It is a book that generated a lot of enthusiasm during this literary season. "Me men, I hate them" was threatened with censorship. We read it. We explain everything about this essay, soon to be available again at Editions Le Seuil.
On August 19, an essay signed by Pauline Harmange appeared, Me men I hate them, published by Monstrograph editions. On the website of the publisher, you can read this description: "What if women have good reason to hate men? What if anger towards men is in fact a joyful and emancipatory path when it is allowed to express itself? In this short essay, Pauline Harmange defends misandry as a way of making room for sorority and for benevolent and demanding relationships. A feminist and iconoclastic book. "
This summary seems not to have pleased everyone. In any case, this is what Mediapart revealed on August 31. Ralph Zurmély, official at the French ministry for gender equality, allegedly threatened Martin Page and Coline Pierré, editors of the essay, with criminal prosecution. Our colleagues were able to read the email sent to Monstrograph. Here is what was written: "Obviously, both in terms of the summary (…) and reading its title, an ode to misandry. However, I would like to remind you that provocation to hatred on the grounds of sex is a criminal offense! "
We wanted to have our own opinion on this test. We have read it carefully. In view of the enthusiasm around, we also wanted to give the floor to the main interested party, the author of Me men, I hate them. Pauline Harmange therefore returned, for us, to her desire to speak of misandry, but not only, and to the controversy which took place at the end of her work.
What is misandry?
Le Larousse defines the term as follows: "Who feels contempt, even hatred, for the male sex; who testifies to this contempt. (Opposes misogynist.)" We asked Pauline Harmange how she envisioned this term when writing this primarily feminist and liberating essay: "As we often say that misandry is hatred of men, we do not want to have the impression of mirroring misogyny and responding to hatred with hatred. But for me, misandry is not it is not a desire to violence and hurt others. " Misandry according to Pauline Harmange is therefore not a call for harassment, murder or oppression. It is not the "feminine" misogyny, but rather "a reaction to everything that oppresses us and which, suddenly, leads us to adopt behaviors of rejection, mistrust and hostility without ever calling for violence", she tells us. It is not about "reverse sexism", but rather a result of consequences. This lifts the veil on a fed up, a revolt against the omnipresent misogyny within our patriarchal society since the dawn of time.
For me, misandry is not a desire for violence
Misogyny has nothing to do with misandry. It includes all violence against women and the oppression suffered on a daily basis: sexism, mental burden, sexual and physical violence, harassment … Misandry does not include these atrocities against cisgender men. These two concepts are therefore not equal.
The desire to break a taboo on a scary term
Pauline Harmange was asked by Monstrograph to write a book on the subject. According to her, the idea would never have come on its own. She finally agreed to free her word and those of many others: "I accepted because I was really at a time when I was very tired of being a feminist activist. I was tired of putting a lot of energy into it only to find that even those around me, who are progressive and in accordance with my values, there is an indifference and inaction of men in the face of the feminist struggle. Not to mention the other men who are even less interested in it. It really pissed me off. " explains the young woman of 24 years, author of the blog of an Invicible summer.
For Pauline Harmange, we must therefore break a taboo around misandry and not be afraid of words. Feminist activism is increasingly exhausted. It's a fact. If this was the starting point of the author, she did not expect such enthusiasm and to have to talk about it so much and justify herself: "The first edition of the book was 400 copies. Initially, it should have been only 200 because it is a very small publishing house and the first runs are usually based on 200. With the containment, there was a delay. It was due out in early spring and there is a pre-order system that has been put in place. Even before the release in August, there were more pre-orders than planned so it made sense that we increase the prints. I was not at all prepared for this to speak to so many people. I am very happy that it is, of course. " She tells us, specifying that the expectation was not at all this at the start. Monstrograh is a small publishing house and Pauline Harmange wrote this book with the aim of reaching people who already know her work: "It wasn't really meant to be highlighted so much."
Me men, I hate them is above all an ode to sorority
Finally, Me men, I hate them returns to the term misandry to magnify the importance of sorority. It is even more than necessary in feminist struggles and that is what the essay tries to demonstrate. For the good of all, Pauline Harmange calls for women to unite and recognize militant exhaustion and the patriarchal oppression that weighs on them. And this, through an assumed misandry, one that experiences hostility towards what cisgender men represent as a dominant collective. With a sharp sense of humor and a daring pen, the young woman involved in the L’échappée association in Lille, delivers a book based on her personal experience. But the values and feelings there are universal as women are so tired of men's inaction.
I believe that hating men opens the doors of love for women and for ourselves
The most regrettable around the work Me men, I hate themis to stop at the title. Pauline Harmange regrets, in fact, that some people have not tried to go further and have judged her essay on its title and not on its content. When we ask her, for example, if Ralph Zurmély has read the essay, she says no: "He said he hadn't read it and didn't intend to." This is all the more unfortunate since Pauline Harmange recalls that some of the sources mentioned in her book come from "directly from the government and the ministry responsible for gender equality."
What future for the book today?
Last August, Mediapart revealed threats of legal action from Ralph Zurmély. But what about today? According to Pauline Harmange, the publishing house has not heard from this subject: "We have indeed had threats of legal proceedings. But since the article in Médiapart, we have not heard from this gentleman."It is therefore radio silence on this subject since the publication of our colleagues and the revelation of this email written by the ministry. For the moment, the work Me men, I hate them so keep going. Despite a shortage of stock on the side of Monstrograph, a reissue is indeed planned. Friday September 11, AcuaLitté revealed the repurchase of the rights of the book by Le Seuil. Me men, I hate them should be released in mid-October.
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