page that dismisses feminists as irresponsible and dependent on men

Source: research collection.

Figure 4 Publication from the “Moça, você não precisa do feminismo” page, that identifies feminists as losers and envious⁷ 7 Text from the image: I fight for the end of feminism. Text from caption: Feminism is the type of movement in which the leaders and the activists are losers that envy beautiful and successful women, and through feminism they want to lower these women to the same level of failure they are.

Source: research collection.

Figure 5 Publication from the “Moça, você não precisa do feminismo” page that presents 3 types of feminists⁸ 8 Text from captions: “They are hypocrites and lost, but very dangerous. Their arguments are shallow, but can convince the unsuspecting and unprepared. It is important to stay alert at all times and argument against them! Sadly, the feminist movement takes advantage of deluded people to propagate their obscure agenda”. Text from the image: Feminists. “The radical: Has a certain theoretical knowledge about feminism, is a pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality activist, names as sexist and patriarchal, everything that is opposed to her views. Some are masculine and rude, others are vulgar. The narcissist: shares many of the feminist precepts, as being pro-abortion and homosexuality, sex before matrimony, etc, but doesn’t say it openly neither participates in demonstrations. Her blazing mark is an exacerbated vanity. The closeted: pretends to be a good lady but actually lives by many of the feminist precepts. She is against horrendous practices like abortion and homosexuality. Her feminism concentrates on family values, like motherhood and wifely duties. She uses her false quest for virtue as a mask to hide her wickedness”. “Feminism is condemned to failure, once it is based on an attempt to revoke and restructure human nature”. Phyllis Schlafly.

Source: research collection.

Image 6 Publication from the “Moça, não sou obrigada a ser feminista” page that fantasizes about the death of feminists⁹ 9 In the images, Superman walks by a building on fire. When he sees that the building houses a Feminist Global Assembly, he changes back into Clark Kent and calmly strolls alongside the flames. .

Source: research collection.

How to cite

copy

Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Interdisciplinares da Comunicação (INTERCOM) Rua Joaquim Antunes, 705, 05415-012 São Paulo-SP Brasil, Tel. 55 11 2574-8477 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: intercom@usp.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

Versão para download de PDF

PDF

Português
Inglês

Versões e tradução automática

Versão original do texto

English
Português

Tradução automática

Google Translator
Microsoft Translator

Como citar

RIS

BIBTEX

Outros formatos de citação e exportação:

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online
Rua Dr. Diogo de Faria, 1087 – 9º andar – Vila Clementino 04037-003 São Paulo/SP - Brasil
E-mail: scielo@scielo.org

Leia a Declaração de Acesso Aberto

Métricas

“The claws of feminism”: anti-feminist hate speech on Facebook and the sense of controlled urgency

PlumX

Mensagem

[1] Júlia Cavalcanti Versiani dos Anjos

Temporary Professor at the School of Communication of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (ECO-UFRJ) in Journalism and Communication. Doctoral student in Communication and Culture at ECO-UFRJ in the Media and Sociocultural Mediations research line. Master’s degree from the same institution. Graduated in Communication – Advertising from ESPM. Currently developing a research project on femicide in the media. This work was carried out with the support of National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq). E-mail: julianjos@gmail.com.