Thread by @thewalrus

Stay tuned for a Twitter takeover by @NoLore talking about her latest book, Take Back the Fight. Read an excerpt from it here: thewalrus.ca/can-government… 1/13

Hi everyone! I’m @NoLore, here to tell you the story behind my latest book, on how feminism can confront government in the digital age. thewalrus.ca/can-government… 2/13

When Justin Trudeau said “because it’s 2015,” his attempt at a feminist mic drop resonated with many people who had long awaited a government leader to put feminism front and centre. 3/13

Media coverage, especially globally, was very supportive of Trudeau, even writing about our “feminist PM boyfriend.” In four-and-a-half words, Trudeau positioned himself as a feminist—before presenting a single piece of legislation. 4/13

That moment was important: it showed that feminism, the word, had been so stretched, so mutated, that feminism’s prime target—the leader of a country still imbued with patriarchy—could simply declare himself part of the movement. And many bought it. 5/13

But feminism isn’t about self-identification. It’s about action. And the reality is this: life is still very hard for women, especially women who are Black, Indigenous, and otherwise racialized; trans women; disabled women; nonbinary folks and queer women. 6/13

Feminism is confrontation—especially confrontation of power. If power isn’t afraid of a movement, it will ignore it. If it can coopt a movement’s identity, it will do so to neutralize it. thewalrus.ca/can-government… 7/13

At the same time, online movements like #MeToo have raised awareness about gendered and sexual violence like never before. So why didn’t #MeToo lead to a mass mobilization, a confrontation of power? 8/13

The internet has tricked us into believing that changing the world is possible when we speak out. Amplify our voices. Shout our abuse. Or when a PM declares that he is a feminist before actually doing anything that would support such a declaration. 9/13

Awareness is important, but it isn't action. It’s a step toward action. We need to build gathering spaces where we can debate and discuss, study and strategize. We need to restore meaning to feminism so that it’s impossible for those like Trudeau to hollowly coopt. 10/13

In doing so, we can build relationships strong enough to take radical action. Remember: abortion was made legal not because feminists demanded it but because they broke the law through illegal abortion clinics. They organized! thewalrus.ca/can-government… 11/13

Feminists took the energy and momentum from radical action, from local organizing groups to nationally coordinated campaigns, and built a confrontation that brought power to its knees. We have to find a way to do this again. 12/13

That’s it from me, @NoLore. Thanks to @thewalrus for sharing their Twitter account. You can read an excerpt from my book here: thewalrus.ca/can-government… 13/13