Conspiracy theories are not just for people with tin foil hats. They’re quite common, and some conspiracy believers have very high IQs. Part of the issue is that conspiracy theories often take a small truth and exaggerate it into something larger.
Let’s look at a couple examples. One often hears the phrase cultural Marxism thrown around. YourDictionary.com defines cultural Marxism as “A loose Marxist movement seeking to apply critical theory to matters of family composition, gender, race, and cultural identity within Western society”.
That’s a good definition, and represents the small truth of cultural Marxism. Indeed, in the early 20th century, Marxist intellectuals established the Frankfurt School to combine Marxist economic theory with social and cultural theory. It had a huge influence in academia, and became especially popular in the 1960s and ’70s with hippies, radicals, second wave feminists, and other social justice activists.
This, in turn, had some influence on the Democratic Party in America. But this does not mean Democrats are a Marxist party, just as Republicans are not a fascist party even though there are racist and xenophobic influences in it.
It is further true that cultural Marxists wish to transform society – as do libertarians, Republicans, Christians, atheists, and so on.
Cultural Marxism becomes a conspiracy theory when opponents claim that there actually is a secret cabal of professors, politicians, and others who are planning the overthrow of Western society. The conservative Free Congress Foundation created a video which stops short of positing a secret cabal. But notice the comments. More than one person claims that the Jews are behind it.
Feminism has drawn inspiration from Marxism, and the notion of patriarchy too is a small truth that is sometimes exaggerated into a conspiracy theory.
Almost all rulers throughout history have been men. That’s the truth of patriarchy. But feminists take this a step further and claim that men as a class have rigged society to oppress all women as a class. Thus, all privilege is male – female privilege doesn’t exist – and all oppression is of women and girls. And this is the conspiracy theory.
Scientific American describes 10 features of conspiracy theories. Notable for feminist patriarchy theory are #3 & #4, the situation being complex and requiring large numbers of people (all men throughout all of history) and events; #5 the goal being grand, such as world domination; #6 & #7, exaggerating the importance of minor events (micro-aggression); #8, opinions are represented as facts; #9, the conspiracy is said to permeate every societal institution; and #10, a refusal to consider alternative explanations.
That’s 8 out of 10, which is sufficient to say that feminism is based on a conspiracy theory.
A final thought: I noted that even intelligent people fall for conspiracy theories. This includes scientific skeptics, who make it their business to debunk conspiracy theories. But even self-declared rationalists have their sacred cows. Case in point is Atheism+, which is atheism plus feminism and social justice warriors.
Men's Psychology 
What a load of rubbish. The fact that you haven’t even named just what the criteria are betrays your intellectual dishonesty. Justice for Men and Boys are the conspiracy theorists in the room. The article even sounds like you’re talking about them rather than feminists, most of whom want equality, not superiority or special treatment.
The link I provided gives all the criteria, so your criticism is invalid. You did not specifically refute any point I made, nor did you provide any specific justification for JMB being conspiracy theorists. It is you who are intellectually dishonest.
I apologize for not checking the link. However, my reading of the criteria outlined to constitute a conspiracy theory has only confirmed my opinion: it is JMB that is promulgating the conspiracy theory. There are extremists in all movements, and they are a tiny minority of feminists. The vast majority of feminists, both male and female, seek equality for men and women, not the superiority of either.
Still not clear on what, exactly, JMB’s conspiracy theory is. Men’s issues are all about equality. And though many feminists are about equality as well, the claim that all men throughout all history have worked together to oppress all women is indeed a conspiracy, and one that vilifies men, thus promoting sexism.
In reality, almost no one in the past had rights, and the king’s privilege did not trickle down to the male peasant. Further, anthropology finds that at the peasant level male dominance is a myth – women often have more power in the home.
Click to access rogers.pdf
I’m a medieval historian, Male dominance is not a myth at peasant or any other level. There are cases where women were able to take charge of their own lives. They are rare. In the West, male dominance has been ensured by the Christian Church – that was not a conspiracy but a matter of policy. When, for example, St Jerome translated the Bible into Latin he deliberately mistranslated some passages some passages to make men’s dominance over women more pronounced. The Church has been aware of that almost since it happened, but has never changed it. They have instead taken advantage of it, mainly in obtaining and maintaining power for themselves. Men have mainly been in charge throughout recorded history because they are physically more powerful. This is fact. To say so is not a conspiracy, and doesn’t vilify men. It is simply a recognition of reality. I do not blame any man living today for what men in the past did, and nor does anyone I know. The point is to make our own society the best we can which, in my opinion, is best obtained by freedom and equality for all, what ever, race, gender, sexuality etc.
