Do you actually feel that there are no valid issues for men's rights at all?
Asked by
Anonymous
[Warning: I am aware this answer is going to be mad cissexist and heteronormative; if anyone has suggestions on how to open up this answer, I’d be really appreciative of hearing them].
I feel that for the most part, men’s rights are misguided and most men’s right’s activists are vehemently anti-feminist and often deeply sexist and misogynistic.
Some of what MRAs have taken as a cause is valid - such as the automatic default of mothers getting custody of children - but the claims that such issues are founded in sexism against men is exhausting and incorrect. The default setting of mother as better parent, for instance, comes from a sexist cultural belief of women, not of men. It hurts men, but it oppresses women.
And that’s actually the crux of much of my problem with MRAs: they’re confusing things that hurt them with things that oppress them. Men are not oppressed. They also act as though things like “creep shaming” are Real Problems That Are Really Problems, which is complete bullshit.
Now, do I think that our culture’s incredibly narrow gender norms hurt people of all gender identities? YES. I absolutely think that. But the vast majority of MRAs I have been unfortunate enough to have to deal with are actually deeply misogynistic and are still privileging their experiences and their issues above those of actual oppressed groups, which is simply not okay.
