If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- How do 1990s Adam Sandler comedies and the public's fascination with serial killer Ted Bundy reveal a societal double standard regarding male mediocrity versus female 'likeability'?
- Why does the author argue that the modern women's 'wellness' industry actually reinforces patriarchal pressures rather than genuinely empowering all women?
- In what ways have calls for 'civility' and the 'edgy,' equal-opportunity satire of shows like South Park been weaponized to uphold the political status quo and silence marginalized voices?
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Key Takeaways from The Witches Are Coming
- Powerful men frequently misuse the term 'witch hunt' to dodge accountability, ignoring the historical reality that real witch hunts overwhelmingly targeted marginalized women.
- Society routinely celebrates male mediocrity and forgives male malevolence, while subjecting highly accomplished women to impossible standards of 'likeability.'
- The modern luxury wellness industry capitalizes on patriarchal pressures for women to remain youthful and beautiful, largely distracting from the systemic issues facing marginalized women.
- Male comedians who complain that political correctness is killing comedy are often just using 'cancel culture' as a shield to avoid consequences for their own abusive behavior.
- Because men created and continue to perpetuate the patriarchy, they must take active, disruptive responsibility for dismantling it rather than expecting women to fix the system alone.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from The Witches Are Coming
Mind Map
The Witches Are Coming
Reclaiming the Witch Hunt
False Victimhood
Mediocrity vs. Likeability
Male Privilege
Female Scrutiny
Weaponized Civility
Deflecting Criticism
True Nastiness
The Wellness Industry
Patriarchal Pressure
White Wealth Privilege
Comedy and Accountability
Nihilistic Humor
Political Correctness Myth
Normalizing Abortion
Rejecting Shame
Unapologetic Advocacy
Fixing the Patriarchy
Shifting the Burden
Active Allyship
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 8
How has the term 'witch hunt' been misused in the modern era, according to the text?
The Witches Are Coming — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: We need an honest reality check on the phrase “witch hunt.”
Chapter 3: Women face a “patriarchy problem,” not a “likeability problem.”
Chapter 4: Forget politeness. Sometimes we really can’t all just get along.
Chapter 5: Wellness doesn’t help all women in the same way.
Chapter 6: Edgy humor isn’t necessarily subversive.
Chapter 7: Political correctness isn’t destroying comedy – male comedians are.
Chapter 8: We must make abortion a normal part of public life.
Chapter 9: Women alone cannot solve the problem of patriarchy.
The Witches Are Coming Summary & Overview
In The Witches are Coming (2019) writer and feminist activist Lindy West applies her scalpel-sharp intellect to today’s political landscape. She uncovers the ideological agendas behind everything from Adam Sandler movies to the wellness movement, abortion rights to Louis C.K.’s comeback. This is feminism for the post #metoo era.
Who Should Listen to The Witches Are Coming?
- Feminists who feel frustrated by the state of contemporary gender politics
- Men who want to be better allies to the women in their lives
- Anyone who’s oppressed by the patriarchy
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