Our Philosophy

Here we describe the purpose and philosophical guidelines under which The Men's Activism News Network is run. We hope this page will help to clarify what Mensactivism.org is about, and what our selection criteria are for news stories.

Purpose:

The underlying purpose of The Men's Activism News Network is twofold:

1. To provide pro-male activists with news and information that will aid them in working toward establishing equal rights for men and the improvement of men's lives.

2. To encourage participation in activism projects, and to promote membership in men's rights organizations which coordinate activism efforts and serve as a supportive network for men.

In addition to these two principles, Mensactivism.org would like to reach out to as many pro-male men and women as possible. We try to post news and information that is of interest to people of many different backgrounds and political ideologies, within reason (ie, gender idealogues who hate men need not apply). Frequently, you may see articles posted to Mensactivism.org that come from different, sometimes contradictory perspectives. We do this because we want to help foster a dialogue between those with differing views on men's rights issues, and to recognize that there are often issues which are not black and white within our movement.

With that in mind, here is how we generally deal with potentially controversial issues within the men's movement:

Conservative or Liberal? Progressive or Traditional?

Mensactivism.org aims to be as apolitical as possible. Liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and people from other political backgrounds should be able to find something of interest on this site. Also, we believe that there are ways to promote men's rights through political activism with most political parties, and encourage people to do so. Thus, we will occasionally report on a political party or candidate's activity when it is related to men's rights, but this in no way endorses or condemns any party or candidate as pro- or anti-male.

Whether men are happier with their traditional roles vs. the changing and expansion of men's roles is also not a black and white issue. Stories related to both perspectives will be frequently posted.

Political Correctness/Racial Issues/Gay Issues

Mensactivism.org does not believe that political correctness, in and of itself, is a good thing. However, we do support the many issues that men of color and gay or bisexual men face, and want to encourage all men, regardless of their race or sexual orientation, to work together to improve men's lives and dignity. We will post news when it is related to the status of minority or gay men as men. General news stories about race issues or gay rights are unlikely to be posted unless they specifically relate to the rights of men. We do this to maintain the focus of The Men's Activism News Network, not to discourage people from participating in other civil rights causes.

Mensactivism.org has no official position on gay rights, affirmative action, and other related issues. Views presented on this web site about these issues are limited to the individual who made them, and do not represent the views of Mensactivism.org.

Women's Violence and the Portrayal of Women

We believe that one of the misperceptions that is currently harming equality and men's rights is the myth that women are less violent than men. Although pointing readers to examples of women's violence is one way to help break down this myth, we do not wish to attack women merely for the sake of "exposing women's faults" - after all, the media is currently too eager to portray men as abusers, murderers and rapists. Therefore, unless the news story is related to an issue which is more closely tied with men's issues (ie, an example of domestic violence against men, or inequality in sentencing female criminals), we will generally not post stories that are simply about women being violent.

Mensactivism.org would also like it to be made very clear that even though we post news about women who have falsely accused men of rape or harassment, we do not claim that all women do this, or that services which support female victims should be abolished (although we do believe men should have similar services available to them, which is often not the case).

The Men's Activism News Network also welcomes the contributions of women to this movement, and receives a significant amount of participation from women. Although we believe that male-only groups are of great benefit to men and society, we ultimately believe that it is only when men and women work together with trust and respect for each other that justice for everyone will be achieved.

Are we taking things too seriously?

Some people might say that we're reading too much into some of the material that is posted to Mensactivism.org, that we're over-analyzing the media or have no sense of humor. Perhaps in some circumstances, this could be true. But the goal of this site is to make people aware of the fact that men are treated unfairly because of their sex, and that many of these ways are so deeply embedded in our culture that it can be difficult to view them in this light. Men's roles have traditionally been not to complain about their problems, and some people might find our articles out of line in this sense. But it's important if we are to achieve equality and be treated as whole human beings, that we speak out about injustices and dissatisfactions in men's lives.

Why we're not a men's rights organization

Please note that The Men's Activism News Network is not really an organization, but a service to pro-male activists and groups. We feel that there are plenty of excellent men's rights organizations out there and we should avoid the creation of further divisions within the movement when possible. Mensactivism.org readers and contributors are members of a community, but we do not have official meetings, membership lists, or anything like that. Anyone with a sincere interest is men's issues is welcome to become part of this community.

Common Questions and Points Associated with Men's Rights Issues

The question of "What are men's rights issues in particular as compared to women's, or more generally, anyone's regardless of gender?" comes up a lot. There is also often curiosity about how MRAs feel about things like sexism towards women, not just men.

In November, 2013, MANN received an inquiry from a journalism student asking about such matters, and we responded. The Q&A document (in PDF format) can be found here. The answers are not representative of all MRAs. MRAs can and do differ over what ought to be considered a men's rights issue vs. an issue primarily about civil rights, and some may agree that a particular matter is an issue but have different ideas about how to address it or how much emphasis ought to be put on it; and, there are some issues that MRAs do not agree that ought to be issues at all. Though this movement is still in its nascence, one thing is certain: it is not going away any time soon and is only going to grow as the awareness of anti-male bigotry and social and legal injustices men are subjected to becomes more widespread. In time, the issues with a solid plurality of support will gain enough traction to have significant influence on the law, society, and social attitudes. One such issue that has already gained a lot of steam is men's rights as pertains to fatherhood. Virtually all MRAs agree that fathers' rights are a primary concern for the movement and so it is expected that that is the area most likely to see the most progress before others. But eventually, many MR concerns will be successfully addressed, as MRAs are, if nothing, a very determined lot.

-- The Mensactivism.org Admin Team