The “men” in Feminism

As a Feminist, I strongly believe that our efforts to redefine what it means to be a woman and how we perceive ourselves as women and how men perceive us as women should equally involve a redefinition of what it means to be a man and how men perceive themselves and how women perceive men. This, I think, will be one of the major struggles of fourth wave feminism as we continue to assert and insert ourselves into society in ways which were previously undreamed. A delicate and artistically intriguing treatment of male definition can be found in the Masculinity Project, a photo-essay by artist Chris State.

After finding his subjects on Craigslist, he would take their photograph and ask them to answer the question “Why Are You Masculine?”. The first image is of a man named Bill. He is posed, legs apart and shirtless, in front of an advertisement for Jean Paul Gaultier. He is completely bald and barrel chested. About masculinity, Bill says, “I am strong emotionally, have always stood up for myself, and fear nothing. I happen to be physically strong but that isn’t where I derive my masculinity.” Others, like John, feel that being a man is about being comfortable with that identity. Sitting on a floral-patterned bedspread with coloured dots against the white wall of his bedroom, he says, “I like the way I look, am comfortable with my body and enjoy being a man.”

Not all men included in the project are able to define themselves without referencing their relationship to women. For instance, Luke, a young academic sitting naked in a white armchair, wearing only grey socks and holding a glass of whisky, reveals, ”I am masculine because I abandon women after taking their love. Because when you study Freud you don’t let him study you. Because I study philosophy not literature.” The variety of responses included in this project suggests that while some men are able define themselves in new and meaningful ways that do not rely on traditional concepts of masculinity (strength, dominance, violence, etc.), for many men, masculinity continues to be about independence and power.

In an article for Slate Magazine’s Double X column, “‘Men’s Rights’ Groups Have Become Frighteningly Effective,” Kathryn Joyce explores the tangible efforts of “a loose coalition of anti-feminist groups” in America. She addresses Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting (RADAR)’s attempts to quell the Violence Against Women Act and to criminalize false claims of domestic abuse. Joyce examines the range of stances taken by men’s rights activist groups, though she warns that “as the ranks of online MRAs grow, ‘the threat’ of their violence ‘may be enough’ to bring about the changes they desire.” She notices how the effect of the fight for women’s equality can be felt by the establishment of a burgeoning men’s rights movement (particularly in the United States). While most of these groups and networks continue exist at the periphery of mainstream society, not all men’s organizations should be perceived as a threat to feminism. For instance, Michael Kimmel, co-editor of the academic journal Men and Masculinities, have done a lot to pioneer pro-feminism and masculinity as they relates to the study of gender and interpersonal relations, is involved with the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) (check out their article on why anti-sexist men are confronting violence against women here). NOMAS eloquently pronounces that

“Even if [men] could not see any pragmatic ways in which we as men could benefit from an end to traditional patriarchy (and we can see many), most of us would strongly support women’s struggle, simply because it is so unquestionably just and right.”

Ideally these men’s rights groups could act as the means through which men can work to understand their role in a world where women are equal in practice not only in theory, where the fight for equal rights is a part of history, where violence against women is non-existent, and where women around the world no longer experience oppression. Unfortunately, many men’s groups see feminism as a threat to men AND to the family; some of them even believe that men need to unite and rise against feminism to reclaim the rights that have been expropriated from men.

One of the most virulent examples is that of Angry Harry. He posts continually about injustices committed against men all over the world and seems unable to contain his rage against powerful feminist and other anti-oppression groups he sees oppressing men. According to Angry Harry, men have now been made to fear identifying themselves as (heterosexual, white) men. He goes on to say that men have been:

• “constantly accused of being racist by highly vocal racial activists and racial minorities, and their history and their forefathers have been thoroughly undermined and blackened – to the extent that many racial activists are now demanding reparations for past slavery”;
• “continually portrayed as being violent and oppressors of their women by influential vindictive feminists and their gullible followers”;
• “represented by the beautifully orchestrated gay lobby as being bigoted and fearful of their own sexuality”;
• ” assaulted ceaselessly by children’s welfare groups that seek funding and the growth of their empires by indoctrinating the population with the view that all men are likely abusers of children.”

(I have place words of interest in boldface). Angry Harry also condemns the “feminist-dominated mainstream media” for having “consistently sought to demonise and humiliate the entire male gender,” as well as the “legal profession and the all-powerful government” for “almost disempower[ing] men completely when it comes to their families, their relationships and their homes.”

