THREAD/ 1. In #BetrayingBigBrother, I write about something I call "patriarchal authoritarianism" in China. The Communist Party has relied on the subjugation of women as a critical element of its authoritarian control over the entire population.
2. Misogyny and sexism - such as subordinating women to the role of very obedient wife and mother in the home - are absolutely critical to the longevity of the Communist Party. I also write about how this is not a phenomenon unique to the Communist Party state.
3. Around the world, we see the rise of authoritarianism. We see it in many countries, even here in the United States, with the assault on our democratic institutions. We see it with these strongman authoritarian rulers, from Putin in Russia, Erdogan in Turkey, Orban in Hungary..
4...and the Law and Justice party in Poland. The authoritarian control exercised by these "strongman" rulers is very closely associated with misogyny and an assault on women's rights. What I'd like readers to take away from my book is to see those links. At the same time...
5. I want people to be inspired because to me, it's incredibly inspiring how these young women in China are taking on the world's most powerful authoritarian regime. They have built a movement that is extraordinarily resilient, that is continuing its momentum...
6....years after the government tried to crush the movement in 2015, by jailing five young women known as the Feminist Five. To me, it suggests that women's rights activism, grassroots feminist activists around the world, fighting for their rights in authoritarian countries...
7....that these women are people we should all be watching, not just in China but around the world. Feminist activism is key to the fight against authoritarianism. Thanks to @ChinaFile for interviewing me about #BetrayingBigBrother, now 50% off till 12/31: versobooks.com/books/2863-bet…
