Is ‘Is This Feminist?’ Tumblr Funny, Or Am I Just Too Feminist To Get The Joke?

"Are you gonna liberate us girls from male, white, corporate oppression?" she sang with seething disdain. My first understanding of feminism was at 18 when Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth sang Kool Thing on MTV's brilliant alternative music show, 120 Minutes.

Look guys, someone is teasing us!

Forget Ryan Gosling’s Hey, Girl meme. This time, the internet wants to tease feminists.

The Tumblr Is This Feminist? picks really awful stock photos of women doing simple, every-day things like shaking hands, listening to music or texting. They ask the question–Is this feminist?– and then dissect why the simple, every-day action is not at all feminist, and instead is terribly PROBLEMATIC. And by the way, that is them doing the problematic all caps. Not me.

Time magazine blog writer Heba Hasan writes:

Now we know that some people will find this blog horribly offensive, stating that it belittles actual problems by making a joke out of it. We also know that other people will come to its defense, stating its actually a satire of  some of the really shallow and/or ridiculous feminist language on Tumblr right now.

Am I such a loser that maybe I’m ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE?

Let’s see if we can take a joke. Here’s a sample:

Is This Feminist?

Though the site agrees that there is “nothing inherently problematic” about listening to music, they wonder why the woman in question is listening to music wearing headphones. Hum….

We have to ask why this woman is using headphones, essentially cutting out her listening choices from the community. Being private about our musical choices makes it easier to listen to everything from misogynist rap music to douche-y sexist indie bands like Modest Mouse. It would be better if she opened her taste up to accountability. PROBLEMATIC.

Okay, you know what. Maybe I’ve changed my mind. The last line–”It would be better if she opened her taste up to accountability.”–is pretty damn funny. It made this cranky feminist smile. Of course, the Is This Feminst? Tumblr is mocking the feminists’ great ability to over-analyze and cry out about social injustice –which, hey, not bad qualities–but I am fully aware that my intellectual spewing in all circumstances isn’t always required.

On the other hand, the writer of this Is This Feminist? is a man. Peter Vidani. What is your purpose here, bro? You here to tell us that we’re so cute, but obnoxious?

Nevertheless, I can take a joke.

Okay, feminist Tumblr. You win.

FUNNY.