While 85 percent of Americans are in support of equality for women, only 18 percent identify as feminists, according to a 2015 vox.com poll. Upon first glance, this gap seems peculiar, considering that the term “feminism” refers to the advocacy of women’s rights and equal rights for the sexes in general. The statistic can only mean that the 82 percent of people surveyed who do not identify as feminists simply don’t understand what feminism is. They most likely believe it supports women’s rights while promoting the hatred of men, or misandry, in the process.
What could have given them that idea?
Anti-male sentiment has been around for centuries. Arguably one of the most famous examples is Valerie Solanas’ 1967 SCUM Manifesto, which claims that it is up to women to fix a world ruined by men. But in recent years, misandrist humor and attitudes have taken a disturbing turn. They usually come in the form of flippantly aggressive social media posts that say something along the lines of, “Men are pigs,” or “Men should die.”
Some feminists make misandrist jokes to purposely mock those who falsely label them as man-haters. One instance of this is the quote, “I drink male tears,” which has been printed on various merchandise, such as mugs and t-shirts.
In some cases, this ironic anti-male humor is acceptable and effective, such as with the website manrepeller.com. The site earned its controversial name because founder Leandra Medine wanted to spread the message that women should dress and express themselves however they want without worrying about how men will perceive them. On the website’s “About” page, a reader wrote, “Man repelling has never actually been about repelling men in the literal sense, but asserting your sense of self in your interactions with fashion everyday.”
Unless they are using this satirical anti-male humor to promote women’s equality instead of actually bashing men, so-called feminists need to chill out with their hateful approach because, frankly, it’s not getting us anywhere.
Yes, women absolutely have a right to be angry about men’s past and current wrongful actions and should speak up about they feel, and yes, many men are definitely guilty of using misogynistic humor and belittling women. But outright bashing an entire gender and making such remarks seem commonplace is what turns most non feminists away from the cause and has earned us nicknames like “feminazis.”
Instead of dismissing men’s wrongful actions with a slanderous comment, I believe we should at least elaborate on why we feel they are wrong. That way, people who are otherwise against feminism might be more willing to listen. Just like hating on a certain race or demographic does not improve the conditions for another one, putting one gender down will not earn equality for the other one.