Misandry - Is there a War on Men?
Misandry - Is there a War on Men?
What is misandry? Misandry is the hatred of men, and it is widespread in Western societies. How widespread?
Here's a simple experiment: type the words misandry and misogyny into a browser or word processor with spellchecker enabled. Hint: Misandry won't be recognized as a word. It's not even in the spellchecker's dictionary. And yet it is incredibly prevalent.
Here's a list of inequalities that favor women. These are sometimes legal privileges that they have under the law, or in some cases attitudes, which give them an unequal footing over men. Put another way, these are ways in which men are oppressed. Kind of goes against the standard narrative of women always being the victim. They're not. Men have to put up with a lot of crap too.
If there's a war and the government begins conscripting people against their will (translated: government begins enslaving people), then it has historically, and will in the future, likely conscript only men. Women will either not be subjected to this slavery at all, or if they are conscripted, they are very unlikely to be placed in combat roles, and more likely to be put in less risky and deadly situations, such as part of the military's support structure. You can tell which is the disposable gender by looking at who is sent to die in wars.
While most of those homeless with children are women, overall, men are significantly more likely to be homeless.
"Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male than female. In 2007, a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that of the population surveyed 35% of the homeless people who are members of households with children are male while 65% of these people are females. However, 67.5% of the single homeless population is male, and it is this single population that makes up 76% of the homeless populations surveyed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007)."
In the United States, men are roughly four times more likely to commit suicide than women. In some countries, the statistics are more equal, in some less equal, but in virtually all cases men commit suicide more often than women. This is true even in Muslim countries like Kuwait (1.9 to 1.7 per hundred thousand) or Pakistan (3.4 to 0.5) Here's a breakdown by gender and country.
Feminists almost always use exaggeration and hyperbole in their language. How many times have you heard about the "war on women". Really? In a war, people are blown up, lose their limbs, have their bodies riddled with bullet holes. What people? Primarily the men that are forced to fight these wars. If indeed there is a war on women, then by the end of this article you will realize there is one on men, too.But in truth, even domestic violence is not "war". This is just a perversion of language, which brings me to the next point:
Domestic violence coverage is almost entirely one-sided by the media - we're told that men are almost always the initiators, and that women are always the victims.Here's what you probably don't know - most studies of domestic violence have shown that women are just as likely to initiate violence against men. In fact, a number of studies have shown that they're slightly more likely to initiate violence.I will point out that this is true only in a domestic setting. Men still initiate far more criminal assaults outside the family. This article tries to explain why there is such a discrepancy in female and male aggressive behavior in different environments.However, since domestic violence concerns itself with either married or dating couples living together, it flies in the face of facts to focus entirely on battered women, and neglect the assaults perpetrated against men.
Martin S. Fiebert maintains a constantly updated bibliography over here. In it, he says right from the start:
"This bibliography examines 286 scholarly investigations: 221 empirical studies and 65 reviews and/or analyses, which demonstrate that
women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners.
The aggregate sample size in the reviewed studies exceeds 371,600."
Here's another reference that might interest you. It cites a number of studies that dispel the myth that women will only use violence in self-defense, whereas men are all about abuse and domination.
Here's an interesting tidbit from the reference above:
"Although women are far more often the victims of sexual coercion, they are just as likely as men to be the perpetrators of most psychological abuse and controlling behaviors, and this includes stalking when broadly defined."
That's pretty huge. How come we don't hear much of this narrative on the mainstream news? Men are overwhelmingly portrayed as the bad guys in cases of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a horrible thing, but focusing on only the suffering of one gender is unfair and false. Domestic violence is something that affects all people, not just women.
When Erin Pizzey, the founder of the first Refuge for women in the UK, talked about just how equal both genders are at initiating domestic violence from her personal experience at the shelter, feminists sent her death threats until she had to leave her country for 15 years. (That video is only 3 and a half minutes long. Please watch it.)
Does something about this misandry seem horribly distorted to you?
Men on average die earlier than women. Some of that has to do with increased levels of stress, or due to deaths in wars or on dangerous jobs.