Another men’s rights activist group, True Equality laments that there is “no one who is genetically or socially programmed to care for” men. According to their understanding of traditional gender roles, children are cared for by both men and women and women are cared for by men. True Equality wonders “how our world would be different if there were a third gender that was charged with caring for men” (then who would care for that gender? Children?) at the same time as they assert that men “prefer to be ‘independent’.” Nevertheless, men’s rights activists, such as the creators of True Equality and their affiliated national (American) conference Boys and the Boy Crisis, believe the natural imbalance of society, which they believe the government’s interest in women’s and children’s rights exacerbates, needs to be corrected. If this hasn’t made your hackles’ rise, read the rest of their manifesto-like booklet here.

Not all sites are so overtly political. Take the Men’s Activism News Network (MANN), a website ”service to pro-male activists and groups” with goal of

“promoting activism in support of men’s rights and equality, and providing readers with the latest news stories [a]s one way to inform and empower men’s rights activists in their goals to create a more just and fair society”.

Founded in 2000 on the principle that, ”male-only groups are of great benefit to men and society, we ultimately believe that it is only when men and women work together with trust and respect for each other that justice for everyone will be achieved,” the news site reposts and discusses mostly mainstream news stories relating to the men’s rights activist movement.

I can agree that men and women need to work together for justice, but I am concerned that their “justice” is not our justice. These news articles come from a variety of sources and seem to offer a range of viewpoints and voices. MANN also provides its visitors/dedicated readers with a community in which men and “pro-male women” can discuss controversial issues relating to the men’s rights movement and provides resources for those interested in becoming directly involved with the movement or are interested in combatting what they call “misandry” (note: “misandry” traditionally signifies the hatred of men by women, but here they use it refer to all “man bashing”).

One such resource is Stand Your Ground, a site listing corporations pro-males should boycott because of their rampant misandry (the list includes companies such as Lifetime TV, Budweiser/Bud Light, Toys R Us, Kraft Food, Burger King, Trojan Condoms, Trident, and the Body Shop (click on the names to link to read why). Feminists may agree with some of the problems these forum members have with the promotional practices of these corporations; however, we must wonder what has changed in society and in the advertising industry to engender such reactions from men. For instance, has the promotion the Violence Against Women campaign obscured other and equally important domestic violence issues (violence and emotional abuse against men, the elderly, children – in effect all types of abuse in intimate relationships)?

According to MANN it is necessary

“to make people aware of the fact that men are treated unfairly because of their sex, and that many of these ways are so deeply embedded in our culture that it can be difficult to view them in this light. Men’s roles have traditionally been not to complain about their problems, and some people might find our articles out of line in this sense. But it’s important if we are to achieve equality and be treated as whole human beings, that we speak out about injustices and dissatisfactions in men’s lives.”

(Hey, change a few words and this sounds like feminism to me!)

Many of the concerns raised by the men’s rights activists are parallel to those championed by feminists. Concerns include but are not limited to insufficient attention to men’s health issues by governments (they cite prostate vs. breast cancer); the permissibility of male circumcision when female circumcision is outlawed (at least in North American and parts of Western Europe); the under-reporting of domestic violence perpetrated by women against men and the inflation of reported cases of male violence against women; the pervasiveness of paternity fraud (some groups claim 1/3 of paternity claims are false); the exclusion of women from military drafts and active military service; family courts bias against men; anti-male educational environments (they say boys are no longer the focus of educational goals); gender bias in criminal charges and sentencing; widespread false accusations of rape, domestic violence, and other abuse; and men’s reproductive rights.

By all means, get angry, but consider that every action we take as feminists, every change we effect in the name of advancing women’s rights and equality affects men too. These rather extreme reactions are not entirely representative of men’s responses to feminism. That men’s rights activist groups exist and that they take such extreme positions suggests that the feminist expansion of female identity has not sufficiently promoted a similar expansion of male identity. Yes, feminism has initiated the reassessment and redefinition of gender roles, but we need to be more proactive in involving men in this process. This year, at Kingston’s Take Back the Night rally and march (September 17th), men were allowed to “show their support by marching along the sidewalks.” Traditionally, it has been advertised as a “women’s only” event.

Feminism needs to be a both/and not an either/or venture.