Meninist Movement

[Ellabella44]

Yes it is a complicated subject. As a woman, I've worked in an all male grociery store back room. They treated me equal, no different than one of the guys, then again I sliced melons with a machete all day, and lifted boxes of melons all day long too. I'm independant, you do your stuff, ill do mine right next to you and keep up. I've never expected a man to open my door for me etc, i can do it on my own.

So working in that environment, I was shocked when I took womens studies and my professor turned out to be a radical feminist lesbian who pretty much wanted the girls in the class to say that every man they came in contact oppressed them. Shaving your legs - men are opressing you! Dressing nice - its what the man wants of you! Maybe it had some to do with her personal experience or because she felt that women dont belong with men. (she pretty much preached that last part about women shouldnt be with men, hey im all for the you love who you love, but hey i love men ) I had taken the course thinking it would be history of the womens movement as an elective, wish i hadnt.

Another thing is from a mens side, a friend of mine at one time, had her husband pretty much on a leash. The whole yes dear bit giving in to her wants over his. (poor guy had to mow the lawn in circles because his wife wanted him to for example ) I could never do that to a guy. I laugh like crazy with my husband when we meet up with someone expecting me to be holding his chain because im the woman. Whats the point of doing that to someone else? If you truly respect someone and want them to be happy, you don't make them into who you want them to be, or ask they conform to some standard like my friend did to her husband.

So yes i can see a mens movement, but not towards the end of harassing women. There should be balance.

 

[WillyKat]

Right, OathKeepers were very traditional in their orientation and really loved having large gatherings in football stadiums and such.

 

[rightkindofme]

I actually *do* think there should be a mens rights movement, but from what I can tell the meninists aren't doing it uhm how I think it should be done. :D I think the mens rights movement has done really important, wonderful things for child custody--for example.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Feminism is doing enough self destruction, they don't need a men's movement to kill it!

I am VERY much for equality, but that extends to all, not just based on gender, but race, religion, etc. I've posted before about being soured on the feminist movement and no longer call myself a feminist. The movement should be about empowerment for ALL women. That is, moving women forward without stepping all over any other segment of society. Yes, feminism at its core is about equal rights for women, but I cannot align myself with a movement that has so much infighting. Much of what you see is women trying to take other women out! You're not a feminist if you dress well, because you do it ONLY for men....You're not a feminist if you wear makeup, because you do it ONLY for men.....You're not a feminist if, if if...... Such crap. Why are feminists tearing down other women? I find it odd that I'm not "allowed" to express myself in any way, shape, or form that makes me look good as it automatically means I'm bowing down to men! And doesn't this sort of attitude just oppress women? I mean it pretty much says that all women are so incredibly stupid because we wear more than just a burlap sack, don't let our hair become a rats nest, and wear makeup! What's next? Is showering going to join that list? Basic hygiene means we're drones to men!?! Oh Please! I'd go so far as to say that these are feminists who hate their own gender and believe that women are ignorant drones who do what they're told.....sorry, but we're quite intelligent beings!

I was a part of a feminist group in college, and they were VERY man-hating. And this was at a large university in the North East, USA. We were told to say "men rape women" instead of "women are raped". I later realized that they sidelined me.....I was molested by one of their own (ie a woman) so I didn't "deserve" their support.

 

[sun seeker]

I'm not sure that matriarchies are that... perfect sounding.

Probably not, but I do believe that was the idea. I'm not sure we can use the present tense, do any exist anymore except maybe in very small, remote tribes that are nearly extinct?

I think equality is the only road forward

Yes, that's sort of what I was getting at, as long as we accept that equality means equal respect for everyone, not that everyone has to be the same.

 

[anthony]

I think they're all bored and need to get another life.

 

[ms spock]

What about a movement called genderism? This covers cis males/females, trans, and intersex members.

There is gender studies.

 

[ms spock]

The women's movement was more subtle, more empathetic with men, than some times the extreme feminists are. The ones who scream on the top of their voices always have to ruin if for everyone.

