Feminism in Focus - Anita Sarkeesian

[sundersart]

I like all your videos, but it is the intelligence and refusal to pander to the idiocy of youtube that i like the best. I am forever engaging in thought based on your video. Thanks.

[utterlyviolet]

Fem Freq, I was wondering, are familiar with one Dr. Jackson Katz, noted anti-sexist activist and feminist? I say feminist as he called himself that at a lecture of his I sat in on.

[eddydeez]

I want a fem freq button!

[peterpetersberg]

I really like your videos. My sister told me about them and at first I just brushed them off because I used to have a really negative view of feminism (because I had bought in almost completely to the straw feminist tropes) soI really appreciate the way you articulate feminist ideas in a way that can reach people like me. Thank you!

[unlimitedbravado]

Not going to patronize you with "You Rock!", as if you need comforted against the words of the ignorant. However, I will say that every time I enjoy one of your videos I face the screen, and do my best nice guy pose* (*Thumbs up and an encouraging smile [though I wish it wasn't called that]). Gonna have to seek out that reading list now!

[scottandrewhutchins]

I notice a lot of reactionaries online saying things I find it very hard to believe they would say in public, but considering the number of times I've been called gay (when I'm not) online for my opinions, I'm not surprised at the way some people treat you. They probably want to vote for Bachmann or Palin because they defer to their husbands on everything.

[feministfrequency]

@scottandrewhutchins Online harassment and sexism is hardly limited to people who vote conservative.

[TheRealLordRama]

Hi, I just discovered this channel today and it's a great discovery. I'm not so involved in pop culture myself aside from casual video gaming, but this is still a necessary perspective—a lot of your critiques can apply just as well to the non-pop culture I engage with and enjoy. It's not like Hollywood and video games have a monopoly on misogyny! The music I listen to, the books I read... all tend to be male-dominated. In any case, thank you!

[brigadoon2008]

i don't remember how i came across your videos, but it wasn't more than a week ago and seriously...best thing ever.

i spread your videos to my friends, dad, and my little sisters and this creates opportunities for us to have real discussions about the issues that affect us.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! and PLEASE, KEEP THE VIDS COMING! :)

[l7y2n2n]

i'm a feminist woman who doesn't feel like writing an intellectual comment every single time i post. but just as a counter to the "almost daily" sexist comments you receive, i wanna say you're wonderful and awesome, and get in the kitchen only when you feel like it! or, make a man do the work for you, like how i make my feminist BF do the cooking sometimes <3

[ikeepitprettygansta]

you should put out a reading list, something like a book club. i would love to read some of the books that influenced you.

[feministfrequency]

@ikeepitprettygansta I have a recommended list of books on the resources page of my website.

[alttakes]

We need an Onion article called something like "Guy Who Leaves 'Women... Kitchen' Comments on Youtube Admits to Paralysing Loneliness".

[Xtrasupershadowgirl]

@alttakes And don't forget comments like 'ah, a pretty face to masturbate to', or something similar, because these sexist comments are quite frequent as well. Quite frankly it's disheartening and it shows that as a whole women have it a lot less respect than men on youtube.

[Xtrasupershadowgirl]

@alttakes correction, I meant to say that women are GIVEN a lot less respect than men on youtube. Sorry about that...

[RLviddy]

I enjoy your videos very much. Those harassing messages you get are from lazy, arrogant trolls, full of bravado and completely cowardly, who don't have the first idea how to be men/human beings.

[hugesinker]

I want to make you a sandwich.

[zerofence]

*crush*



[MidoriMartini]

I like this video!

[BboyEricLiu]

I wonder how often comments like "go make me a sandwich" are *just* standard internet trolling. Anyone who posts anything on the internet has to deal with trolls, and I suspect anything promoting feminism will look like an easy target, but not necessarily because of anything to do with the content per se. Which isn't to say there aren't actual anti-feminist sentiments out there, just that it would be nice to be able to sort out the effects of different causes of objectionable behaviour.

[ckidlove]

Thnx for being on youtube!! YOUR VIDS ARE AWESOME!!!!!

