Andrea Libman criticized over support of feminism · 11:49am Mar 8th, 2016
Forget the intro. This is too important.
On the Facebook page of Andrea Libman (the voice of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie), she posted an article about how men shouldn't have to conform to societal norms of masculinity. What followed was a series of hurtful, ignorant and shameful comments criticizing her as a "third-wave feminazi" and completely misunderstanding (or ignoring) the purpose of the article. I found this incredibly disrespectful and inappropriate, and representative of the worst of her fans, Brony and non-Brony alike. She made several more posts explaining how these people were wrong, including one that asserts that feminism and egalitarianism are the same thing (they are, by the way, look it up), and receive only more hate and ridicule.
So, I'm working on popularizing the following hashtag wherever I can:
#ISupportAndrea
Because I agree with her, support the fact that men shouldn't have to cater to society's standards of masculinity, believe that feminism stands for equality of the genders, and will not stand for the way she is currently being treated. Even if she wasn't the voice of my favorite character, I'd have to do this, but this only makes me want to lend my support even more. Aside from wanting to defend a worthy cause, I feel like I owe her. She's given me so much, as a Brony and as a person. I couldn't look away from this.
#ISupportAndrea
Popularize it wherever you go. Even if you don't agree with what feminism is really about, no one deserves this kind of treatment. Even if you don't like hashtags, spread it around for others to see and spread. Even if Flutters or Pinkie aren't your favorites, lend a hand. The worst of us have acted. Time to show off the best of us.
Thanks for reading, guys.
I'm a feminist. I'm in belief that equality is the future we NEED. It's a shame that people today probably have no idea what feminism really is, but have grown up to think of it poorly and treat it like a "joke".
#ISupportAndrea
#ISupportEquality
We need freedom. We need true liberty.
I'll support Andrea, but not feminism.
Well that's dumb. On the contrary though, it's not very smart to post stuff like that, especially with a topic like feminism. You're pretty much guaranteed to get people who jump to conclusions.
I'll agree with you Lightning I'll Support you i've got you're back the entire way the way that they disregarded her true message is just saddening and people need to really think before replying it's really sad to how the perception of feminism "Really is" I've got your back on this Lightning.
Yes i know this'll recieve some criticism but i stand by my decision.
As long as she doesn't support bullshit like Feminist Frequency or any of those other yelling and screaming extremists, then I'll have a #ISupportAndrea any day.
Whatever happened to the basic human rule of don't be an asshole
#isupportandrea
It's moments like this that even I find it hard to support the human race.
#isupportandrea
I saw that. Really irritating that people think celebs can't have opinions.
I've just read the comments of her post. It's sad that many people don't even know what the concept of feminism is. Many are still thinking about feminism as "men are bad people" as portrayed by the digital and social media. Not only that, they seem to willingly choose their ignorance. It's these types of people that are slowing down the progress of gaining gender equality.
That article that Andrea posted made clear sense, and many men have this problem. Even my older brother criticized me because I don't smoke drink, go hunting, or try to pick up women for a one-night stand. Yeah, his wife said that he thought I was gay, which I'm not.
#ISupportAndrea Do we need society to define how a gender should act, in this modern age? We as humans have gained much progress with other issues over the last few centuries, why still the slow progress on this one? Are humans not advanced enough to step outside of the box, leave their old oppressing beliefs behind, and strive for something that is and should be morally right? Are humans that close-minded?
Such a shame if they are.
#IsupportAndrea I will join your cause because I think your right that absolutely no one deserves this kind of treatment.
For starters, I have to say that the standards the whole fuss is about are pretty much far-fetched and artificial.
I myself do not identify myself with any social communities, but #ISupportAndrea. Not because she's a voice actor. Not because she'd cry out loud for the injustice.
I guess I'd better explain myself.
I myself am native Russian, the inheritor from the lineage of honored men - thus being nurtured in the tradition of being an officer, a gentleman, and a protector.
There is an unwritten moral code that I abide, and it holds no prize for acting "toxic masculine"; in reverse, it provides disgrace for such attitude.
The whole ruckus about "feminism = equality" is pretty fishy for me; the emancipation of ladies concluded long ago, and now it's just plain sexism, flying colors.