There is a lot of media coverage about this but not much substance, though if you have some studies or actual examples I would be interested to know.

I have been misquoted and misrepresented in the media. I know certain feminists in Australia have been misquoted and misrepresented in the media. And even when corrections go out it doesn't penetrate the same what as the original sensationalist articles do.

Who are these women who ruin it for everyone? Could it be of the construction of the media?

Though as some other's document different feminist communities are not unproblematic, and I have certainly have had very big differences of opinion with some communities.

I was apparently a strident feminist in my family - that destroyed my family due to very loudly and most objectionably speaking out about the sexual abuse and my father's plan to kill my mother, us 6 kids and then himself. So he had a lot to say about feminism for a long time and none of it is positive. There are many men when they can't continue to beat their wife or children and/or get denied the ability to sexually abuse their wife and/or children who look to other people or groups to blame. So you need to be mindful of this.

Studies show that at university when a man speaks and takes up time - well it is experienced very different by both women and men. A woman speaking half the time of the male students was considered to be dominating by all the other students. So it is all very subjective.

It is often talked about "What about if a woman is lying about rape?" with the implication that it could ruin an innocent man's life, and there is a 6-8% this might be true. But there isn't the same cultural resonance of "What if a woman is telling the truth about being raped?" with the implication of an innocent woman being violated and that guy could possibly go on to rape other women? If (92-94% of rapes are true - why is this so? What is operating that there is so much disbelief? Remember 85% of rapes are never reported.) Why are the over 90% of actual rapes not believed? Why are they tainted by the 6-8%?

Those who stand up against rape and violence in their own homes will be vilified as a ball breakers and home wreckers, so it is good to look at the discourses and backgrounds to those assumptions and media clichés.

 

[rightkindofme]

@Solara It sounds like you had a truly terrible experience. I'm sorry for that. You should have been supported when you were raped. Period.

I think there are feminists I agree with and feminists I wish would shut-the-heck-up-already but that doesn't change the fact that by my definition of feminism I am a feminist. Just like I hope good Christians would meet a horrifying example of their religion and choose to stay a Christian. :)

Because I am an English teacher I just wrote out a long paragraph explaining something about the phrasing of "men rape women" and then I deleted it. Just because I enjoyed writing it does not mean you would enjoy reading it. :) (See, tact--I try for it once in a while.)

 

[ms spock]

@Solara. That is terrible. It is a huge problem, this not having the guts to see that women are sexual predators as well.

 

[Eleanor]

Promisekeepers I think is who you guys were talking about. The group started by the football guy... it was like a men's group - encouraged black men and white men to find common cause. Terrible theology. Pretty benign as these things go.

Oathkeepers are the current bunch of ex military/cops/firefighters who are committed to defending the constitution - specifically they are worried about unlawfully locking people up. They worry about regular cops abdicating their responsibility... I think they are a tad confused because they showed up for that nevada guy who didn't want to pay the fees on the land he grazed his cattle on, and then next i heard they were in Fergeson MO helping out the local business owners with security against looters after the cops just stood by and let it happen...

Hard to tell the players without a program!

Unfortunately assholism (a word I just made up) knows no neat boundaries. There are assholes of every shape, size, color, and persuasion. The people who agree with you can be assholes. The people who disagree with you can be assholes. I decided to make a distinction between class-acts and assholes. Much more useful in practice than most of the other ways of organizing people.;)

 

[ms spock]

Twitter has some funny stuff. (Is everyone sure that Meninist is just not a Spoof?)

Link Removed Link RemovedDes Moines, IA
Cant afford a #meninst shirt so I just wrote "Virgin with No Friends" in sharpie on an old white tee. Same thing

and

Link Removed Jan 21
Nothing screams "rejected by girl once" than a guy in a #meninst tshirt...

and

rōb ‏@robbfrankland Jan 21
only 615 people on the whole earth have purchased a '#meninst' t shirt which when you think about it is a very POOR effort haha losers.

With those numbers I think we are safe @Hydrotroop91
.