As an avid feminist, one could imagine my initial reaction to meninism. The Twitter movement, which seemed to gain fame (or infamy, depending on your stance) overnight, is driven by the desire to gain equality for men in a world that they feel is female-dominated. It is known for its incessant rape and domestic violence jokes, which many don’t find very comical. However, after giving some thought to the movement, its roots are not all evil.
Equality for men is not as outlandish as it may sound. For men of color or trans and gay men, life is not always simple. Throughout history, and even today, they face oppression in many aspects of life. After numerous accounts of police brutality on unarmed, usually black, citizens have been highlighted in the media, people are beginning to take notice that society may not be as progressive as many think. On top of this, there has been an alarming increase in the number of gay and especially trans suicides. Both men of color and non-hetero men have had to fight for their rights, and it still goes on today. Gay marriage is still illegal in many places. And while many people think that slavery doesn’t happen today, it does. In Qatar, the host of the 2022 men’s World Cup, has enslaved men based on race to do dangerous labor. There are many men all over the world in need of social advocates to raise awareness for their hardships.
With all of this going on in the world today, meninists still have not taken a serious stance. And, ironically, the meninists are often the first to make racist and homophobic jokes. Much of the oppression in today’s society comes from men. If meninism is truly promoting equality for men, they should be standing up for all men, including men of other races and sexualities, or men outside of western society. As it stands today, meninism is not a movement that many agree with. The fact that they have so much potential to raise awareness for the real struggles of men, but chose to focus on the “discrimination” of men under six feet tall, seems a bit senseless. Is meninism so bad? Yes, it is an account of meaningless and comical chauvinism. But they have the power to be much better. I hope that someday, meninists lay the “satirical” side of the movement to rest and begin focusing on the more pressing issues at hand. Should they do this, they may transition into a respected cause. Meninism done properly, after all, can only be a movement for equality.
Words By Casey