We have issues but we don't need rights.
The recent crap from some of those I share a gender with has got me annoyed enough to waffle here about it. Hopefully I won't come off as a sexist twat, but apologies if I do. Actually, this isn't really about women and feminism anyway, its about what men are screwing up.
Edit: Realised I should have put in a
I'm rather sick of men weighing in shouting about 'men's rights'. Not only do we come off as dicks when we do, but its actually damaging the campaign for men's issues. By this I mean the problems of men who suffer domestic abuse, the way boys are failing in school, and the culture of 'be a man' that is so damaging to young boys among others. These are things we need to address, but they are not infringements of men's 'rights'. They are already covered by the various human rights we are all meant to have.
The other important point here is that they are not issues women should have to be dealing with. Certainly it is good for women to be allies in the debate, but frankly women have enough on their plate already. Men need to stop whining that 'men suffer X too' and look into how they can do something about it. As a sidenote, everyone getting the same rights does not take anything away from anyone. If you think women gaining equality impacts your rights, you are talking about a loss of privilege not rights. Sure, its tough when things aren't as easy as they were, but suck it up.
Until there is a massive change in society, there are always going to be some places each gender has the advantage. But, you know, women have a hell of a lot less of these advantages. Yes, its probably true that women can get that thing men want, sex, easier than men. But men get the things women want (career advancement, respect, personal safety, rights over their own body etc) a lot easier instead, so really men still have the better end of the deal.
I can appreciate men may want to say 'not all men'. When there are so many arseholes among my gender it is hard not to want to say 'I'm not like these guys'. But do we really need to point out 'not all men' gun down women who won't sleep with them? Seriously, can't we take that as a given and not offer sympathy for a maniac? None of us are really entitled to anything and even then you have no right to take it from anyone else. Stop conflating 'I want' with 'I need'. If women won't sleep with you, be better, and if they still won't deal with it. They owe you nothing. Sure, being rejected is no fun. But women get rejected too, often far more brutally.
So I'm sliding off topic to a degree.
My point (if I truly have one) here is that when 'Men's Rights Activists' get going and bang on about how hard done by we are, they make us all look like dicks. That makes it harder and harder to look at men's issues with any degree of detail or seriousness. Everything gets dismissed because the MRA guys are off on a rant.
There are many issues men suffer that are worth looking at, but they are a separate conversation to feminism. I'd like men to shut up about how screwed over and oppressed they are (which is laughable) and speak in gentler voices about what they would like to see changed (and more of us should stand as allies to the women's movement as well). Women got their shit together over their problems over a hundred years ago and they are still fighting. Men need to do the same and expect it to take time, and we have a lot less to address.
Edit: Realised I should have put in a
I'm rather sick of men weighing in shouting about 'men's rights'. Not only do we come off as dicks when we do, but its actually damaging the campaign for men's issues. By this I mean the problems of men who suffer domestic abuse, the way boys are failing in school, and the culture of 'be a man' that is so damaging to young boys among others. These are things we need to address, but they are not infringements of men's 'rights'. They are already covered by the various human rights we are all meant to have.
The other important point here is that they are not issues women should have to be dealing with. Certainly it is good for women to be allies in the debate, but frankly women have enough on their plate already. Men need to stop whining that 'men suffer X too' and look into how they can do something about it. As a sidenote, everyone getting the same rights does not take anything away from anyone. If you think women gaining equality impacts your rights, you are talking about a loss of privilege not rights. Sure, its tough when things aren't as easy as they were, but suck it up.
Until there is a massive change in society, there are always going to be some places each gender has the advantage. But, you know, women have a hell of a lot less of these advantages. Yes, its probably true that women can get that thing men want, sex, easier than men. But men get the things women want (career advancement, respect, personal safety, rights over their own body etc) a lot easier instead, so really men still have the better end of the deal.
I can appreciate men may want to say 'not all men'. When there are so many arseholes among my gender it is hard not to want to say 'I'm not like these guys'. But do we really need to point out 'not all men' gun down women who won't sleep with them? Seriously, can't we take that as a given and not offer sympathy for a maniac? None of us are really entitled to anything and even then you have no right to take it from anyone else. Stop conflating 'I want' with 'I need'. If women won't sleep with you, be better, and if they still won't deal with it. They owe you nothing. Sure, being rejected is no fun. But women get rejected too, often far more brutally.
So I'm sliding off topic to a degree.
My point (if I truly have one) here is that when 'Men's Rights Activists' get going and bang on about how hard done by we are, they make us all look like dicks. That makes it harder and harder to look at men's issues with any degree of detail or seriousness. Everything gets dismissed because the MRA guys are off on a rant.
There are many issues men suffer that are worth looking at, but they are a separate conversation to feminism. I'd like men to shut up about how screwed over and oppressed they are (which is laughable) and speak in gentler voices about what they would like to see changed (and more of us should stand as allies to the women's movement as well). Women got their shit together over their problems over a hundred years ago and they are still fighting. Men need to do the same and expect it to take time, and we have a lot less to address.