Top 12 Christina Hoff Sommers Quotes
Commonsense and compassion from the "Factual Feminist"
This is the latest in my quotes collection series. Check out the full collection here.
Christina Hoff Sommers is a beacon of commonsense in a world often mired in ideology. A former philosophy professor, Sommers is one of the leading advocates of a school of thought known as “freedom feminism,” which emphasizes individual choice over enforced sameness between the sexes. Her groundbreaking books The War Against Boys and Who Stole Feminism? sparked important conversations about gender, radical feminism, and the problems faced by boys and men. Through her writings, social media presence, and Factual Feminist YouTube channel, Sommers has boldly challenged exaggerated activist statistics and extremist ideologies. Although controversial in some quarters, her courage and clarity have made her one of my all-time favorite scholars. Here are 12 quotes that capture the essence of Sommers’ philosophy, with its focus on freedom, fairness, and the importance of embracing both our differences and shared humanity.
“There is too much social engineering around trying to change people’s preferences. Freedom feminism is about respect for choices that men and women make.”
“The fallacy is to think that Women’s Liberation meant that men and women would become interchangeable. That has not happened, and most men and women would not want it to happen.”
“Feminists have harnessed society’s impulse to protect women. But what if feminist goals are different from most women’s?”
“Efforts to obliterate gender roles can be just as intolerant as the efforts to maintain them.”
“[Reformers in Sweden] are treating gender-conforming children the way we once treated gender-variant children… In their efforts to free children from the constraints of gender, the Swedish reformers are imposing their own set of inviolate rules, standards, and taboos.”
“When my son David was a high school senior in 2003, his graduating class went on a camping trip in the desert. A creative writing educator visited the camp and led the group through an exercise designed to develop their sensitivity and imaginations. Each student was given a pen, a notebook, a candle, and matches. They were told to walk a short distance into the desert, sit down alone, and ‘discover themselves.’ The girls followed instructions. The boys, baffled by the assignment, gathered together, threw the notebooks into a pile, lit them with the matches, and made a little bonfire.
“The creative writing teacher was horrified at the thought that she was teaching a pack of insipient arsonists - or Lord of the Flies sociopaths. In fact, they were just boys. But, increasingly, in our schools and in our homes, everyday boyishness is seen as aberrational, toxic - a pathology in need of a cure.”
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“Some boys are hypermasculine or pathologically masculine. They are bullies and worse, establishing their male bona fides through destruction, mayhem and preying on the weak and vulnerable. But most boys evince healthy masculinity. They may enjoy mayhem in games and sports, but in life they like to build, not destroy. Their instinct is not to exploit vulnerable people but to protect and defend them. Of course, all boys need guidance and discipline from the adults in their lives. I agree… that telling a boy to “man up” can be harsh and degrading. But teaching him to ‘be a gentleman’ is another matter. It’s a tried-and-true way to bring out the best in males.”
“What is hard to understand is why the math and science gap launched a massive movement on behalf of girls, and yet a much larger gap in reading, writing, and school engagement created no comparable effort for boys.”
“Women are assumed to be the have-nots because a massive lobby devotes itself to proving Venus is worse off than Mars. Mars’s afflictions go unnoticed. In fact, modern life is a complicated mix of burdens and advantages - for each sex.”
“I call [fourth-wave feminism] fainting–couch feminism, a la the delicate Victorian ladies who retreated to an elegant chaise when overcome with emotion. As an equality feminist from the 1970s, I am dismayed by this new craze. Women are not children. We are not fragile little birds who can’t cope with jokes, works of art, or controversial speakers. Trigger warnings and safe spaces are an infantilizing setback for feminism - and for women.”
“History is one long, long lesson in the dangers of combining moral fervor with misinformation.”
“The rise of women, however long overdue, does not require the fall of men.”
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She’s the best.
We’re from the same generation and I understand her completely. Thanks for posting this!