Why Isn’t Anger Enough Anymore?

By Lauren Drexel

In the current political climate, with women’s rights being taken away along with the rights of many other minority groups, I often wonder if we have gotten angry enough yet. Throughout my time watching “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” I found myself thinking that the circumstances for women in many places today is not so different from how it was then. Despite this, I rarely hear about feminist demonstrations, protests or events that I could support or participate in. The second wave feminists in that documentary credit anger as the fuel for their radical activist fire, and I can’t help but wonder why it hasn’t done so again. Comparing the testimonies of the women in the documentary to my own experiences I’ve come to think that social media and the digital age, individualism, and capitalistic ideals are three major contributing factors in the struggle to unite women and organize change.

It could be argued that the internet, social media more specifically, would be an ideal tool to use for organizing large groups. Theoretically, you could use these platforms to send out information, to communicate quickly and effectively and to recruit people to your organization. Unfortunately, I believe recent news about how the owners of these platforms are limiting content on them highlights one of the biggest reasons these platforms can’t accomplish that. So long as these platforms are privately owned, activist voices can be censored and what was once an opportunity for movements to reach new individuals suddenly becomes a small room where we’re yelling at nobody. When an activist group is not in control of their communication platform, they will likely have to censor themselves, therefore watering down their message and preventing truly radical thought. The feminists in “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” credit women who came before them with helping them realize the reality of their situation, but if we don’t have a way to communicate to women then they may never even realize that things could be better for them. Feminist thought can be lost and forgotten easily if it’s not talked about and shared, so limiting communication is one of the biggest barriers feminism could face.

Social media has also allowed for the mass spread of misinformation and a fast news turnover that has built distrust and disinterest into most people. Rightly so, many people don’t believe what they read online. It’s easy for people to make the mistake of believing something false such that even when feminist groups can get their messages out there, people are doubtful of the truth in their claims and have less urgency to act. Second wave feminists may have been able to create global buzz when their activism made the news, but creating a strong impression on someone is a lot harder when there are so many other things also invading their feed. I think people are burning out, and no longer feel they have the capacity to engage with activism of any kind. This means that even when opportunities for activism aren’t shut down, social media allows people to feel far removed enough from the problems and solutions being suggested that they can ignore the issue entirely.

In the documentary one of the women talks about how the women’s liberation movement was painful, but necessary. This is a sentiment that I think is essential for activism but sorely missing in our society. Individualism is rampant, both in and out of feminist movements. From people who feel it isn’t their problem and therefore not their burden, to the folks who don’t care as long as it isn’t near them and even to choice feminists who would rather not challenge the status quo, the focus is on individual people and their lives and choices rather than on society as a whole and the way we all coexist and influence each other. It seems very few people are interested in enduring the pain that so often must come with change, for every one of every gender. There is self-work for all of us to do if we want to create a better future for the women who come after us. The structural change comes from people deciding to change their perspectives, but when we aren’t thinking about the lives of others, or if we aren’t even necessarily considering them to be other people in the way we consider ourselves to be people, then that structural change is far less likely to occur. 

Capitalism works to exacerbate this issue, by both functioning as a distraction and by severely limiting our time and resources. When women are struggling to fulfill basic tasks, like getting all their housework done, caring for their children and working to finance their lives, they have far less time and energy to dedicate toward fighting against their own oppression. This has often meant that the most radical movements are full of young people, but the cost of living has become so brutal that even those without the responsibilities of families or property to care for are struggling to participate. I’m not the only person I know who works two jobs and goes to school, and I struggle to find time for much outside of that. It’s understandable for people to be less able to dedicate their time and money to activist causes, but I think its important to remember that without these movements there may be no more opportunities for women to have those things that fill up our lives. It can be hard in our busy schedules to make the time for activism, but if we don’t at least prioritize that work, we put ourselves at a disadvantage in the long run.

Choice feminism acts as a servant to capitalism, individualism and social media all at once to ensure our distraction from important issues and reassuring women that their preoccupation with consumption is as feminist as it gets and by keeping our conversations surface level. If we are too busy debating whether preventative Botox is feminist or not, we might forget about all the atrocities occurring around us. If we think that every decision we make as women is inherently feminist if it makes us feel good or happy without questioning the reason why something feels good, we aren’t challenging social norms at all and just continue to uphold the patriarchal standard. If the only content we’re getting about what feminism is and its purpose are to make sure women can make choices and not be criticized for them then it’s no wonder people aren’t rushing to make banners and start protests.

The women of the second wave feminist movements were inspired by books, feminist publications, lectures and demonstrations. Print media was extremely important to their movements, but in the age of social media, print no longer gets the attention it once did, and with an oversaturation of content both online and on cable, it’s hard for any movement or issue to gain enough traction to make big waves in the cultural conversation. Feminism is on everyone’s lips; however, what feminism is and what people want to do with it is too murky for most people to organize around. People are tired, overworked, burnt out and lacking in hope or motivation. I think what’s missing isn’t necessarily anger, but rather hope and inspiration. Anger is a part of it, but the anger doesn’t help us if we don’t have any hope. If people don’t think they can make change, I don’t think the anger alone will cut it. It’s time to showcase what we can do! Let people feel the power of individuals coming together and make participating in feminism something that feels fun and empowering! The important thing is being able to transform that anger into action, and focusing just on how angry we should be doesn’t seem to be accomplishing that.