Misogyny is a hatred of women, often used to describe discrimination against women. Misogynists may hate women as a group and can be secretive about their emotions. It’s not limited to men and can refer to cultures, religions, and philosophies. The term is sometimes overused to falsely accuse someone of bigotry.
Misogyny has many different practical meanings, but its most basic definition is a hatred of women. The term misogyny is almost exclusively used in a negative way, although it is arguable whether an overt misogyny would use the term in a positive way. Typically, misogynists are not people accused of explicitly hating women, but people who have betrayed a deep, hidden hatred for women. Conceptually, misogyny has been around since women were conceived as a group of people, although the term itself has Greek origins.
While misogyny is defined as a hatred of women, in practice it is used to refer to any instance where women experience discrimination. When women are treated less than men, accusations of misogyny abound. This is a somewhat extended use of the term, as it is not necessary to hate a group of people to discriminate against them. Indeed, indifference may be more a door to discrimination than hatred. Misogyny, in a technical sense, is best used to describe instances where there is an emotional investment in discrimination against women.
A more accurate portrayal of a misogynist might be someone who refuses to associate with women out of hatred or who assaults a female partner and looks down on all other women. These people are often secretive about their emotions, but people such as serial killers who act on an intense hatred of women could also be called misogynists. It is much more common to hear the term used for minor and insubstantial cases of hate towards women than for serious and actual cases of abuse of women.
It’s important to note that misogynists don’t hate women specifically, but women as a group. This is to say that while any person might hate a single woman, a misogynist hates women as a group simply because they are women. That hatred may be rooted in loathing for a single woman, but the misogynist has hatred for the entire group.
Misogyny isn’t limited to men, and in fact it’s not limited to singles at all. An entire society can be said to be misogynistic, although the term is often used to refer to subtle undercurrents of discrimination. Religions, philosophies and cultures are often said to be misogynistic. In essence, any person, group, or thing that questions the identities of women and men can aptly be termed a misogynist by any person willing to argue that the term is appropriate in that case. As an oft-used and overused word, the term misogyny is often employed as nothing more than a way to shame one’s opponent into an argument by falsely accusing them of bigotry.
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