ONCE Australia’s best known sex therapist, Bettina Arndt, who prided her work helping women during the 1970s has stepped away from the feminist cause, saying it has been hijacked.
Now a social commentator and men’s advocate, Ms Arndt has revealed this month that she’s now finished with an increasingly aggressive feminist movement.
In a surprising about-face, Ms Arndt has become a leading figure highlighting the hardships suffered by men in an increasingly anti-male Australia.
- There’s a whole generation of older feminists who no longer call themselves feminists.
- Feminism today is all about advantaging women at the expense of men.
- It has become caught up in the demonisation of males.
Her views on feminism were recently revealed in a lengthy interview with former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, which featured in his Conversations pod cast series.
In a July 6 YouTube post – hash tagged “#MenToo” [see below] – she said she had become concerned by the media’s increasing obsession with women’s issues, at the expense of issues impacting men.
“What really bothered me was the fact that our whole cultural dialogue was very much tilted to women’s wants and women’s needs,” she said.
CONTROLLING
“I was proud of my work in the 1970s helping women with their sex lives.
“But we’ve seen feminism really start to assert itself in terms of controlling the media, and it has become an absolute distortion.
“We never hear what it’s like from the male point of view.”
Ms Arndt said she was not alone in her concerns.
“I think there is a whole generation of older feminists like me who no longer call themselves feminists,” she said.
“I mean, I was a feminist when feminism was about equality – about levelling the playing field and giving women an opportunity to find their rightful place, particularly in the public world.
“This was tremendously important and exciting when we achieved that.”
HOSTAGE
But, she said, those objectives had been taken hostage.
“Feminism today, to me, is all about advantaging women at the expense of men,” Ms Arndt said.
“And it has become very much caught up in the demonisation of males.”
Ms Arndt’s much publicised clash with “third-wave” feminists occurred in 2018 when she was confronted by violent demonstrators at Sydney University.
She had attracted the wrath of female student activists after questioning their claims of a university “rape culture”, providing evidence that campuses were safer for young women than the general community.
Riot squad officers were sent to remove the protestors, who had blocked access to the venue where Ms Arndt was speaking as part of her “Fake Rape Crisis” campus tour.
In response, the federal government subsequently held an inquiry into free speech on university campuses, leading to legislation to enshrine more open debate within tertiary institutions.
Then in 2020, after Ms Arndt was awarded an Australia Day honour for her community work – including “promoting gender equity through advocacy for men” – feminist activists enlisted high-profile politicians and the media to have her honour withdrawn.
“The media circulated damaging material containing maliciously edited videos and extracts,” she said.
“But the cancellation campaign ultimately failed and I was awarded the honour later that year.”
Ms Arndt said the media pile-on was an indication of how feminists controlled mainstream media.
“I was clearly over the target which is why they were so willing to flex their muscles in a big way to try to take me out.” PC
Blah, blah, blah. She’s an Uncle Tom in female form.
Are you for real? It appears you are either university educated or you’ve been watching way too much of The Project on channel 10. You are a disgrace right now but, hopefully, you will grow up after you’ve repaid your tax payer-funded education.
Not to be overly unkind, but you appear to be an unthinking progressive robot in human form.
If nothing else, Ms Arndt was entertaining and bright – rare qualities among modern day jack-boot feminists.
If she wants to make amends, she should run for federal parliament. I can relate to at least half the country who, no doubt, would support her.
She’s always made a lot of sense – and continues to do so. Bettina can’t be blamed for the idiots who took her totally reasonable message to extremist levels.
Bettina’s old mates turned out to be revolutionaries. While I respect her, I can’t help but think she helped pave their way. Thank goodness she’s come out publicly. Though, it may be too late.