I really take for granted that everyone is a feminist. I really see it as common sense to want equal rights for women, regardless of your gender. Why wouldn’t anyone want women to have the same rights as everyone else? I don’t know!!! Unfortunately, this is way more common than I thought. Recent events have shown women silenced and not taken seriously. It’s 2018, but women still suffer from domestic violence, misogyny, rape, pay gaps, and more. We still have a long way to go regarding women rights and a lot of that involves getting men on board as well.
Most feminists argue for equal rights between men and women. For many it is as simple as that, but we as a society are not yet ready to give that. So many people are living with these primitive views of women being the weaker sex. Our society is different from the hunter-gatherer ones though. I’m pretty sure that the Neanderthals didn’t have Targets and stuff so I think our views should change with society. Everyone should be feminists — everyone. There is really no excuse. If you aren’t a feminist because of “Social Justice Warriors” or people like that, you need to understand that those people are just a small group of a huge movement and their views do not represent feminism as a whole.
So why should men be feminists too? What are the benefits other than being part of something for the good of society? Unfortunately, people want to know why they should join and what they will get out of it instead of just being a good person and doing it just because you should. Men need feminism just as much as women do. Men are plagued from birth with the misconception of masculinity. They are told not to cry and to toughen up as CHILDREN. They are supposed to be the “man of the house” if the father goes away, even if there are older women who are more qualified. Boys are called “sissy,” pussy, or fag” when they are seen as emotional or sensitive. This is unacceptable. Other than the fact that the words used to insult sensitive men refer to men acting like women, men should not be afraid of showing their feelings. Feminism gives men the space to grow emotionally and express themselves in the way that they want to. For example, male rape victims feel that they should not speak up about their trauma because they feel like they should be “grateful” that it happened to them. That is not okay! Feminist thought can help foster many support groups for men where they can talk about their traumas and feelings and have people sympathize with them instead of telling them to suck it up and be a man. If more men join the cause, we can see a lot more resources for men as well as women.
So why don’t people like feminism? Well, a lot of people think that feminists are just “man haters” and that women already have equal rights, so why ask for more? The fact that women are not believed when they are raped, not paid as much as men, are killed by men, and more shows that feminism is still very much needed. There is so much violence against women out there that most women do not feel safe walking alone at night without pepper spray. I personally will not walk at night at all because I know that I am vulnerable as a woman. Women are afraid of leaving abusive relationships because they don’t know if their partner will kill them or their family if they reach out. Most women will not report sexual abuse to the authorities because of rape culture, the strenuous process of reporting, and the threats they get after the fact. Women are seen as liars, sluts, stupid, and weak to this day and are treated as such. Just last week, a young woman was killed here at the University of Utah by a man she dated for only a month. This is unacceptable and we deserve better.
Alright, so that’s a little bit about why men need feminism. I only mentioned a few ways but there’s a lot of other benefits out there. So why should men be grateful for feminism? Well, first of all, men should be grateful that we women only want equality and not domination. Men have ruled every part of the world for the entire history of man, silencing women in every way. Now feminists just want equality. That’s all we are asking for. We could try switching the rules and make women the dominators, but we aren’t! It would be completely fair and understandable if we did that but we aren’t because we know that a) it’s not right and b) we would gain no ground as a movement.
Feminists have given a lot to society like strong women, progressive ideas, compassion, and safe spaces for all genders. Everyone should be grateful. It’s time that we as a society are prepared to give women the equality and safety that they deserve.
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