What happens in hostels ends up in blogs…

The conversation was going so well, in fact it was the first real conversation I’d had in weeks (and it was with a cute and age appropriate guy): gun control! the Electoral College, John Oliver versus Seth Meyers, favourite movies, but then somehow it turned into “Oh no, you’re one of those Angry Feminists” followed by, “Darling” (with a “calm down” hand pat) and then a, “Don’t darling me” and the bonds that were beginning to be spun came undone like a rope holding an anvil that drops on Wile. E. Coyote 

The undoing was all about Bonds, James Bond. We slightly disagreed over who should be the next one; he thought Tom Hiddleston and I am firmly in the Idris Elba camp. And then, because we had just discussed the new Dr. Who, the conversation veered into the possibility of a female James Bond. 

I am of course, pro, a female James Bond. He was not against women spies or women action heroes, but he was against a woman named James. And you see, since the character is apparently entirely “name based” it is simply impossible to have a female James Bond. 

The following is an abbreviated exerpt of when the conversation went wrong:

“But, there are women named James – it is definitely now one of those names that can apply to anyone…”

“I’ve never heard of one”

“Well there are, and even if there weren’t, you could just create one…hey look, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynold’s have a daughter named James”

“Oh no, you’re one of those Angry Feminists” (shakes head)

“???!!!!!” (Steam may have come out of my head)

Now I realize that there are many arguments that people could come up with for not having a female James Bond – do women even like martinis of the shaken, not stirred variety? Are women good enough drivers? Philanderers? – there might be 99 (inane) reasons, but a name ain’t one. 

“Darling, can you at least concede that there are names that are just meant to be male and names that are meant to be female?”

“Don’t Darling me!” (Definitely become slightly irate)…. it only takes someone to break that mold and then that distinction no longer applies – at one point I’m sure Ashley or Robin started out only as male names, but are now used for both”

“But the world hasn’t changed ‘James'”

“It has, but even if it hadn’t, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done!”

“Yes, but now is not the time”

“But, progress! You don’t wait for the “right time”, you just do it and let the world catch up”

“Well, I hope that there will be a female James Bond in my lifetime, but I doubt it”

Let’s just say the mood got a bit frozen after that, cause I just couldn’t let it go…

What exactly is an Angry Feminist? And why does it seem like such a insult?