"Can men be true feminists?"

Submitted by Mastodon on Tue, 2016-02-23 06:26

Article here. Excerpt:

'If this man were a true advocate for women’s rights, he would give space to women in politics to express their viewpoints and then support them. He cannot successfully advocate for women because he is participating (with the best intentions) in an institution that has systematically oppressed women for most of history. He should be giving a seat at the table to a woman.

Feminism is about space for women, plain and simple. Feminists are used to not being taken seriously by the patriarchy, and I find that a man who uses his male privilege to speak on behalf of women is no better than someone who actively oppresses women. The voices of men in feminist activism do not count as much as the women’s, even though they are greatly appreciated.

A man should never voice actively in feminist advocacy, but he can aid the feminist cause.'

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

... on perspective. Ask a male feminist, and he'll say he is. That is, he thinks he is. And in a sense, he is, relative to his own judgment. Will he ever be accepted by female feminists? No. If female ones are defining what a feminist is, then no, no man can be a feminist. If male ones are defining it, then yes, men can be feminists. It's just they'll never be accepted as such by female feminists. Not much different from a Jew going around saying he is a Nazi. He may think he is one, but non-Jewish Nazis will never accept him as such.

I think the analogy is apt.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Matt on Wed, 2016-02-24 00:27

"The voices of men in feminist activism do not count as much as the women’s, even though they are greatly appreciated.

A man should never voice actively in feminist advocacy, but he can aid the feminist cause."

So, in other words: please help our ideology, but we reserve the right to other you, and criticize any and all of your actions--even those that help us--just because you're male.

Well, who could pass up an invitation like that? [/s]

It's truly ironic, seeing that those who claim "men just don't know what it's like" literally have no idea what it's like to be a man. I wonder if they are aware that we live in a society where it is perfectly legal for men to be denied bodily autonomy (in more ways than one), and where they are essentially told to shut up and take it whenever they point out how unjust this is.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by xtrnl on Wed, 2016-02-24 06:10

A lot of men, I suspect, fall for feminist rhetoric on the belief it will save them from being called a "misogynist" only to discover feminists have no sense of loyalty. They will intentionally destroy any man just for being a man--even if he gives lip service to feminism. Being a man is the ultimate "original sin" and nothing can save the man. He might make it through the first few purges, but eventually the feminist collective will get to him.

Or, as George Orwell once said, some animals are more equal than others.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by el cid on Wed, 2016-02-24 14:51