The Male Inequality Problem

[msmith537]

@Calder

Let me be very clear.

The threat of rape >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> threat of a man feeling bad. I mean, duh, of course it is.

But by the same token, we just had a poster self-ban themselves because they thought the concept of a white cisgender man expressing that it doesn’t feel good to be labeled a potential rapists was too much for them. I get that the concept doesn’t bother you. But some of us have different life experiences than you do that make us much more vulnerable to being falsely labeled.

I submit that is extremely counterproductive to tell someone they aren’t allowed to feel bad when they are labeled as a potential rapist. Again, I totally agree that a women being safe is more important but I draw the line when you say I am not allowed to even have feelings on the issue.

Right, but to what extent to you go out of your way to protect a woman’s (or anyone’s) “feelings” about possibly getting raped vs the fact that most men probably aren’t here to rape you in most circumstances. And it’s important, because people tend to justify a lot of extreme stuff when they are scared, justified or not.

[thorny_locust]

If you don’t think a woman’s “feelings” (your quote marks) matter, why the hell do you expect anybody to think a man’s feelings ought to matter?

Even aside from the fact that you’re being massively dismissive about a real possibility. Most people aren’t going to get in a car accident in most circumstances, either. Are you going to get upset that other drivers put their seatbelts on while you’re on the road?

[puzzlegal]

@msmith537

And it’s important, because people tend to justify a lot of extreme stuff when they are scared, justified or not.

They do. But i want to point out that the “extreme stuff” we have been discussing here is women limiting their own actions, not attempting to limit the actions of men. I mean, maybe i said it would be polite for a man to exit the elevator first and start walking towards wherever he planned to go. But that’s a pretty insignificant limitation, and i only suggested it would be polite, not something that’s required. So i think your indignation is a massive overreaction.

[ASL_v2.0]

I don’t understand this back and forth about men vs. women. In a patriarchal society, it’s more like a select few men plus whoever they can fool into supporting them vs. everyone else.

To the extent certain men might be disadvantaged in our society, it’s hardly on account of “matriarchy” or some measure of control by women. Among the many problems of patriarchy is that while some men get to be patriarchs, women are viewed as (at best) valuable property, while other men (not so privileged as to be patriarchs) are treated as disposable.

Men don’t live as long as women? Terrible. But that’s not a problem to be solved by making life worse for women. It’s a problem that stems from people—by and large men—in power treating less privileged men as disposable. Pick your societal ill or burden faced disproportionately by men, and I can pretty much guarantee that’s the root of it: that patriarchs and people who endorse patriarchy at least implicitly view men who are not members of the ruling class as disposable.