Warren Farrell has shown some excellent examples in his books of how contempt for men has been institutionalized in society by packaging and selling it in greeting cards. He identifies Hallmark (particularly the "Shoebox" subdivision) as one of the biggest perpetrators of this act. Here's something simple you can do this year - don't buy a Hallmark card for any holiday, especially Mother's Day this weekend (there are a lot of degrading cards about men for this particular holiday). I personally believe that spending $3.50 for a piece of cardboard is a waste anyway, and that spending quality time with someone is the most appropriate gift you can give.

Spartacus and an Anonymous User sent in this NY Times article (free registration required) about a false accusation of rape. Anon User writes "This story is about an Oklahoma man who has been freed after spending 15 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. According to the story, a police chemist's testimony led to the man's conviction. An investigation into all the chemist's findings since her hiring has been initiated. That's the good news. The bad news is that her conclusions have resulted in at least 11 executions of men over the years. In the words of the now-liberated Oklahoma man: "The citizens of Oklahoma County have been duped. The juries have been lied to for the last 20 years. There are going to be a lot more victims.""

frank h writes "Wendy McElroy is at it again. This time she takes on the U.N. Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The fact that the U.S. may be starting to be seen as softening on radical feminism (for those who care to read the writing on the walls, anyway) may well be a contributing factor in our loss of a position on the U.N International Commission on Human Rights. Click here for the link."

Maritta Meri sent in an editorial she wrote about two recent divorce court cases in Ontario, Adams v. Adams and Miglin v. Miglin. Both demonstrate the affluent lifestyle divorced women can enjoy without being expected to work or take on responsibilities. Meri's comparison and analysis of these cases should come to no surprise to most readers of this site, but the essay serves as further testimony to the double standards and "man-as-wallet" attitudes so prevalent in North American court systems today. Click "Read More" below to read the essay.

Anonymous User writes "Reason Online recently published this article, exposing how women were never really excluded from medical research, and asserting that gender politics should have no place in medicine. The article attacks both feminists and men's groups, claiming that the "victim mentality" of both groups contributes to the problem. Unfortunately, I believe the "victim mentality" may be a necessary evil for some men's groups to help push government into restoring balance. Let's face it, we *are* victims nowadays... not necessarily of women (although that is many times the case), but certainly of politics."

Anonymous User writes "Excite once again reveals men's health news that exposes some (perhaps unintentional) inequity in men's health. The article's main focus is the fact that men of lower incomes are less likely to be screened for prostate cancer, but also points out that prostate screenings are not as accurate as they should be. The physician quoted in the story maintains that scientists are seeking ways to improve the accuracy of prostate screenings."

Michael Wright wrote an excellent, in-depth report about rape hysteria at the University of Oklahoma. His article appeared in the March/April 2000 issue of Clarion. He thoroughly attacks the "1 in 4" stat and the many ways campus anti-rape groups have modified the definition of rape to ensure that it exists in epidemic proportions no matter how safe the campus seems. It is perhaps one of the most thorough refutations of "all men are potential rapists" campus feminism that I've ever seen.

bernee writes "The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released a working paper into divorce which reveals women are receiving the majority of assets.
The research has found almost half of divorced couples must divide basic assets including the family home and contents, car and usually the husband's superannuation.
The institute says on average, women receive two thirds of basic assets and a fifth of non-basic assets including businesses, investments and superannuation.
The complete report can be downloaded here."

Anonymous User writes "Excite comes through once again. In this article, dated May 4, scientists with Maritech claim to have discovered the presence of a protein in men with prostate cancer that is not present in healthy men. The discovery of this protein could improve prostate cancer early detection." This sounds like an important breakthrough...

Anonymous User writes "A spate of recent Excite articles have focused on men's health issues, from exposing an incorrect perception that women suffer more from carpal tunnel because fewer men are reporting it, to this article, which reports that men, contrary to popular belief, do want to open up to their partners and discuss their relationships. The article also points out that, until recently, erectile dysfunction was "one of the least discussed and most overlooked medical disorders." Let's hope prostate cancer gets the same turn-around."

Anonymous User writes "This article on Excite explains how men were asked to leave a Take Back the Night rally on Colorado University's campus last week because women were offended by their presence there. Citing women's prejudices against men (ie, the bigoted belief that all men are attackers), the organizers of the women's rally forced male supporters of the rally to leave, even those who were scheduled to work at the event. It's a sad day when a man isn't even allowed out in public because women are uncomfortable with him."

Andrew writes "Boston Globe columnist and nationally-syndicated feminist spokeswoman Ellen Goodman presents the politically-correct view of the recent Boston DNA case wherein the Massachusetts Court ruled that a man must continue to support a child not his: as usual when a situation reveals the fundamental fallacies of feminism, it seems we just can't make up our dithering minds. Maybe what the woman did was not on the up-and-up, but think of the child! This heartless man wants to abandon her (men are all alike)! Clearly, Goodman would rather the secret had remained forever hidden; why am I not surprised? The feminist attitude toward children is interesting: on the one hand, a woman has an absolute "right to choose" to kill her children should she find them inconvenient; on the other she can get away with massive fraud by citing a child's 'best interest.' Heads she wins, tails you lose."

Michael P. Wright writes "Ever wonder why David Boren, with two years
remaining on his term, gave up one of the most
powerful seats in the U.S. Senate in order to
take the much lesser job of president of the
University of Oklahoma? His surprise resignation
took place not long after Queer Nation activist
Michael Petrelis began to accuse him of sexually
harassing his male staff members. I independently
investigated Petrelis' claims. Go here for my
findings. My article has numerous references
which can be investigated by others."

In Canada, The Cross Gender Monitoring Project has recommended that male prison guards be removed from women's prisons, for the protection of women's privacy concerns. While the problems of sexual harassment by the staff of the prisons was investigated, it was found that male prison guards were rarely involved in these cases. But in 1993 the Canadian Supreme Court also decided that male inmates who objected to female prison guards frisking them were not important, since ""Imprisonment necessarily entails surveillance, searching and scrutiny. A prison cell is expected to be exposed and to require observation." In other words, when men commit crimes, they lose their right to privacy." Donna Laframboise examines this double standard in her National Post column. Thanks to Rand for the link.

Not PC (there he is again!) sent me this story from the Sydney Morning Herald about new legislation aimed at promoting "responsible fatherhood." While the bill is of course aimed at increasing child support payment compliance, the dialogue surrounding the bill confronts the problem of fatherlessness publicly. "Senator Bayh said 17 million American children were living without a father today, up from 5 million in 1960. Fatherlessness was the most profound problem Americans faced, he said. It cost the Federal Government billions of dollars each year because it led to juvenile violence, teenage pregnancy and failure at school."