Article here. Excerpt:

'Girl Scouts of the USA issued a warning to parents this holiday season, asking them to think twice before forcing their daughters to hug relatives at gatherings.

“Think of it this way, telling your child that she owes someone a hug either just because she hasn’t seen this person in a while or because they gave her a gift can set the stage for her questioning whether she ‘owes’ another person any type of physical affection when they have bought her dinner or done something else seemingly nice for her later in life,” reads the post on the Girl Scouts’ website.
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The organization’s missive to parents comes as allegations of sexual misconduct by men ring out from every industry, including Hollywood, politics and the media.

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'The marked day, aimed at raising awareness for issues affecting men in society, takes place on November 19 every year. But despite the good intentions of organizer Mark Brooks, the day has become something of a toxic punchline in a year filled with sexual assault allegations against major male figures — including President Donald Trump. It’s not been a banner year for men, as many in positions of power have been exposed as using that influence in cases of sexual harassment and assault.

With all its great intentions at helping men overcome major life obstacles, it seems there is no room for IMD this year. At least not on Twitter.

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'Tickets for what has grabbed global headlines as Sweden's first 'man-free' music festival, organized in response to reports of sexual assaults at concerts, will go on sale in less than two weeks.

Emma Knyckare's idea for the festival started with a simple tweet she posted in July after the Bråvalla festival in Norrköping cancelled its 2018 event after reports of a number of sexual offences.

"What do you think about putting together a really cool festival where only non-men are welcome, that we'll run until ALL men have learned how to behave themselves?" she wrote at the time.
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The concept is not uncontroversial, and has been criticized by people accusing it of discriminating against men as well as by people questioning why the ban only applies to cis men, men whose gender identity corresponds to their sex at birth, and does not extend to transgender men.

But Knyckare said reactions in Sweden and abroad had on the whole been "overwhelmingly supportive".

Article here. Excerpt:

'It’s gone far enough. What started as a necessary mass-rejection of sexual harassment and assault is sliding into absurdity and irrelevance. A backlash is looming against the very people the spontaneous battle against sexual villainy was meant to help: powerless women and men.

The fight is being waged not with force, but with the rather bland Internet movement, #MeToo. The battle by hashtag conflates genuine sex crimes with mere childish behavior — blending the Harvey Weinsteins and Kevin Spaceys with the Al Frankens and George H.W. Bushes.

How long before we stop taking victims seriously?'

Article here. Excerpt:

'I have three men in my life who are important to me above everyone else. My husband, my son and my father. These men mean everything to me. Watching Roy Moore go through the current media circus has made me fear for the future of these men whom I love. The idea that someone can lose a career, his reputation, and the public trust over accusations of events that happened decades ago — that no one was witness to, saw, heard, reported, or acknowledged in any significant way— is terrifying. Let me remind you of something that Americans hold sacred: the presumption of innocence.

Many people think that the reason why the American experiment existed was a result of religious persecution, but it wasn't the only abuse suffered. Another major reason people fled England was the unfair court system that put the burden of proof on the accused. If you were charged with a crime, you were guilty unless you could prove you were innocent. This led to many false imprisonments. The concept of innocence until proven guilty did not come into being in England until the 1800s. Until then, the law heavily favored the wealthy, who could produce the required number of witnesses (usually 12) to absolve them of a crime. The poor were most times unable to do so. The presumption of innocence was essential in the minds of our forefathers.

"It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned, perhaps to die, then the citizen will say, “whether I do good or whether I do evil is immaterial, for innocence itself is no protection,” and if such an idea as that were to take hold in the mind of the citizen that would be the end of security whatsoever. ~ John Adams, On Innocence, The Portable John Adams"

Article here. Excerpt:

'The World Economic Forum's gathering in Davos, Switzerland will be chaired entirely by women in 2018 — the first time in the 47-year history of the elite group that men will be on the sidelines.

Seven women – and no men – will set the agenda when 3,000 of the world's high-powered corporate, political, entrepreneurial and media leaders converge on the alpine town in January.

The World Economic Forum, or Davos, as it's known by its participants, has taken heat for years for its stark gender imbalance. At this year's conference, men outnumbered women five to one. That's a nudge up from 2015, when women accounted for 17% of the participants.'

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'The results are in: Millennial women are better than men at "adulting."

That's according to financial website Earnest, which conducted a survey of more than 1,000 young adults to see how women match up against their male peers in terms of financial responsibility and acting like, well, grown ups. Young women outperform in every way — except one: Earning more money than their parents.

About 31 percent of young men and young women report that they've hit that milestone.
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And the future looks promising. Since 2000, one-third more women more women than men have graduated college, according to a Pew Research study. Because of that, some predict they could soon become their generation's top earners and their wages could surpass men's by 2020.'

