"you lie!"

The Master suppression techniques were a framework articulated by the Norwegian social psychologist and feminist Berit Ås to describe five means by which women are or were subjugated in Western patriarchical societies. Master suppression techniques are strategies of social manipulation by which a dominant group maintains such a position in an (established or unexposed) hierarchy.

1 Making Invisible
2 Ridicule
3 Withhold information
4 Double Bind
5 Heap blame/put to shame
(later additions: 6. Objectifying, 7. Force/threat of force)

The story goes that she realised during a meeting how men behaved in certain ways to undermine women speakers. So she identified five techniques, assigned each to a finger. When someone was subjected to a supression technique, those around her who saw that would hold up the corresponding finger to show that they saw it, and as support.


source: wikipedia, jezebel