[00GreyEyedGirl00]

OK so this may come off as toady but honestly you are a role model to me C: You're doing something really cool and amazing here and that's something that I look up to and find inspiring! I would go on but I don't want to sound too obsequious. Thank you though for everything you do! C:

[lucifer1343]

I need some female friends more like you.

[bitwiseand]

I want a button!

[feministfrequency]

@bitwiseand Check out the donate page on my website for info on how to get a FemFreq button.

[Errata0stigmata]

<3

[bikelove503]

You are a true ruler!

[whatywhaty]

I love your videos, even when you just talk about why you make them :)  Totally inspiring!

[Fang67RAM]

Very well stated!

[AdriLeverkuhn]

Nice, I will be following this.

[MrShootgunner]

Nice video. I'm sick of people hating on feminism!

[deathlypadfoot]

"get back in the kitchen" comments are really sad attempts at humor. I don't remember the last time anybody found that joke funny, feminist or not.

[haphazardry]

Feminist Frequency buttons! How can I get one?

[Rozax]

I've been sharing these videos with my mother, grandmother, and other female relatives and friends. I haven't heard much back from them, but I've had stirring conversations with my male friends and relatives, with whom I've also shared your videos. A few are following your channel now, while others wait for their next debate with me. I don't mind if we argue, seeing as it gets all of us thinking about the issues, and it's kinda fun.

Thank you for your positive contribution to society!

[feministfrequency]

@meghanthepirate Thank you for your kind words. I don't think feminists "let our emotions run wild" we are fighting for change in the world and that is a big, daunting task.

[DKshad0w]

Get back on your computer, and make another video.

[spinupplusdown]

You really are amazing! Thanks for these excellent videos. And moderation is very good idea - otherwise I'm sure, the comments section will be thoroughly unreadable, as is the case with most youtube videos.

[justsomeapples]

awesome

[VioletDrow]

"Get back in the kitchen?" "Go make me a sandwich?" Seriously?

It doesn't occur to these idjits that maybe you've heard that once or twice already?

Come on now, that's just subpar trolling.

FAIL.

[Cidsa2]

Thank you for making such great videos all the time, I really appreciate them. I'm sad to see that you can't escape the haters either, I guess that makes these sort of conversations even more important.

[hightower712]

Thanks so much for everything you do!

[jerona]

Thanks for showing your stack of books! I got some interesting reading tips from there. :)

[Bexahontas]

You're awesome Anita. Not only do you speak to me & alert me of feminist issues, you're clearly a bit of a geek & focus alot of your discussion around the more geeky side of popculture. As a sci-fi/comic book/video game nerd myself, I find you very engaging & can relate to you. Please keep up the good work! x

[cmartinrel]

You're awesome. Keep up the good work.

[FunBigSister]

As I learn more and more I have to make a significant effort to stay on topic, repeat the messages and ensure that they remain simple and straight forward. IT is actually quite hard :) thanks for the fab job you do! Inês @GirlEmpowerment

[FunBigSister]

thanks for this Anita this was extremely helpful to me, I started a small movement to help parents of preschool aged girls understand the dangers of gender stereotyping because a lot of the information available was either too sophisticated/academic and inaccessible or to focus on what is wrong with little indication of what could be done about it. I wanted to focus on awareness and education.

[CrazedPeeling]

Ooh where can we get your FemFreq buttons? :)

[babileilei]

I get excited when your videos pop up on my "subscriptions". That's saying a lot for someone who doesn't like to be classified under labels. That is to say, I don't want to be called an activist of any kind, put under a specific political party, or belong to any specific group of any kind. I would not consider myself a feminist, and I shy away from anything that calls itself feminist. So when I say I love your channel, it's saying a lot. Keep doing what you're doing.

[Abeba323]

You are really awesome. Your commentary always pushes me to think, really develop my critical eye and challenge my own opinions-- which is truly education at its best. You're doing a great thing by putting yourself out there in this format, making criticism of the mainstream media-- well, mainstream :) Here's one positive comment to counter the plenty of nasty "Make me a sandwich" comments!

[suburbaknght]

Love your thoughts here. While I don't always agree with your positions, I love that you, as you put it, "critically engage" with popular media. Whether we like it or not, this media both defines and is defined by our culture, ergo only by engaging with it can we understand and/or alter our culture.

[Abeba323]

@suburbaknght Wholeheartedly agree!

