A new report confirms there’s a strong link between misogyny and white supremacy, and you don’t say?
It’s 2018 and white supremacy continues to plague the United States. In 2017 alone, white supremacists killed 37 people, and now, civil rights group the Anti-Defamation League has officially connected white supremacy to misogyny.
In a new report first shared with Cosmopolitan.com on July 24th, the ADL’s Center on Extremism stated that it will begin to classify violent misogyny as a form of hatred on par with white supremacy. The report’s authors note that while we (rightfully) condemn white supremacy, “we have not been nearly as unequivocal in our condemnation” of misogyny.
"There is a robust symbiosis between misogyny and white supremacy; the two ideologies are powerfully intertwined," the report states.
The ADL argues that since the connection between these two ideologies is so strong, it’s important to educate ourselves about both. The authors mention several violent anti-women groups, including incels (involuntary celibates), who believe that all men are entitled to sex with women, and MRAs (Men’s Rights Activists), who argue that feminism discriminates against men. The report notes that while not all white supremacists are sexist, there is significant overlap.
"ADL considers misogyny a dangerous and underestimated component of extremism, and this report marks the start of an ongoing effort to investigate the ways in which people in the white supremacist, incel and MRA orbits feed and inform one another’s poisonous hatred of women," the report states.
The ADL also outlines nine different ways to combat violent misogyny, including implementing policies that guarantee equal rights based on gender and prohibiting gender-based hate speech online.
Misogyny can provide bigots with a bridge to white supremacy. Our latest report explores this link and provides steps to fight back against misogyny’s hateful ideology. Read more: https://t.co/6EzF3cYe6T
— ADL (@ADL) July 24, 2018
In a video shared to Twitter announcing the report, the ADL featured women reading quotes from actual white supremacists and misogynists. Warning: the following video contains mentions of rape and violence against women.
The connection between misogyny and white supremacy is undeniable. In our latest report, we examine how misogyny can be a gateway to extremism and the alt right: https://t.co/6EzF3cYe6T pic.twitter.com/hHfPLq57pP
— ADL (@ADL) July 24, 2018
Although some dismiss sexist insults or racial slurs as “just words,” language is powerful and learned hatred can be deadly. This is true of both misogynists and white supremacists. According to a 2017 NPR article, as many as 50% of recent mass shootings have been carried out by men who have perpetuated domestic violence. And, as the BBC noted, it was a self-described incel, Alek Minassian, who drove a van into a crowd in Toronto in April, killing 10 people.
We’re really not surprised that two forms of egregious hate and discrimination are connected, but it serves as a strong reminder that we still have a long way to go as a culture. Let’s use this study as an opportunity to spread love today — the world clearly needs it.