Despite the fact that men live shorter lives, women are the ones who are often allowed to retire and receive their pension earlier by governments. Why? Where is the sense in this?In the UK, the retirement age for men is 65, and for women 60. And yet men live to be on average 78 years of age, while for women the average life expectancy is 82. That means the average man in the UK will enjoy 13 years of retirement, while the average woman will enjoy 22 years. Why is there a 9 year gap between retirement periods for men and women? Don't you think that's a blatant case of inequality and misandry? Is this a "war" on men?
There is a breast cancer awareness month. Why is it so much better known than the prostate cancer awareness month - given that prostate cancer is an affliction that is just as frequent in men as breast cancer is in women. Why does breast cancer receive so much more publicity than prostate cancer?
As a result of these differences in publicity, funding for breast cancer research far exceeds that of prostate cancer research. "In fiscal year 2009, breast cancer research received $872 million worth of federal funding, while prostate cancer received $390 million.""Even when it comes to private foundations, the picture is the same. For example, at the American Cancer Society, breast cancer receives about twice the number of grants as prostate cancer." (Source for both quotes.)Why do feminists not talk about that? Do men go crazy and call this the "war on men"? Given the criteria of what feminists consider to be a war, then this surely fits. But if men start speaking out about this, they're often considered "weak". Does that seem right to you?
Even today, in our "modern" society, men are still expected to sacrifice their lives for women. On a sinking ship, it is "women and children first". If a couple are threatened on the street, it seems to be the man's job to intervene and protect the woman.Why? Women are just as capable of protecting themselves. A woman can achieve virtually the same combat proficiency as a man, and since most people are completely untrained for any physical altercation, a woman who takes up self-defense classes will actually be at a great advantage over most men.It increasingly seems to me that there are no feminists on a sinking ship, and that most women will fight for equality only when it is convenient and will increase their power, and never when it requires them to stand up and talk about inequalities that actually favor them.There are of course fantastic exceptions, like girlwriteswhat.
Most dangerous or dirty jobs, such as working in mines, or waste collection, are still overwhelmingly done by men. Do feminists really want equal representation in all professions (some seem to advocate not just lack of discrimination, but actual legal minimum quotas for hiring women), or only in the ones that pay well and aren't particularly risky?Each person is of course free to do as they like, and work where they want - but let's not pretend that feminists are running out there and trying to get jobs working in mines. They're quite happy for men to do that. So it's a horrible inequality if more managers are men than women, but it's okay when more men are miners than women? Sounds like feminists are seeking privilege, not equality.
Women get priority coverage in news reports. How many times have you seen this line written or read aloud: "15 people died, including 6 women and 2 children." Notice the very deliberate omission of men.Are the deaths of women somehow more tragic than the deaths of men?
On the flip side, men are always called out as men when they commit a crime. "A man broke into a house this morning...", or "two armed men assaulted...". Does that kind of reporting seem like it has a certain agenda its pushing? To me it looks like men only manifest themselves in the public consciousness of news reporting when they commit crimes.
While violence against women is overwhelmingly frowned on by most of civilized society, violence and even torture of men is regarded as either hilarious, or as if the man necessarily deserves it. I've now seen two segments of TV shows (see here) where stories about a man's penis being cut off are laughed at as funny, and phrases like "that's what you deserve for trying to get a divorce" appear quite often. In another case, a woman is actually awarded a medal for the premeditated murder of her husband, in which she waits for him to fall asleep, and then sets him on fire with napalm.If this kind of abuse were perpetrated against a woman, it would rightly be looked at as a horrific crime. But if the roles are reversed, the woman receives a very short jail sentence and a medal.Is that the mark of a just society?
"Men Sentenced To Longer Prison Terms Than Women For Same Crimes, Study Says." That's the title of an article about this study. Here's a summary: "The study found that men receive sentences that are 63 percent higher, on average, than their female counterparts.
"Starr also found that females arrested for a crime are also significantly more likely to avoid charges and convictions entirely, and twice as likely to avoid incarceration if convicted."Other research has found evidence of the same gender gap, though Starr asserts that the disparity is actually larger than previously suspected because other studies haven't looked at the role of plea bargains and other pre-sentencing steps in the criminal justice system."
