Did anyone see the #INeedMasculismBecause tag on Twitter a little while ago (February 9th)? It was (wonderfully) trolled by feminists from every walk of life—sarcastic tweets about the underrepresentation and oppression that men face on a daily basis by far outnumbered the genuine tweets. The image above represents my own contribution.
You can read about how it all started here. Like most ridiculous things on the internet that test the fine line between humor and irritation, it started with 4Chan.
Masculism is the: “Belief that equality between the sexes requires the recognition and redress of prejudice and discrimination against men as well as women.” Though there are elements within the movement of masculism that are specifically anti-feminist, not everyone who talks about masculism is anti-feminist. And don’t get me wrong: I am totally against prejudice (including those prejudices which I have).
But I do not “need masculism.” No one does.
And, well, the world is laughing at you, Men’s Rights Activists.
I totally get it. Gay or straight, men should not be forced into specific roles simply because they have Y-chromosomes. Not in terms of what jobs they have or how they should dress or how they should behave. Male rape should not be one of the few crimes less reported than female rape.
But what Men’s Rights Activists do not seem to understand is that the social element commonly referred to as “the patriarchy” is responsible for these ridiculous expectations of what men have to be in society. Patriarchy already defines how many people see males. Men’s Rights Activists also do not seem to realize that there is already a movement that advocates for them. A social movement that is opposed to rape and inequality and forcing men or women into or out of specific niches because of their sex, gender, or orientation (among other things).
That movement is called feminism.
I could continue ranting about how Men’s Rights Advocates who promote masculism are basically people who either do not understand what feminism is or who want a version of feminism that exclusively talks about their problems.
But I will not, because the delightful and humorous artist Gingerhaze (Noelle Stevenson) already penned this perfect piece.
PS: I am aware that there are darker elements of masculism. Men who believe that women are awarded sole custody the vast majority of the time (incorrect—it’s about even). Men who believe that there is an epidemic of false allegations of rape (false allegations are even rarer than convictions of rape, and considering that only a small minority of rapes are reported, a minority of those prosecuted, and a much smaller minority of those prosecutions lead to convictions, that is a very small proportion). Men who are genuinely opposed to feminism because women owning property, running for office, serving in combat, and doing other things that men have been doing for millennia are incredibly threatening to the fragile egos of some men. But that is really another conversation.
