Voting Station

Catharine MacKinnon

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Advocate

The Resume

    (October 1, 1946- )
    Wrote 'Feminism Unmodified,' 'Toward a Feminist Theory of the State,' 'Only Words'
    Co-authored the 'Model Anti-Pornography Ordinance' for the Minneapolis City Council with Andrea Dworkin

Why she might be annoying:

    One of her most famous arguments has been interpreted as follows:
    1. Under a patriarchy women are unable to construct their own sexuality because men do it for them.
    2. Since a woman's sexuality is decided for them, they can never know what they want sexually.
    3. Since they are unaware of what they truly want sexually, they are unable to consent to sex with men.
    4. Since they are unable to consent to sex with men, if they have heterosexual intercourse, then they are raped (even if both parties believe that consent was present).
    5. Hence, all men who engage in heterosexual intercourse in a patriarchy are rapists. QED
    Nearly every society that has ever existed has been a patriarchy, so the above conclusion would mean that almost every man who has ever lived has been a rapist.
    Her 'Model Anti-Pornography Ordinance' would have allowed anyone who was the victim of sexual assault to sue any producer or distributor of pornography for damages, even if there was no evidence linking the use of the pornography to assault.
    She developed definitions of pornography and erotica that were fairly vague and meaningless, and left no real difference between the two.

Why she might not be annoying:

    Not everyone believes that she actually holds the above argument since it is only seen as implicit in her writings.
    She fought for women's rights for decades.
    She has a Ph.D. from Yale.
    She has taught at the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, UCLA, Yale, and Harvard, so she must be doing something right.
    Since 1992, she provided pro bono legal representation for both Muslim and Croat women who were systematically raped by the Serbian army.

Credit: Nihilism Cynicism Sarcasm Orgasm


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 39 Votes: 43.59% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 96 Votes: 53.12% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 86 Votes: 56.98% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 17 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 134 Votes: 59.70% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 479 Votes: 58.25% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 25 Votes: 64.00% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 84 Votes: 79.76% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 26 Votes: 84.62% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 103 Votes: 65.05% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 117 Votes: 41.03% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 114 Votes: 77.19% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 107 Votes: 77.57% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 184 Votes: 63.04% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 314 Votes: 68.15% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 443 Votes: 65.91% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 1811 Votes: 69.96% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 678 Votes: 77.43% Annoying