I’ve never been an active feminist. Not that I don’t believe in equal rights for women, I’ve just never been the stand up and state my opinion kind of person. But recently, certain movements have been making me rethink that. It normally takes a lot to get me mad. So it’s nothing small when I say this: Meninism infuriates me.
If you haven’t heard of this movement, it’s basically an anti-feminist group. They believe women are using feminism as a way to promote themselves higher than men. In response, they are trying to take these women down a notch. On Twitter “#meninism” is used for offensive remarks about women in general as well as jokes about sexual assault and double standards. Below is an example from their Facebook page.
The jokes are not only harsh and full of stereotypes, but many are taking them to heart. It’s difficult to tell the difference between followers who actually agree and those who are just participating in the joke. Kat Blanque, a YouTube video blogger, said it perfectly: “The ‘meninist’ hashtag seeks to critique feminism though parody. Unfortunately all it does is demonstrate that people still don’t know what feminism is.” I couldn't agree more with this.
I understand meninism is all satire, but I can't help but think its gone too far. I did however want to give them a fighting chance. As I was researching this topic, I was exploring the meninist website (http://www.meninist.net) and the following appeared on my screen.
Its hard to see, but if you hover over the gray button its says “No Thanks I’m a Feminist”. I was trying to keep an open mind while looking into their work, but this was a turning point for me. After reading through dozens of tweets and Facebook posts that made me sick, this pop up annoyed me. It just shouted; “If you don’t want to support us, you’re the enemy!” Not only that, but I think the fact that it has become a marketable title shows it has become much more than just a satire.
Out of curiosity, I took a look at the shop. I found exactly what I expected: clothing displaying offensive statements against women. I’m sure I would be branded a “crazy feminist” for taking offense to what they consider a harmless joke. In fact, one of the recurring jokes on their pages is about feminists who "can't take a joke" or don't understand satire. I’m okay with that though, because I don’t see being feminist as an insult. I am perfectly aware of the satirical nature, and don't get me wrong, I love a good joke. I actually enjoy reading satire, even if it goes against something I support, because I appreciate the use of humor to get a point across. But with satire there's always a point where it is no longer humorous and is instead offensive and even scary. Meninism has crossed that line.
Like any social movement, feminism isn’t perfect. There are certainly those who take it too far. Those people don’t represent the feminist movement, despite what the meininist posts say. Trying to take down feminists because of a few crazies shows exactly why we need feminism. Women should be mocked for trying to stand up to oppression. Feminism stands for equality. Meninism claims it is doing the same, but in reality it is working backwards. Men are losing nothing by supporting women, so whatever your gender, don’t support this kind of movement. Even if you don’t love the idea of feminism, meninism isn’t the answer.
