First – I find it strange that a discussion forum such as this highlights Gender issues ( pertaining to the sexes) while also highlighting Women’s issues (pertaining to the female)?!, I won’t bore you with my views on this obvious gaffe, but wanted to highlight it as a point of amusement.
My post is about the philosophy of equality and in particular the effect Second-wave feminism has had. I’ve perused some of the threads here and have noticed that several men have started to vocalize their concern regarding the lack of attention being brought to the issue of men’s rights. We know Feminists by design are interested in their own rights and freedoms, the logical extrapolation from this is that they aren’t nearly as concerned with your rights as men, which by default promotes confrontation and contention amongst the sexes.
Is society big enough for both gender equality groups? Is this a kin to Right to Life vs. Free choice as far as conention and confrontation?
I apologize that the question might not be that clear, I ran out of room and didn’t have time to properly hash it together.
Joe C
October 27, 2010 at 1:48 am
Your question is not that well put together, but generally, there needs to be much larger focus on men’s righs, which have largely been displaced by Feminist Jurisprudence, liberalism and other factors.
Whereas most feminists concerns are usually a quest for special rights instead of the equal rights they already have, men’s concerns are often more valid, such as not being presumed guilty or incompetent, because of gender alone. Or, because women are predetermined to not have the criminal or dishonesty gene.
Cassius
October 27, 2010 at 1:53 am
Well as long as the mens rights activists have defined goals and are really about mens rights and equal laws and therefore opportunity for everyone Iam all for it. If it turns into a cult like feminism Iam less for it.
Raj G
October 27, 2010 at 2:25 am
No. Special interest rights groups only fragment society into competing elements, which results in strife. “Rights activists” of every variety should be done away with.
Gnu Diddy!
October 27, 2010 at 3:11 am
A waste of time and energy. No matter how reasonable the motivations initially, they always attract the most misogynistic elements and those are the most vocal and visible. (The same thing has happened with feminism and misandry.) In the process, they just confirm for many the message of how urgently feminism is still needed (in the West) and that so many men are just knuckled-dragging, mouth-breathing chauvinistic Neanderthals. The best way to address those forms of feminism one opposes is to ignore them or satirize them, not to launch a counter-movement.
Barking Lunchbox
October 27, 2010 at 3:49 am
yeah, certainly regarding child custody and visitation. But it also appears to be a waste of time. Might as well try to derail a freight train with a shoehorn as make any meaningful changes in what is arguably the most sexist arena controlled by our legal system.
Lots of men have tried.
PortWine
October 27, 2010 at 3:55 am
A very noble pursuit that would benefit feminist and non-feminist women in ways most wouldn’t imagine. Imagine if you had more men standing up for your rights as a female. If men are still in charge (and it’s actually only a very small group of men that are) then wouldn’t it be logical to at least try to see it from their point of view, even if you disagreed with 1/2 of it? Why don’t we start with having male sickos and abusers pointed out and beat up, by men? There’s very few other individuals that besmirch manhood more.
ksoileau
October 27, 2010 at 4:13 am
“Were men concerned about women’s issues (did I miss something?) ”
Ummm, you sure did. Without the support of men (remember, it’s a feminist axiom that men had all the power), the feminist movement would have gotten NOWHERE. You need to get your facts and history straight.
EDIT to kessie: “you’ve survived this long with your head up your butt”
The best you can do? I’d rate you at about 20 watts…
ΛתŧĩмĩŝãתŊřŷ
October 27, 2010 at 4:42 am
I don’t have a problem with feminism going for female issues…except it pretends it is for ‘equality’, which clearly it is not.
Additionally, feminism is riddled with insults and hatred towards men in general.
My point as an MRA is I am sick of misandry which has become very much a part of everyday life (look at the bumbling foolish men on almost any TV show, with a clever, witty, enduring & responsible woman to his side) for proof. Read women’s mags and you’ll find endless articles about how to ‘fix’ men, read feminists studies and you’ll see a common theme: “Men bad, women good” or “Men abusers, women victims” and on the list goes.
Hating half the planet’s population does not correlate even remotely to ‘equality’.
Thus feminism is a lie.
Rio Madeira
October 27, 2010 at 5:14 am
It could be, depending on which side has more to fight for at any given time. The trick is to unite the two sides toward a common goal, which we have yet to do.
PrideBoi81
October 27, 2010 at 6:11 am
i do think that yes, there is some need for more focus on men’s rights because men are discriminated against every day in very different ways…
in custody cases women are favored over men almost always, regaurdless of the situation.
men are drafted into war, not women
men have to support a child if the mother says he is the child— even if biologically he isn’t
There is a case for men’s rights.