The Culture We Deserve Trickle Down Morality
Oct 23, 2025
Julia Ioffe's new book explores Soviet state-sponsored feminism and its unintended consequences, highlighting the complex relationship between imposed rights and societal norms. The hosts dive into whether the MeToo movement echoed this trickle-down morality, arguing it often overlooked the struggles of working-class individuals. They also critique the film After the Hunt, discussing its ambiguous narrative as a reflection of MeToo's perceived limitations. The conversation spans cultural critiques, monetization of public figures, and the dangers of normalizing extremist views.
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Soviet 'Top-Down' Feminism
- Jessa reads Motherland about Soviet state-sponsored feminist reforms that predated mass feminist organizing.
- She observes this top-down change produced career gains but reinforced traditional gender roles in private life.
The Mess Of Movement-Building Matters
- Jessa argues trickle-down morality fails because you cannot bypass the messy public struggle that defines rights.
- She says activism's mess is necessary to clarify goals and produce durable social change.
MeToo As Trickle-Down Feminism
- MeToo is framed as trickle-down feminism: elite problems were prioritized with hope lessons would spread.
- That approach left out material barriers poor women face when reporting workplace sexual violence.
