There’s been something of a brouhaha in Australia concerning a speech in parliament in which the Prime Minister accused the opposition leader of sexism and misogyny.

Some commentators thought the “sexism” charge was probably fair but that “misogyny” was way over top. The normal definition for misogyny is, basically, a hatred of women.

The Macquarie Dictionary is revising its definition of misogyny.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-17/misogyny-redefined-after-gillard-speech/4317468

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s speech in Parliament on misogyny has prompted the Macquarie Dictionary to broaden its definition of the word.

Ms Gillard made headlines around the world last week after she used a 15-minute speech in Parliament to accuse Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of being a misogynist.

The current edition of the dictionary defines misogyny as “hatred of women”.

But the dictionary’s editor, Sue Butler, says the definition will now be broadened to include “entrenched prejudice against women”.

She says the usage of the word has evolved over the past few decades.

Do you agree that the meaning of misogyny has changed? See what our audience had to say.

“You’re not really saying they [misogynists] have a pathological sickness, that they should be on a psychiatrist’s couch discussing their early relations with their mother or anything like that,” she said.

“They don’t have this hatred that extends to all women.

“They merely have what we think of as sexism, an entrenched prejudice against women.”

Ms Butler says Ms Gillard’s use of the word prompted the rethink.

“The debate certainly brought it to our attention,” she said.

“I always think of myself as the person with the mop and the broom and the bucket who’s cleaning up the language after the party’s over.

The OED defines misogyny as “hatred or dislike of, or prejudice against women.”

Misogyny has a different etymological structure but are people who can be said to be “-phobes” always irrational in their fear/dislike/hatred and do phobic compounds always have negative connotations? Neo-Naziphobia would be admired generally and be considered rational except in neutral dictionaries, maybe. Anglophobia could be justified (ask me, an expat). Can one be an Islamophile without being a Muslim? (an academic fascinated by their religion and culture could be). Same with a Judeophile. All these terms seem inadequate and ill-defined to me especially the negative ones.

Hats off to Julia Gillard for giving that smirking opposition turd what-for, though. I saw the clip. What’s the opposite of misogynist? Ogynist? That can’t be right cf. misanthrope/anthrope. Philanthropist means bestower of good deeds now but originally must have been lover of mankind.

What’s the opposite of misogynist? Ogynist? That can’t be right

Philogynist.

(As you note, philanthropist is not sex-specific, but philandrist doesn’t appear in the OED (or other print dictionaries that I’m aware of).

are people who can be said to be “-phobes” always irrational in their fear/dislike/hatred and do phobic compounds always have negative connotations?

I would incline to answer “yes” to both questions.  Phobias are always irrational.  I think “neo-Naziphobia” is simply an inappropriate use of the term (sounds like what one might expect from a hack journalist). Fear and dislike of Neo-Nazis is, in my view, the opposite of irrational.

Fear and dislike of Neo-Nazis is, in my view, the opposite of irrational.

That’s what I said…

Neo-Naziphobia would be admired generally and be considered rational

A lot of this unnecessary hassle must be the result of using latinate words in English as has been discussed here before. Corvine, podiatrist, and all those affected words for creature phobias and the number 13, for example.

What i was trying to say was that since fear and dislike of neo-Nazis isn’t irrational, whereas phobias by definition are, Neo-Naziphobia isn’t an appropriate use of the term phobia. Sorry my post wasn’t clear enough.

The political TV show The Insiders had a little chat on the topic. Feel free to roll your eyes.

http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2012/s3615202.htm

As the etymological fallacy shines brightly and the paranoids postulate a conspiracy between a prime minister and a dictionary editor that must have been planned months ahead. [/rolleyes]

In a world where Hawaiian newspapers run falsified birth announcements for Kenyan babies so they can run for president of the US when they grow up, nobbling a dictionary a few months in advance is penny-ante stuff.

That is reasonable. lionello. However, many fears are rational - pnigophobia (choking), lyssophobia (madness), algophobia (pain), lophobia (poison). But phobias, rather than fears, tend to be obsessive so you are right. (I got those from a table in my Reader’s Digest Reverse Dictionary and all the others are irrational.) Phobia seems to have psychiatric-problem baggage. Are there any other phobias with a positive spin apart from neo-Naziphobia? I would suggest someone cornering you and insisting on explaining their belief system to you! More a sense of dread, though, and I can’t come up with a latinate word for it.

That a fear of something may be rational does not imply that an unwarranted fear of it is rational.  If, e.g., one’s fear of choking leads to starvation it can reasonably be considered irrational.