Unless you’ve been living in a social media cave you know things can get murky online. No I’m not talking about online dating or swiping apps but the much bigger topic at hand which is the current culture of debate on such platforms as Facebook. Whether it’s “Black Lives Matter”, feminism, or even the protest of a dog eating festival held annually in China (as a dog owner this one does frankly disgust me). One that was mentioned in that last sentence is the theme of feminism which continues to become a topic, and it should. It should not only be a topic of discussion in regards to the equality of women – but also the equality of men. Now wait wait wait stay with me here and let’s not get into the reactionary, “Always have to make it about the other side without seeing our struggle.”
In actuality, the struggle is something plenty of men with mothers, daughters, sisters, co-workers, and close female friends can relate to. We understand the inequality that has been placed on women in both the workplace as well as automatic assumptions of what gender roles should look like. The 4th wave of feminism, the current age which started in 2012, is dominated by technology such as the hashtags #metoo and continues to address standards of beauty (or lack thereof) and the sexual double standard placed on women by men. Whereas a man is free to share with his grandsons his many romantic conquests, it would be a more common reaction for grandma to be labeled a “slut” – yes she was once young too. Also when you ask the average uninformed on what they think feminism means they may mention the pay gap and here in the U.S. we are a “shining” example that it does still exist in 2018.
But there is also another phenomenon that exists in the spectrum of feminism, the demonization of men. Some of these are justified such as the aforementioned #metoo movement which was made possible by the acts of such high profile men such as Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. Then again it seems the mob which take their fight towards anyone who happens to be born with an XY chromosome. Good, responsible, strong, and respectful men who have the best intentions are being lashed an initial interrogation of, “Are you a feminist” which I guess beats out the character count of a simple “hi”. But this is the point I’m wanting to get across – if we also have the strength to support equality have the strength to promote ours.
To further emphasize, just because you celebrate the existence of men does not mean you are forgetting your own existence. If you’ve made it this far please do not assume that the movement is lost if you decide to team up with the other side. In basic terms nations go to war to settle their differences, albeit at the expense of human lives while military contractors salivate at the prospect of million dollar deals. Stay with me for a second as this is about to close the loop. Now in the end those nations have either settled their differences or one has become a warped version of itself as a puppet government has been put instilled by the winning nation. So while feminism itself is in a bit of a civil war finding its personality, will it become a war of attrition to where no one reproduces because well we hate each other enough not to even want to meet? Does the war continue until the head representatives of respective genders sign a peace treaty declaring equal pay, employment, AND mutual respect towards each other?
We are made to co-exist and time only continues to pass us by. Both men and women should understand what feminism means to them, but also understand the end goal is peace. Respect, patience, and allowing a person to understand your side are traits that any decent human would expect from another…anyone wanting the opposite of that should seek treatment. Let’s continue to push the debate and the issues at hand because they still exist but let’s not do it with hate but rather the most powerful emotion of all – love!