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ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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I wish I was a feminist, but it simply is not possible

It has to be one of the most reassuring features of my life that the majority of people I deal with on a daily basis are not bigoted in matters of sex, race and sexual orientation. The fact that it has become “in,” if that can describe it, for the people I associate with on a regular basis support people regardless of these attributes just shows how far the general public has come since a few decades ago. Still, as groups of social liberals advocate for equality, others attempt to throw discrimination and harassment right back in the face of those assumed to be harassers. Even if most people think social rights reform should be focused on the groups not well represented, the main premise should be equality, not advantage. I am referring specifically to the actions of feminist groups. I will continue to be chastised as a “whiny, privileged cisgender male” for complaining about the problems with being a guy, but the acts of feminist groups that attempt to make men second-class citizens are impossible for me to align myself with. It does not matter who is more oppressed, stop being the oppressor.
Even if most people think social rights reform should be focused on the groups not well represented, the main premise should be equality, not advantage. Probably the most evident form of this is what a few brave souls strive to attain in the name of “men’s rights.” Even the phrase has the connotation of a misogynistic man striving for patriarchy and attempting to shut down any form of rebellion from their attained property of their wives. But as the feminist movement has continued to gain traction, there simply needs to be some form of opposition that prevents legal bigotry from either side.
How can I support feminism when it is the reason men are so unlikely to retain the ability to raise their children after a divorce, or receive aid in domestic violence centers funded by the government? Or when Robin Morgan, a major leader in the feminist movement through the late 20th century, said “the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them“ and that “‘man-hating’ is an honorable and viable political act”? The distaste towards all men by many feminists is an extreme deterrent to someone like me who wants to consider himself a feminist. If we continue to attempt to silence men, what solace is there for the 1 in 28 men that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, report they have been victims of being forced into sex by someone else, most often a woman? Or the adolescents who are forced to laugh at their situation after being sexually assaulted by a female teacher because she was “hot” and he totally “got lucky?” Or the man that was put in jail for four years on a rape allegation that was entirely false, while Elizabeth Coast, his lying accuser, was only jailed for two months after the truth came out?
The response is quick and simple. Feminists claim there is this group of what they call “radical feminists” who are the reason men are put in new unfavorable situation. These “radical feminists” are the people who hate everything about men, believing they are, by definition, rapists and pedophiles. But the harsh reality is almost all feminists have just used so called radicals as an incredibly easy cop out every time they are accused of promoting inequality. Saying modern day feminism is about equality is a lie. While feminists repeatedly claim not all feminists are radical and do not hate men, there has not been a single attempt to distance academic feminism from these “radical feminists.” In all my experiences, feminists almost always promote propaganda that, while comforting to women, is directly painful to men. It is impossible to ignore all the negative information spread about men, even if they are intended to just apply to men who actually are sexist and oppressive.
Of course I believe there should be absolutely no discrimination to someone based on their sex and gender identity; I like to consider myself an advocate for the progression of society to create equality. However, movements labeling themselves as feminist have created situations that are simply detrimental for men, rather than equal to everyone. It just goes to show how difficult it is to gain traction in equality movements as I am already uncomfortable with all the backlash that will come from printing this article.

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