JMB’s conspiracy theory is that they believe feminism have co-opted government and other agencies to promote an agenda of female dominance. Everything is seen through that mindset. Events and opinions that confirm their belief are accepted; those that refute it are dismissed.
If JMB does claim that feminists have taken over government then, yes, that is a conspiracy theory – but JMB would have to confirm that this is their position.
“Cultural Marxism becomes a conspiracy theory when opponents claim that there actually is a secret cabal of professors, politicians, and others who are planning the overthrow of Western society.”
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But what if the cultural marxists are just useful idiots for higher ups?
“The cultural Marxism of the late 20th century handed the men-in-power a powerful tool to keep the lower ranked men at bay, more or less permanently, by arranging the entire rest of society against them”
http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/10/16/the-menace-of-cultural-marxism/
Then clear evidence backing up the Spearhead’s claim needs to be presented. Conspiracies do happen – think Watergate – but something more than ideology is needed to prove it.
Cultural Marxism is a scapegoat used to excuse the failures of right wing capitalism.
Cultural Marxism scapegoating is the right wing version of feminist’s patriarchy theory. .
Justice for men and boys point to facts, that is not a conspiracy theory.
Feminists have patriarchy theory, a theory about men conspiring to keep women down.
Men and women like women better, the innate psychology of human beings leads to social advantage of women, it is not a conspiracy theory.
Females by all sociological stats are an advantaged caste of human beings, feminism is so insane it ignores t hose facts and just declare women oppressed.
Women have an innate ingroup bias, men do not.
“Feminists have patriarchy theory, a theory about men conspiring to keep women down. ”
Feminists have the Duluth model which labels men as perpetrators and women as women as victims.
By refusing to recognise the rigid roles and the common sense that tells you that women are also perpetrators, the feminists cling on to their patriarchy theory and tinfoil hats.
if someone comes along and challenges them with either opinion or even (gosh horror) facts !!
they get very defensive, upset and attack. feminism is a dinosaur concept unable to move forward and feeds on itself.
Feminism has never been valid, so it is not even a dinosaur concept.
“I’m a medieval historian, Male dominance is not a myth at peasant or any other level. There are cases where women were able to take charge of their own lives. They are rare. In the West, male dominance has been ensured by the Christian Church – that was not a conspiracy but a matter of policy. When, for example, St Jerome translated the Bible into Latin he deliberately mistranslated some passages some passages to make men’s dominance over women more pronounced. The Church has been aware of that almost since it happened, but has never changed it. They have instead taken advantage of it, mainly in obtaining and maintaining power for themselves. Men have mainly been in charge throughout recorded history because they are physically more powerful. This is fact. To say so is not a conspiracy, and doesn’t vilify men. It is simply a recognition of reality. I do not blame any man living today for what men in the past did, and nor does anyone I know. The point is to make our own society the best we can which, in my opinion, is best obtained by freedom and equality for all, what ever, race, gender, sexuality etc.
JMB’s conspiracy theory is that they believe feminism have co-opted government and other agencies to promote an agenda of female dominance. Everything is seen through that mindset. Events and opinions that confirm their belief are accepted; those that refute it are dismissed.”
Define male dominance, having to take responsibility and take all the risks? By the definition slaves are dominant as well. Also men are emotionally submissive to women. (Got to thank feminists for teaching men how much women hate them though, men will now start treating women as equals, not as goddesses.)
Since you are a feminist, I am going to ask for sources on the bible mistranslation. A feminist historian? Not a source you can relay on. .
“Men have mainly been in charge throughout recorded history because they are physically more powerful”
Doesn’t mean anything the slave is more physically powerful than his slave master, power is social and women have more social power than men. IN the past women where limited by their own biology, it was not men limiting then. Men are care for women and protected them. Now that women no longer need protection, feminism is the hate narrative conspiracy theory pretext to discard men. Men are the ones who liberated women by inventing all the things women relay on.