Of all of the baseless arguments against the feminist movement, one of the most used (and least accurate) points is that feminists are men haters! I could write for hours about how feminism is a movement for equality of the genders -- nothing more, nothing less -- but that has been said so many times by people far smarter than me, and still no one seems to get it. So, instead, I will try to tackle this ridiculous assumption that all feminists hate men.
Feminism is a movement that is being attacked on so many different sides, and here is the problem with that: those who are against the movement are quickly realizing that there are no justifiable points against feminism. So we've started to see what we often do when a position begins to run out of steam, and people get frustrated and reduce everything to ad hominem attacks. But why this particular argument? Why does the idea of feminists being men haters have so much influence over the movement? It's because when you make an otherwise peaceful and beneficial movement seem hateful and negative, they begin to lose credibility.
Until about the age of 16, I truly didn't understand what feminism even was, and when I would hear people say that it was simply a bunch of women complaining about their lives, I believed them! I was under the impression that feminists were women who blamed men for all of their personal problems, and had no standing for their movement. Then I started to educate myself, and I realized that feminism is a beautiful and empowering movement that everyone should be rooting for!
Unfortunately, the second I began to identify as a feminist, I received waves of hate from everyone I knew. Friends, and especially family, tore me down for choosing to align myself with the feminist movement. But why? Why would any reasonable person be against women fighting for equality and unity? It was then that all of the anti-feminist propaganda began to catch my eye:
These were not extreme, cherry-picked examples. These are in fact a fair representation of what those who oppose feminism would have you believe. Somehow, women who have chosen to speak out against what they see as unfair, or declare themselves independent and free of chains society would have them held in, is so terrifying to people that they have to find a different way of conceptualizing it. Instead of accepting that perhaps these women have a point, we choose to point an angry finger back and scream, "Men haters!"
When comparing anti-feminist propaganda with feminist propaganda, you can begin to see a certain pattern emerging:
Do you see it? That very stark difference in the language used between these two types of messages? One is very obviously more inclusive than the other, and is very clearly trying to convey that their message is meant for everyone. Are feminists really the haters here? Feminists do not hate men. Feminists hate the archaic idea that men are superior simply because they are men. Feminists want the world to understand that women are just as strong, just as intelligent, just capable, and just as deserving as any man.
That being said, men are great! I love them, and so do my fellow feminists across the world! They're our fathers, partners, friends and allies, and we need them just as they need us. The feminist movement seeks to include everyone in a common goal, which is to move the world forward with everyone as equals. No matter your race, gender, sexual orientation or social status, you can subscribe to this radical idea that we should all be treated equally. You can subscribe to the idea of feminism.