[censorama]

I'm so glad that you do make these videos! I am a feminist, minor in women's studies, and do a lot of reading on my own, but I always learn something from your videos and look forward to whenever they come out.

[juanra85]

You are amazing! Thanks for making these! I am actually getting my masters in Women's and Gender Studies right now, but want to move on to a PhD in media studies when I'm done. I'm interested in how the media informs gender identities, as well as in feminist perspectives on postmodernism. Could you recommend any good media books that deal with feminist issues in the postmodern world? I like books that honestly look at race and class as well.

[blue5522]

I love your approach to feminism. You make it interesting, thought-provoking and appealing, and I think it is inspiring to everyone. Love the living room analogy, too. heh.

[upinsmokedude]

You're my hero. 'nuff said.

[jbschott3]

Thank you so much for telling us a little bit more about yourself Anita. I've been following your videos for almost a year now and I am always impressed with the content and quality of your work. You really do a great job making feminist theory accessible to our generation. Please keep up your fantastic work!

[JohanRonstrom]

Really good job! Very importatnt stuff here. Lots of love (and stories do rock!) from us storytellers, filmers and musicians in Sweden!

[melissa10474]

Thank-you for your videos!

I can't really pin it down exactly, but I think it was your videos that got me into feminism (or at least it had a major part in it).

Keep up the great work

[lcrippin]

Seriously love every one of your videos. As a guy who's an aspiring feminist I find all your videos eye opening. Keep up the great work.

[SickMouth]

@lcrippin Aspiring feminist? If you want to be a feminist, you are one. We LOVE it when men join our forces! Please please please stay active in the feminist community.

[RainmanStudios]

@lcrippin a guy who's an aspiring feminist? you get some SERIOUS respect from me, man!

[lookit87]

Awesome. New sub here.

[RosefulEvelyns]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video and all of your videos!! I'm a big fan. Keep on being perpetually awesome!!

[20YeP02]

Thanks! I really enjoy these!

[leilablu]

thank you so much for your videos!

[JessicatheObserver]

I really appreciate what you are trying to do with these videos. I especially enjoy the thought provoking ideas that you present specifically about popular media, and I love that the videos use language and concepts that are easy to share with others with differing amounts of education and life experience.

[Bauch373]

I like this.

[squirrelywrath2]

I have always liked your videos because you do not seem angry or to hate everyone. You put forward reasonable points, and then back them up with evidence. Whats not to respect about that?

[TFYFWYA]

@squirrelywrath2

I appreciate her matter-of-fact demeanor as well, but I just have to point out that women, and feminists, actually have a lot to be angry for.

[feministfrequency]

@TFYFWYA yes absolutely, and for the record, I am most certainly angry about the oppression of women.

[FantasmaLuna]

We're very proud to have you here, Anita! Bugger the lot who tell us to "Get back in the kitchen" I'm personally glad to have an intelligent woman talk about the media and how it affects us in a feminist and anti-feminist way.

Love you! <3

[Misp0610]

I think you're great, I just needed to say that because I haven't said it before which is pretty stupid. Because I should have.

[ambervig]

I love your channel. Keep up the great work! :D

[buffified]

ok this is the first time Ive seen one of your videos and now you have a fan, very well spoken, good job

[inbach]

Hi Anita, I'm glad to finaly know your name, because I've been following you for a while now, and I really like your videos. I'm actually from Israel, and just yesterday our former president got seven years in jail for 2 rape cases. I am also a blogger [not on YT though] and I get a LOT of harassment from people, but the times people tell me I changed their mind worth it all.

Keep doing a great job!

-Inbar.

[violetz1234]

I would love a Fem Freq button :)

[CorianderCivar]

You are awesome, eloquent, intelligent and I love you !

[octobre79]

hooray for moderated comments!

[skyswordsman]

Its wonderful to see critical perspectives of our culture on an approachable format from & for our (internet) generation. The importance of understanding human relations is ever increasing in our digital world, and as a society we cannot fore-go this kind of knowledge that is not taught to us outside of select collegiate classrooms (soci, anth, psych, etc).

So keep on fighting the good fight. And maybe one day, we'll tell our children how the world once was, and they will laugh at us for it.