What do you expect more? Ladies are being legally restricted from jobs that may pose significant danger for the health and even jeopardize life? That's because the women's ultimate purpose is to preserve life and give birth to the new generation. Of course, no one obliges every single lady to be a child-bearing, home-tied speechless servant: tis no Medieval no more. It's just Mother Nature. Is all.
Bottom line: #ISupportAndrea. Even though her righteous outburst is merely another shot fired on this unannounced war.
I apologize for the rambling and going unnecessary lengths.
You're talking about this article, I presume?
I have experienced something similar, too. I disliked the activities and the choice of music among my male classmates, because of their behaviour which I had found contemptible and unworthy of a man (some of them teased girls for some things, driving them to tears, one thought it "cool" to jump onto a chair and show his undergarments to the whole class, and a good number of them watched porn at 11-12; and don't get me started on their language, my ears were wilting just hearing it), and still diss some things that tend to be popular among the males near my age. They liked football, I didn't; they listened to then-modern music, I chose retro; and so on.
But I do not consider myself a feminist after this, nor do I think that the behaviour of my classmates is "toxic masculinity". I still think that a man should be masculine, and a woman should be feminine, because it's natural. HOWEVER, before someone jumps at me with indignance, my definitions of masculinity and femininity have less to do with what boys/girls should watch/listen/read/enjoy. I was taught (and genuinely believe) that a man must be the defender of his wife and children, that he must support them, and that a woman must support her husband as well. I also believe that a man should have a job; he does not have to be the main bread-winner, but existing solely on one's wife's earnings does not sit right with me. I believe that both men and women should follow a set of morals, and I attribute the behaviour of my classmates to the collapse of morals that Russia had suffered in the 1990s.
In all honesty, this article appears to me as a tale of being different from others which was wrapped up in feminist agenda. I wouldn't have used the word "feminism" in this case at all, actually, since it has (AFAIK) already been too tainted with rabid social justice warriors and men-haters. Personally, I also feel that modern feminists talk a lot about rights but they totally forgot about responsibilities, and one doesn't go without another. "Egalitarianism" might have been a better word. As such, however, people see "feminism" and have a knee-jerk reaction because of the taint that lies on it.
With all things said, I don't stand for the way people jumped at Andrea's throat. I might not agree with support of feminists, but attacking like that is certainly not a man-worthy behaviour. #ISupportAndrea
It's facebook. They clearly don't know what feminazis are really like, and they're all dude bro dudes. They're retarded, and retarded people hate things without even knowing what they're really hating.
Fuck facebook.
http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/09/white-privilege-explained/
And if this makes me roll my eyes and cringe, does this make me a horrible person? Because I'm white. I don't even care anymore, now I just want to die. Great, Tumblr feminism made me find a way to hate myself more. Fucking SJWs.
I looked through the comments and some were stupid and a few were rude but even with all of those it doesn't seem like a big deal. She's intelligent enough to know who should be taken seriously and a good few of those people agreed on most of it besides the word feminism. I'll stand with her but there isn't much that she's really standing against from what I saw and she seems quite capable of handling it.
I don't agree with this. Here's why: link.
Are people seriously raising an issue about idiots on the internet being idiots on the internet like it's anything new? Anyone getting into arguments about this stuff are morons because it's pretty much never going to end the way either side wants.
If you want to change the world, getting into pointless arguments with random people on the internet is not the right way to go about it. Nor is making hashtag campaigns about trivial drama.
Plus you have to realize there are copious amounts of trolls, cyberbullies and sensationalists on either side of the issue, taking advantage of the situation because of the internet and giving people like that attention is NEVER a good idea.
So, has she actually done anything on the level of Anita or anything? Sure she says she's a feminist, but it's still just a title. Has she done anything to warrant direct backlash?
I believe that it is bad for someone to express their opinion with a sword of hate and a shield of ignorance. I don't particularly agree with some opinions, such as 3797522 (I just randomly chose your comment out of all the comments that I had some disagreement towards), but I respect them because they didn't attack anyone with it, and didn't contain anything insulting in it.
I agree with what Adrea Libman says, but the reason why I'm going to do what I'm about to do is because of everything I literally just said before.
#ISupportAndrea
And I didn't do that sparingly, because I find that hashtags just annoy the **** out of me.