Remember, this is for the same crime. Is a crime less of a crime when a woman commits it?
Here's a stupid question we all know the answer to - are feminists going to start fighting against this gender gap and ask for longer sentences for women?
The rape of a woman is a traumatizing and horrific act. The rape of countless men in prison is regarded almost universally as a laughing matter.Nowhere is this more evident than on TV shows and in movies. The fact that the rape of a woman is treated with the seriousness it deserves, but the anal rape of a man is regarded as funny and a common joke, is very unsettling to me.
And make no mistake, men constitute a vast majority of the prison population, many of whom are there for the victimless crimes of drug possession, or even for failing to pay their alimony on time. An interesting fact is that most of those men who are criminals come from single-mother homes. You'll hear that most criminals are men, but not that most criminals come from fatherless homes. Why is that?(Source)
Further on the topic of accepted violence against men - how about jokes about being kicked in the testicles? A man's testicles are a very sensitive area. And yet the public consciousness is rife with jokes about men being kicked in the balls. Testicle jokes are a hallmark of comedy.Something tells me that if females were shown being kicked in the vagina, not only would it not be funny, but the makers of the movie would quickly be attacked with allegations of misogyny.Yet the widespread misandry of men being kicked in the nuts continues. And it's okay - because on some level, the pain men feel isn't empathized with as much as the pain women feel.In the "Violence Socialization and Approval of Violence" study conducted in 32 countries, some interesting information came to light, confirming that attitudes towards acceptable violence against men and women are indeed very different.
While 51.4% of men and 52.8% of women can think of a situation in which they "would approve of a wife slapping a husband's face", only 26.7% of men and 21.3% of women would be okay if the roles were reversed, and the husband were to slap the wife.
Is a slap different from a slap? The information I've provided above - that male suffering as far as testicle jokes, or penises being cut off, is taken less seriously than when something like this happens to women, is confirmed by attitudes on even something as basic as a slap.
Male circumcision is regarded by many in the West, especially in America, as a normal medical procedure. When however Americans hear about female genital mutilation being performed abroad, they rightly view that as barbaric. Why do so few people recognize male circumcision as the genital mutilation of children, too?
Even today, when women in Western societies usually have a decent income (or are at least capable of having one), men are expected to pay for dates, lavish women with gifts, and purchase wedding rings. How come women don't purchase the wedding ring? Or why don't they split the cost more often?
As a libertarian, I feel that every individual, regardless of their personal idiosyncrasies, should be treated equally before the law.
If I have not made it abundantly clear by now, then I will say it again - women have been the victims of abuse since the dawn of civilization. As have been men. And children, and old people, and black people, and brown people, and white people, and every other group.
My omission of misogyny in this article is because this article focuses specifically on misandry. I am not saying misogyny does not exist - that would be absurd. I am saying that one of these two problems gets a lot more coverage than the other, and for no particularly good reason.
No one group has a monopoly on being victims of abuse or legal inequities. When one group claims that they do, as feminists have so often done over the last few decades, then besides perpetrating a disgusting lie, they are also doing a great disservice to their own movement, which sooner or later will come under criticism from skeptical people with critical thinking skills who will look at the actual data and say, "hang on, now...". So to the feminists out there, change your behavior and your mottoes - if not for equality, do it for yourselves.
And to the men out there who think that something's wrong when such wide-ranging inequalities go altogether unmentioned by the media, by teachers in schools, and by the average person you talk to - realize that you already live in a society where men have been reduced from human beings to human doings.
The misandry is so insidious that it goes almost unnoticed by most people. We're so used to it - we don't realize it for what it actually is. It's just a normal part of life, right? Everyone recognizes misogyny for what it is, but misandry gets a free pass.
If you don't speak up - nobody will do it for you. Certainly not the feminists - they've made it abundantly clear that they couldn't care less about actual equality of the genders.
