Feminism’s Racial Fault Lines

This chapter explores the how the chauvinist and his brand of humor cannot be separated from the history of the pig and the implications of whiteness. There were commie pigs and capitalist pigs, but above all else by the 1960s and 70s the pigs were the police and a symbol of white oppression. Therefore, male chauvinist pigs were associated with white privilege. This is not to say that Blacks and Latinos were never called male chauvinist pigs, but it was rare enough to brand the male chauvinist pig as white. In popular discourse the male chauvinist’s assumed racial status had multiple implications. Because male chauvinist pigs were cast as white so too was women’s liberation, something that effectively limited the perceived inclusivity of the movement. At the same time, whiteness made the male chauvinist pig appear as less of a threat. Coming of age with the macho man, the male chauvinist pig was given a pass that further marginalized certain social groups. In popular discourse, the male chauvinist pig was a nuisance, but the macho man could give you a black eye.