Feminism has been controversial ever since the movement started, and even though it is 2015, anti-feminist views are still rampant. This can be easily seen through a new internet trend: meninism.
“Men’s Rights” groups have been popular online for years, and the one thing they all have in common is that they spend more time bashing women (primarily feminists) than actually advocating for issues that affect men. The website, Return of Kings, is a primary example of a group fronting as pro-male group, when, in reality, they are anti-female. The site is brimming with articles on how all rape allegations are false (the FBI estimates that less than 8% are), how women of color are undesirable (as seen in “5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Date an Indian Girl”) and slurs against practically any marginalized group you can think of.
However, the biggest issue with meninists is what sets them apart from other “men’s rights” groups: the fact that they are much more mainstream because of Twitter. In fact, one of the biggest meninist Twitter accounts, @MeninistTweet, is selling #Meninist tee shirts online, and people are actually buying them.
If you look at @MeninistTweet’s account — which boasts over 614 thousand followers — you will notice that most of the content revolves around two things: bashing women and complaining about how women won’t date them. The latter is the epitome of the entire meninist movement. I’ve yet to see a self-proclaimed meninist advocate for fathers to have a fairer chance in custody battles, for male survivors of rape and domestic violence (who are less likely to talk about their attacks than women are), or for men of color, gay and bi men, or transgender men. They also don’t discuss the toxicity of rigid gender roles on young boys, which psychologists and sociologists have deemed harmful. Meninists simply do not care about issues that truly affect males.
Feminism, on the other hand, is much more intersectional now than it ever has been. Feminism is not about the value of women, but about the value of what is traditionally seen as “feminine”. That includes men who don’t wish to exude hypermasculinity, whether because they want to be more loving and affectionate parents, or because they don’t want to be ostracized for crying when they’re upset. Feminists understand the harm that gender stereotypes cause, while meninists only seek to perpetuate them more.
By MIRANDA OWEN.