It's time for people to be considered as individuals, irrespective of their personal characteristics. This is why collectivism, and this sick desire to group people into categories, is such an enemy of progress and equality.
If your aim is to end legal and attitudinal privileges for men, you should also address the legal and attitudinal privileges that women have. Anything else is not a fight against inequality, but merely a fight for political power.
MISANDRY - CHOICE QUOTES BY RADICAL FEMINISTS
“I feel that ‘man-hating’ is an honourable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them.” – Robin Morgan, Ms. Magazine Editor
"Morgan founded the first feminist fund in the US..."
(Source)
"Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation, and destroy the male sex."
“To call a man an animal is to flatter him; he’s a machine, a walking dildo.” – Valerie Solanas
"Solanas relocated to Berkeley, California. There, she began writing her most notable work, the SCUM Manifesto, which urged women to "overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex." And "After her release, she continued to promote the SCUM Manifesto, initiating modern radical feminism."
(Source)
"Romance is rape embellished with meaningful looks."
"Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies."
"Q: People think you are very hostile to men.
A: I am."
“I want to see a man beaten to a bloody pulp with a high-heel shoved in his mouth, like an apple in the mouth of a pig.” – Andrea Dworkin
"She became one of the most influential writers and spokeswomen of American radical feminism during the late 1970s and the 1980s."
(Source)
"The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist"
"Feminism is the theory, lesbianism is the practice." – Ti-Grace Atkinson
"In 1968 she left the organization to found the October 17th Movement, which later morphed into The Feminists, a radical feminist group active until 1973. By 1971 she had written several pamphlets on feminism, was a member of the Daughters of Bilitis and was advocating specifically political lesbianism."
(Source)
“Rape is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which
all
men keep
all
women in a state of fear” – Susan Brownmiller
"Brownmiller went on to co-ordinate a sit-in against Ladies' Home Journal in 1970, began work on Against Our Will after a New York Radical Feminists speak-out on rape in 1971, and co-founded Women Against Pornography in 1979. She continues to write and speak on feminist issues, including a recent memoir and history of Second Wave radical feminism. In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (1999)."
(Source)
“The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men.” – Sharon Stone
Not really a notable "feminist" promoting the cause, but an influential person, nonetheless.
"All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman."
“In a patriarchal society, all heterosexual intercourse is rape because women, as a group, are not strong enough to give meaningful consent.” – Catherine MacKinnon
Author of Toward a Feminist Theory of the State.
“The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race.” – Sally Miller Gearhart
"After Gearhart received tenure from SFSU she was able to continue her writings focused on lesbianism and related political topics. She also became politically active, in particular, fighting for radical feminist causes."
(Source)
"As long as some men use physical force to subjugate females, all men need not. The knowledge that some men do suffices to threaten all women. He can beat or kill the woman he claims to love; he can rape women... he can sexually molest his daughters... THE VAST MAJORITY OF MEN IN THE WORLD DO ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE." (Emphasis hers)
"My feelings about men are the result of my experience. I have little sympathy for them. Like a Jew just released from Dachau, I watch the handsome young Nazi soldier fall writhing to the ground with a bullet in his stomach and I look briefly and walk on. I don't even need to shrug. I simply don't care. What he was, as a person, I mean, what his shames and yearnings were, simply don't matter."
“All men are rapists and that’s all they are” – Marilyn French
AKA "Champion of Feminism" by the NYT.
"I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He's just incapable of it." – Barbara Jordan (former US Representative)
Listed as an "american feminist".
"The family isn't a place where battery and marital rape sometimes happen but where little else apparently does. Sick men don't simply molest their daughters, they operate in league with their wives to "breed" them for that purpose." – Donna Laframboise
"Donna Laframboise is a Canadian feminist, writer, and photographer."
"I have a great deal of difficulty with the idea of the ideal man. As far as I'm concerned, men are the product of a damaged gene. They pretend to be normal but what they're doing sitting there with benign smiles on their faces is they're manufacturing sperm. They do it all the time. They never stop."
“Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release.” – Germaine Greer.
Special thank you to Erin Leland for doing research on the above quotes.