If I suggest that a fictional movie character is an idiot, I'm a jerk
But it's okay for others to call Lori Laughlin's daughter, and other real people, 'as dumb as a rock'?
Huh?!?
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Well, firstly, I don't think I've called any 'beloved' characters dumb.
But I get the impression that some male feminists are scared to do so, and yet they're quite relaxed about attacking real women's intelligence. It makes no sense to me. Attacking a fictional woman for being stupid is nowhere near as bad as attacking a real living breathing woman for being stupid. The former has no harmful consequences; the latter is potentially an example of misogyny.
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Perhaps, but I think it's also a case of some male feminists feeling that they can't call a fictional woman 'stupid' for fear of being perceived as sexist, and yet they seem perfectly relaxed about demeaning real women.
But maybe a fictional woman was created by a sexist man. Maybe she's stupid because the creator, possibly a male, imagined her that way, and so how am I in the wrong for identifying that character as 'stupid'? Whereas, I tend to be a lot more careful and mindful about calling a real woman 'stupid', not least because insulting a real person can be hurtful to the individual concerned.
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