Namely, it's the consistent scapegoating of individualism -- and especially feminism -- that repulses me, as I consider myself a strong subscriber to those philosophies.
What many don't seem to realize is that there are various types of individualism and feminism (some good and some bad). But from what I've seen here, most posters seem quite ignorant of this obvious fact.
Let me start out with individualism: it is not the same as social isolation. The former is a philosophy, while the latter is a lifestyle. And there are at least two genres of individualism: "enlightened" and "stupid" (which also have been termed "enlightened selfishness" and "stupid selfishness").
Enlightened individualism can largely be summed up in three steps:
Step 1. Clarifying one's values (especially the intangibles)
Step 2. Considering the consequences of one's actions in the short run and long run
Step 3. Doing what's best for oneself after thinking long and hard about all of that
Stupid selfishness, on the other hand, is the practice of skipping steps 1 & 2, and pursuing number 3 without "thinking about all of that."
Anyway, as my own example to step #1 above, here is a partial list of some of my top values (in descending order):
1. My physical and mental health
2. My personal sense of authenticity (i.e., not being a fake)
3. My sense of inspiration/joy in life
4. My sense of longevity/sustainability in life
5. My future girlfriend/wife
6. My family
7. My music collection
8. My job/career
9. My money/gold bullion/investments
10. My other material possessions
I could go on and on, but the point is that the "good" type of individualism can serve as a priceless compass for daily personal decision-making. Many decades ago in the U.S., this was the norm among a large percentage of the population (and particularly of the cultural liberals of the time). Most were not socially-isolated, not cliquish, and interacted genuinely and freely with others without the fake politeness that's so widespread here today.
Likewise, today I encounter both "individualists" and "altruists" alike who are anti-social and reclusive, so how can individualism be a root of the problem?
Moving on to the subject of feminism now....
Many on here seem to grossly overgeneralize it (i.e., lumping it all into one single category), and seem to unilaterally bash it undistinguishingly. Never mind the plethora of genres of feminism that are present -- some good, and some bad. Personally, I like to filter them into two categories: classic and modern (with the former being the good kind, and the latter being bad).
Classic feminism (which includes my favorite: Individualist Feminism) is based upon the notion that a person should live his/her life in accordance with his own individual nature, and not necessarily according to some dogmatically-prescribed "gender role." This applies to all areas of life, ranging from career choices to dating behavior to tastes in music & movies. Classic feminism also holds that men & women possess the same inalienable rights, and should be equal under the law.
Modern feminism, on the other hand, is quite different. It surmises that an oppressive patriarchal social structure exists today (in developed countries) with the intention of keeping women "in their place," which must be aggressively rebelled against. It contends that most men wish to "exploit" women in various ways, and that women must take "precautions" galore -- such as by not appearing "too feminine," and by not carrying themselves in a very feminine way -- regardless of their individual natures. It also advocates that men and women should be absolutely equal economically, which should be imposed by the force of government, if necessary.
Most of the prominent early-American feminists (such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, etc.) were classic feminists. None of them fostered any hatred toward men, none were anti-feminine, nor did they advocate the forcible redistribution of wealth. In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s until modern feminism began to take root. Only then did the anti-male paranoia, the victimology, and the female-entitlement mentality begin to spread.
I'm proud to be a classic feminist. (I even wrote an article about it in college when I was a regular opinion columnist of the campus newspaper. You can read the op-ed by clicking here.) I'm also a fan of contemporary authors Wendy McElroy, Christina Hoff Sommers, and Camille Paglia, who are classic feminists that criticize the direction that popular feminism has taken during the last several decades. Do a web search of these authors, or check out the site http://ifeminists.net for good examples of realistic, level-headed feminism.
I'd like to close out this message with a challenging question for all of the feminist-bashers. Why is it that in Oklahoma City where I live -- in the culturally-conservative "Bible Belt" of the U.S.A. -- that most women are extremely cliquish, paranoid toward men, full of entitlement mentality, and unfemininely-dressed? Why, ironically, do very few of them consider themselves feminists? Is feminism really the root of the problem here? Or instead, could it be a cultural problem with television, movies, the news media, and the government?
Hmmm...
