Dana Loesch Sends A Love Letter to Richard Dawkins


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author of the recent book Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions among others, was brought on the Daily Show to be interviewed by host Trevor Noah. It’s a good interview, and you should watch it. Here, let me make it easy for you:

So did you notice the extremist horror about 2/3rds of the way through? That’s right, the part where Noah asks about generous gestures that, through chivalry, have been entwined with sexism and specifies holding open doors as an example? And then Adichie goes completely off the rails, saying

gestures like holding the door shouldn’t be gender-based. I think it’s a lovely thing to hold the door but we should hold the door for everyone. …[T]he idea of someone holding the door for a woman because she’s a woman…I have trouble with it.

I’m quite happy for people to hold the door for me. But I hope they’re not doing it because of this sort of idea of chivalry. Because chivalry is really about the idea that women are somehow weak and need protecting.

Adichie, how could you? Well, at least Fox & Friends had Dana Loesch on hand to nip the budding tip before the petals surrounding the reproductive bits can open:

With all due respect to her [Adichie] — and I’m familiar with her — I think it’s a luxury of third-wave feminism to complain about holding doors open for people where her country, Nigeria, it ranks top in the world for female genital mutilation, which I think if far more of a disservice to women and far more suppressive than someone courteously opening the door for someone else.

Dear Dawkinsima: when Loesch is your fellow traveler, perhaps it’s time to rethink your destination.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Mano Singham says

    In my recent experience, I find that people hold the door open for others irrespective of gender, as do I. So maybe that gesture has shifted from gender-bashed chivalry to just common courtesy.

  2. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    So maybe that gesture has shifted from gender-bashed chivalry to just common courtesy.

    I think that’s true in many places. Certainly here in BC I get many people of any gender holding the door for me, and I don’t use gender to determine when I hold the door for others. I think we’re both with Adichie: it’s a great thing to do and holding doors is never the problem, it’s only the sexist assumptions that some people hold that are the problem.

  3. says

    I think that’s true in many places. Certainly here in BC I get many people of any gender holding the door for me, and I don’t use gender to determine when I hold the door for others.

    Personal factors in door holding:
    1. Proximity of the other person to the door
    2. Whether I am in a hurry
    3. How much trouble it would be for the other person to open the door
    So I will not wait for you if you’re an able bodied person who isn’t carrying anything heavy or pushing a stroller and I am in a hurry.
    But I mean, it’s not even like she brought up the door holding anyway, that was Trevor Noah, but yeah, blame women for answering men’s questions.

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