Abstract

Antifeminist and unhinged

The article focuses on the books "Neither Victim nor Enemy: Women's Freedom Network Looks at Gender in America," edited by Rita J. Simon and "Men Are Not Cost-Effective: Male Crime in America," by June Stephenson. The book "Neither Victim Nor Enemy: Women's Freedom Network Looks at Gender in America," demonstrates just how far to the right political discourse has shifted. A collection of papers originally prepared for the network's first conference in 1994, the book purports to support the allegedly moderate position that women are competent, responsible individuals who do not need special protections and dispensations from the state, nor do they need to have standards lowered for them to be able to compete effectively for jobs. Though June Stephenson does not describe herself as a feminist, her book, "Men Are Not Cost-Effective: Male Crime in America," is sure fodder for the likes of the Women's Freedom Network. Professing to investigate why the vast majority of criminals are men, Stephenson, a research psychologist, embarks on an emotionally charged roller coaster ride into the unsubstantiated and absurd.