Fanatics are doing genuine feminists a disservice

Thought you heard the last of the gender wars? Don’t believe it. Like religious conflicts, the feminist fight-back by the fanatic fringe goes on.

For starters, an ultra-feminist in the US doesn’t like hurricanes. Her beef is about the word itself. She claims the term “hurricane” sounds too much like “her-icane.” She thinks “hurricane” sounds feminine, is misogynistic, associating the destructive storms with women. Hey?

Would she prefer “people-cane?” I reckon “cane” should be dropped as it encourages drunkenness with ad agencies getting on the bandwagon with jingles like “drink cane for the pain”. And cane is also associated with corporal punishment.

Think that’s utter madness? Try this one for size.

Horsey women with liberal leanings in the UK are said by a lady columnist to be “burning their bridles”. They ride their mounts bareback without bridles because tugging at nags’ mouths is cruel. They use only a rope for hanging on and believe verbal instructions are enough to do the steering.

These crazies go further. Their horses go shoeless because “bare feet are more comfortable”. Next they’ll have their #MeToo race horses wearing multi-coloured sox and headgear at The Grand National with lady jockeys doing Lady Godivas. At least the Duke of Edinburgh would approve.

Imagine what it would do to the Durban July. Jacob Z would give it the nod. Heh-heh-heh.

I reckon these fanatics are doing a disservice to genuine feminists.

All right-thinking folk, yes, including men, are all for treating women as equals. No argument.

But sadly the subject has been hijacked by the loonies who make a mockery of what should be a concerted attempt to right what was wrong for far too long. They’re an insult to their gender.

Let’s face it, most men would give the bridle-less horsewoman a wide berth. Imagine being married to someone hanging up a rope instead of a leather bridle after her morning gallop.

Unless the hubby sees the rope as having other uses of a domestic sporting nature.

And one who still believes in corporal punishment.

Oh, and who prefers going around barefoot.

Cliff Buchler.

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