Men around the world are scrutinized, lied to, laughed at, and taken advantage of everyday. It is a cold hard fact, but what some men do not realize is this: women have been dealing with these same day to day challenges for much longer and at a much more intense level.
According to AVoiceForMen.com, a popular website amongst those partaking in this movement, Men's Rights Activists (MRA's) aim to "educate men, women, girls and boys about the threats they face in feminist governance and to promote an end to that governance" as well as offer "compassion for men and boys that is equal to that of women and any other identified group." Going through their many mission statements, it is apparent that the organization is keen on reiterating that they wish for "equal treatment" among both men and women. They truly believe men have fallen victim to the poisonous ways that society tends to work. These activists point fingers at groups who have been oppressed for much of history and blame them for the minuscule deterioration of male privilege they claim to see.
The blatant ignorance that these "human rights activists" display is utterly appalling. The idea of masculinity has definitely been shifting over the years, and those who cling so desperately to the ideologies of the past are taking their insecurities and using them to place blame on feminists for their loss of male privilege. As a man, I fully recognize the struggles we endure and how frustrating it is to feel forced to live up to society's ideas of what manliness, but I have never felt compelled to put a group, that has already faced more hardships than I know, under more fire. MRA's question the validity of feminism and truly seem to believe that women are the ones that are trying to oppress men. The irony of it all had me wondering if this was all a joke for quite some time. It is not fair to claim that women are keeping men down when men have been making efforts to prove their dominance for centuries.
MRA's attacks on feminists may have started more subtly at first, but they have quickly evolved to becoming more radical and public. 'Don't Be That Guy' is an ad campaign that enforces and delivers the message that any sexual act that took place without consent is considered sexual assault. The campaign pushes for men to take control of their behavior and to recognize the responsible thing to do. MRA's decided to take this campaign to a much more unnecessarily controversial level. They took the same posters 'Don't Be That Guy' released and warped them into ads that carry far less proactive statements. These ads, known as 'Don't Be That Girl', state "just because you regret a one night stand doesn't mean it wasn't consensual" and "just because you regret it doesn't mean it was rape." These posters are not only cold-hearted, but place blame on victims of sexual assault. Simply placing blame on feminists for loss of male privilege was irritating, but the whole 'Don't Be That Girl' campaign showed how vicious and despicable MRA's can be.
Throughout my pledge process in my fraternity as well as orientation at Chapman University, respect was always a common theme among a lot of the lessons we received. I remember being reminded of exactly what 'Don't Be That Guy' had so successfully expressed. MRA's do not seem to carry the same value of respect my peers have for others, regardless of gender. MRA's need to be reminded that insecurities do not warrant such offensive behavior. Women will judge these men just like these men judge women. Feminists do not aim to emasculate any man, they are asking for equal treatment for everyone. The biggest difference between Feminists and MRA's is that their movement is actually warranted.
