is the man or bear thing rhetorically or optically the perfect feminist meme that is beyond criticism? no.
but is it leaps and bounds better at getting men to understand the material consequences of patriarchy on the physical and emotional health of women than that stupid “kill all men” meme from last decade? definitely.
The two genders
How’s that contradictory to you?
I said that antisexism is the actual word for describing the system of fighting discrimination of people of all genders, and we should strive for that.
We should consider male perspective along with the female look at the issue. And the former is intensively shushed.
It’s no use pretending feminism is there to care for men - if anything, women are still the centerpiece of the movement, as they always were, and it’s reflected in the name and values of it.
If you do care for men, however, maybe you should listen to the things men say on the issue, without shutting them up and then saying “oh, we care for you as well”.
“We should listen to both genders”
No problem here.
“We should consider the male perspective”
Sure.
“FeMiNiSm bAd!”
And that’s where you lose it. You’re saying both genders need to be listened to, then rejecting Feminism because it’s women being listened to.
Nope, I didn’t say “feminism bad” either.
I said feminism is about women, not men, and what it gives to men is collateral, not the goal.
Thereby, we need a wider antisexist framework to address issues of both women and men, and to solve issues that are two-sided by nature - gender relations often being the example.
If you want men to “become better”, you have to understand what factors make them “bad”, and how it works in their mindset. And for that, you have to delve into men’s issues. You should also demonstrate willingness to partner and reciprocate with men, and help them fight gender stereotypes, unfair treatment, and other things that women often face too.
Men, on the other hand, should join women in the initiatives that matter, and learn more about the struggle of women.