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'Think men's brains are better suited for tech jobs? Think again.

A report from the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution measured men's and women's digital scores, and found that women had stronger skills than men do.

The Brookings report, called "Digitalization and the American Workforce," looked at "information about the knowledge, skills, tools and technology; education and training; work context; and work activities required" for high tech jobs, and it gave women a digital score of 48 versus 45 for men.

But despite that higher aptitude, the report says, more men than women are filling the highest-level digital jobs in "computer, engineering and management fields, as well as lower-digital occupations such as transportation, construction, natural resources, and building and grounds occupations."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The time has come to say goodbye to men, and I can hardly believe you’d need me to tell you why. They murder, a lot. They assault and abuse, a lot. They start international and domestic wars, or at least try to. They talk too much, they don’t listen, and they’re bad at their jobs. They’re not just a problem but one of the biggest problems of our era, though saying so is still uncomfortably received by most.
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I bet most of us know and love at least one male individual, maybe even several, but don’t you worry that your favorite guy will go bad? Living with a gender binary is like living in a zombie movie: Of course we want to hang on to the affable dude friend who’s not yet showing symptoms of being like the others. We love him, and he’s on our side. We need all the help we can get. But he could turn into one of them at any moment.

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'WHILE MANY GROUPS in society such as women, children, LGBT and others, have long established calendar days to celebrate their existence, it is only in the last 2 to 3 years that International Men’s Day (19 November) has come to be marked by at least some groups in Ireland.

This late coming on the scene marks a certain hesitation. Slowly, haltingly, it is becoming legitimate to celebrate men, their achievements, and their essential role in society.
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Historically, men have had no issues organising as trade unionists, or in groups dedicated to protesting against inequalities faced by minorities based on their race or sexuality. This is not the case for men’s advocacy.

Such advocates are typically met with contempt when attempting to add a discussion of men’s issues to the national dialogue on gender equality. Such negative attitudes may well be a factor in why many men are so reluctant to come forward.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Male suicide and the role of men and masculinity are some of the key issues up for discussion today at a 'Men's Voices' conference in Dublin.

The role of fathers and families also comes under the spotlight, along with the youth perspective on being male in today's society.

Chairman of Men's Voices Ireland David Walshe said men's issues are not discussed enough in the media.

"The theme of the conference is 'Challenging Misandry'. It is a bit provocative," he said.

Misandry is defined as dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men.

"It means that we think that there is not sufficient attention being paid to men's issues by the media in today's world. Men's issues are being closed out from the national conversation," he added.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Department of Defense has released data about sexual assault reports for fiscal years 2013-2016, finding the prevalence rate continues to fall.

Article here. Excerpt:

'More than a month after the initial report on numerous allegations of sexual coercion and assault by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the national firestorm over workplace sexual harassment shows no sign of slacking off—and many men, it seems, are nervously scrutinizing their behavior. Last Friday, the New York Times reported that some men are forming company or industry text groups “to brainstorm on harassment issues,” avoiding work-related social events where flirting may happen, and asking “odd questions” such as whether it’s ever okay to hug a female co-worker.
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At Salon, writer Erin Keane scoffs that “men who haven’t leered, creeped, groped, raped” or used their power for sexual predation should stop being overdramatic and making this moment about themselves.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Martin Luther King Jr. chapel at Morehouse College was defaced, allegedly by students from Morehouse and several nearby colleges, to protest “rape culture.”

Students at Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University allegedly defaced the Martin Luther King Jr. chapel at Morehouse College over a two-year-old Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. The investigation centers on a claim brought by a Spelman student who says that a Morehouse student sexually assaulted her.

Last week, administrators found that the Martin Luther King Jr. chapel on Morehouse College’s campus had been defaced. Spray-painted on the side of the chapel were the words: “Practice what you preach Morehouse + end rape culture.” In addition, signs were posted that accused male students by name of sexual assault. A Twitter account that goes by the name “WeKnoWhatYouDid” has published accusations against students.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A half-naked woman whose theft of an Uber driver’s tips was caught on video is complaining of online harassment after footage of the brazen incident went viral.

Scantily clad 18 year old Gabrielle Canales – a horrible human being, was caught on surveillance video reaching into the Uber driver’s tip jar after she and two other passengers reached their destination in Brooklyn, New York.

After posting a now-deleted Instagram response in which Canales showed little remorse, the Crown Heights woman finally admitted she was “completely wrong” for stealing the money – $5.00 by her count – which she says she paid back.

“I understand I’m completely wrong and I’m not denying it,” Canales told BuzzFeed. “The lesson was learned that same day. That’s why the gentleman was paid back.”

After the video went viral, Canales told Buzzfeed she’s been subject to harassment and mocking.