Major Hollywood Progressive actor Meryl Streep publicly rejects the term “toxic masculinity” as bad for all, not just for men. She notes that “women can be pretty f-ing toxic too.” Is this a watershed moment that signals more civil dialogue from Hollywood, or will Streep’s Progressive friends blackball her for engaging in free speech?
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Women Toxic Too: Meryl Streep Rejects “Toxic Masculinity” Term
Major Hollywood Progressive actor Meryl Streep publicly rejects the term “toxic masculinity” as bad for all, not just for men. She notes that “women can be pretty f-ing toxic too.” Is this a watershed moment that signals more civil dialogue from Hollywood, or will Streep’s Progressive friends blackball her for engaging in free speech?
20 replies on “Women Toxic Too: Meryl Streep Rejects “Toxic Masculinity” Term”
I think “female actor” is one of the dumbest oxymorons of political correctness. I first noticed it at the Oscars several years ago, where it apparently escaped everyone’s notice that if you’re going to have separate award categories by sex, it is silly to eschew a word with a feminine ending as “sexist.” Not all descriptively sexist language is ipso facto bad. (I personally would argue that none of it is bad.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with terms like “waitress,” “stewardess,” “patroness,” “ambassadress,” “executrix,” etc. It is only feminists who have placed a negative connotation on such words. I dispute their premise. (And by the way, I also hate the term “Ms.”)
I actually like the term Ms for business letters to women I don’t know personally. When it was 1st coming into use I’d have to ask what they preferred. I’m a lawyer from the South and at that time I was on a 1st phone call from a somewhat abrasive female staff counsel of a company in the Northeast. When I asked she replied “Definitely Ms.” (She also had a hyphenated last name.) I told her that feminists had corrupted a fine Southern tradition. When she asked what that was I said that we Southern boys grew up addressing every woman as Miz before it meant anything other than respect.
I was going to make a comment about Miz, but it seemed to be straying off topic. Let me just say that I don’t mind Miz in the Southern usage, though in my experience it is usually meant to be Mrs., not Miss. And “Miss Firstname” is a wonderful tradition that fills a slot in the respect/familiarity hierarchy. (Don’t get me started on children addressing adults by their first names. Or for that matter, on car salesmen addressing prospective customers by their first names.)
What I object to these days is the removal of Miss from forms. The choices are Ms. and Mrs. What?
The social proof thing isn’t some recent discovery it’s been around more than 740 years, when the source stories for “the emperor’s new clothes’ were printed.and those stories presumably had older still origins…
Very often Social scientists proudly proclaim they have ‘discovered’ something people have known for a long time.
I think most of us already knew that “toxicity” is not defined by sex any more than any other negative or positive quality, like arrogance or kindness. It’s common sense but I guess it needed to be said – especially by someone who’s influential in Hollywood.
Kudos to Bill for giving credit where it’s due, regardless of the source. I think it took some courage – not just for Meryl but for Bill too – because you KNOW he’s going to be accused of allowing himself to be hoodwinked. But I think around the 16:00 mark of this video he makes it clear that is NOT the case.
Good story about the string to illustrate peer pressure. Reminded me of the Emperor’s new clothes.
Nicely done.
Filing this under: Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut…
Bill, I love your anecdote about the string. It recalls an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Picard had been tortured for days by a Cardassian officer for information Picard never had. The officer kept telling Picard that the “interrogation” could end if Picard only admitted that there were 5 lights shining on him. In the end, the officer made it so attractive to him, he was ready to break. The thrust was that he could have a normal, fulfilling life, even here, if he just submitted. Picard admitted once back on the Enterprise, that he was at his breaking point. He was saved from that humiliation only because his release had been negotiated.
Just sayin’, we all have out limits, even the best of us.
https://youtu.be/o_eSwq1ewsU
She’s a mom. She has sons. This time its personal.
Maybe, just maybe, you are right… However, how many other mothers of sons treat their sons as little girls with different plumbing?
When daughter Swanson was getting bullied in Jr High, the guidance counselor suggested we all watch mean girls. Wasn’t a huge fan of Tina Fey, but dang if she didn’t nail the toxic femininity thing.
Bill, you’re giving this statement of hers too much power. It isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. Not only that, Streep’s next statement is most assuredly going to be leftwing to the extreme.
It sounds like you’re willing to be snowed here. Please don’t be fooled by this once in a lifetime statement.
See my reply to Edward, above. I think you will like it.
I didn’t like it.
I loved it! <3
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Most of the time, she’s a leftist loon.
“will Streep’s Progressive friends blackball her for engaging in free speech?” A-haaaaa, ha, of course, they will. That’s what they do, they eat their own!
This is why AG Bill Barr is an American hero. During his recent CBS interview, he was asked why he would sacrifice his career long earned reputation and serve as AG under Trump. His answer was that he felt that things were wrong in Washington DC, and he wanted to right wrongs. He was pressed on this question and he shrugged off the *legacy* concerns. He said he was at the end of his career and everybody dies eventually. He was saying he was willing to go against the grain for integrity’s sake.
She gets 1 point and only one point back. Still leaves her a few thousand points in the hole. Maybe she should think this way about eveything, but until she does, still won’t see anything she is in or is behind.
Why I can certain applaud Meryl for her stance on toxic masculinity. I have not forgotten the vitriol that she seems more than accustom to on other subjects (such as Donald Trump)
Even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes… and that is how I view this instance. I applaud her for this one particular stance. I do so with the complete knowledge that so far she has shown herself to be only ONE notch less toxic than the rest of the progressives in Hollywood.
God Bless Clint Eastwood and James Wood and a few notable other.
Meryl Streep has a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG way to go to join their ranks.
When she’s right she’s right and when she’s wrong she’s wrong. On this topic, she is right on the money. So when she does good I applaud her. As to getting back to civility, we have to have basic manners and eliminate both hate and rudeness. We should be able to disagree in our debates without hate. To label an entire half of humanity under one negative label is wrong. It was coined by men-hating feminists. Good on her for calling the toxic masculinity thing out as the wrong term to use. She is wrong on how she treats the president in public, but she is right on this issue.
“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
Of course women are toxic too. And no one knows this better than another woman. That said, even a broken clock is correct twice a day, so I’m not holding my breath where Meryl Streep is concerned. We shall see.