Author: Liz Dawes
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On 12th November, Time magazine asked readers to vote on which word should be banned in 2015

Their poll suggests words and phrases so irritating they make you want to: “seek out the nearest pair of chopsticks and thrust them through your own eardrums” and includes such gems as “sorry not sorry” “om nom nom nom” and “yaaasss”.

It also contains the word “feminist”.  The reason given being: “when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party?”

In a week of appalling stories of misogyny and sexism, it is bizarre that they should question the need to keep feminism in the news.  Perhaps they need reminding of why.

On 10th November Daniel O Reilly had the second series of his show on ITV2 cancelled after video was posted of him on the internet telling an audience member that she was “gagging for a rape”.  It was one of many sexually violent “jokes”, yet it took a week of pressure and a petition signed by over 60,000 people to persuade the channel to take action.

On 13th November, Jessica Ennis-Hill said she would want her name removed from a stand named after her by Sheffield United if the club re-signs a convicted rapist.  She believes that sports men and women ought to be positive role models and she does not want her name associated with a club that does not uphold those beliefs.  Whether or not you agree with her view, she is entitled to express it. The response she got was repeated threats to her personal safety, including those of rape.

Julien Blanc has announced he will be in the UK on 21st November.  The “executive dating coach” makes a living out of telling men how to assault women.  A video of one of his seminars in Japan shows him saying that “white men… can do what you want” in Tokyo, before suggesting that men grab women’s heads and thrust them towards their crotch.  There are loud calls for him to be denied a visa, although given that he is inciting violence and sexual assault it is a matter of embarrassment that he isn’t automatically refused entry.

You might want to argue these are isolated incidents.  That no one in their right mind would admire O Reilly or Blanc or the abusers of Ennis.  But a week of news stories like this contributes to a culture that encourages us to see rape and abuse a lesser offence; something we can make jokes about.  To imagine it’s merely a couple of offensive fame junkies getting too much press is very much to miss the point.

On 10th November, Vagenda magazine was sent an email from a female student at Liverpool University attaching the script of a play written by medical students in her year.  It’s a parody of James Bond movies called: “Hymens aren’t forever” and is full of patronising misogyny and rape jokes.  These are the people who will, in due course, be responsible for treating the traumatised and injured victims of the very crimes they want to put on stage and laugh at.  These are young men who have received the message that this subject matter is funny. Because after all, if you can go to a seminar about it or see a comedian joke about it on a mainstream channel, what harm a small university play?

So yes, Time magazine.  Be annoyed.  Because every time a celebrity stands up and tells us that they are a feminist, they redress this balance in some small way.  They even out the culture in which medical students can find forcing women into sex funny, because our TV channels and immigration control have no issue with it either.

If Time magazine wants to come up with a less annoying word for the people who believe that women are equal to men, perhaps they could suggest it?  Set up an on line poll?