3797803
No problem, thanks for explaining.
(Although I am curious as to what you disagree with me on, but if you're inclined to share, please shoot me a PM instead of responding here, so that we do not accidentally spark an argument.)
Same here, actually.
3797774 Not a thing. She promotes feminism in its truest sense: equality for all. And the mistreatment she received for it is stomach-turning.
3797673 Andrea expressed an opinion, and received hateful, ignorant commentary that she did not deserve. To you, that's trivial drama. To me, it's another human being being treated unfairly for no reason.
3797638 I had to do something. I saw someone getting bullied for their opinions, and I felt I needed to act. Besides, we Bronies haven't really showed the good side of our fandom in a while. I thought it as time to change that.
3797870
I think you need to look at the situation a bit more realisticly.
I've personally been trying my hardest to spread #WTHumanity in response to #WTFU because of the underlying and far more important issues behind YouTube's copyright policies that spread far beyond YouTube's copyright system (their reporting system is equally broken in general) beyond YouTube to other websites and even beyond the internet as a whole because it's a problem with most major corporations.
Guess how much success I've had spreading that hashtag?
N.O.N.E.
Plus, realistically speaking, neither of our hashtags would change much in the end, yours FAR less than mine.
3797882 Still, I have to try. This treatment is unfair, and someone has to stand up and give support.
3797897
So then, you'll just ignore everyone else in the world who gets treated this way in favor of a single celebrity?
3797926 That's a straw man argument and you know it. Don't deliberately mislabel my intentions. This is the issue now. When it happens again, I will offer my words based on the situation. For now, this is the matter at hand. And no amount of fallacious arguments will undermine that.
3797952
Doesn't matter what your intentions are. The implications of your actions are still there. Do you really want to live with that?
You're not going to change a thing regardless of what you do. Idiots will be idiots and there's not much you can do about that.
I'm not trying to undermine your efforts, I'm trying to help you realize that they're pointless and you should be focusing on the bigger picture and other more important things. If you can't even realize that then you're no better than the people who said those things to her.
3797971 The only implications of my actions are the ones you are making. And they are wrong.
I don't expect to change the world in a day. But I will not back down, either. When I was in school, bullies always gave me a reason to stop trying. That ended when I left with my degree. I won't be bullied, and I won't stop giving support to others who are bullied. And I will support equality for all, and the undoing of stereotypical male norms of society. Challenge me and belittle my efforts all you want. It will only make me work harder.
3797980
If you want to contribute to the problem by focusing on the wrong things so badly, then I guess I can't stop you.
Equality between the sexes? Men not being forced into conforming with traditional views of masculinity? I'm down with that.
#ISupportAndrea
There's more...
Oh, and this...
3797339 it has grown to be a joke, honestly first wave feminism and second wave feminism are great they were massive improvements over the past, but third wave feminism is mostly a joke, it's unsatisfied women batching about senseless things
3798702 There are still things like wage gaps in places all around the world. Plus, what you claim is NOT the true case. Women in many countries aren't given the same rights. It's not always the case that they feel THEY aren't equal, but women in many societies.
If you think people being beaten, murdered, raped, and more in less advanced countries is senseless and a joke, then really... just...
Hm.
Sorry I'm so late to the party
Despite not being a feminist myself (I don't even know if guys are allowed to be
) but I really have always supported such a fact. I don't use social media all that much, but I hope to spread the word. You're really brave to be standing up like this, Lightning. That's something to be proud of. You're awesome.
3801244
Men can indeed be feminists.
3798702 Your comment is ripe for parody. I'll supply the demand.
True! True! True! Some of our greatest female figures came out of the two waves: Carol Burnett, Gloria Steinem, Mary Tyler Moore, Marlo Thomas, Sally Field, etc.
"Yes. It's unsatisfied women talking about senseless things such as . . . not being given the same rights in various societies, a huge wage gap between men and women alike, as well as issues about people being beaten, murdered, raped, and more in less advanced countries. Those are really, really serious problems that I, the author of the things in the boxes, have sadly chosen to disregard as first-world problems therefore making one want to play something called the 'I-95 Asshole Song' and dedicate it to me." - 3798702
3798782 has made quite accurate statements. The proof is in my reply to the same comment yours was a reply to.