Original post by scrotgrotAnother lie. The feminist movement has always been concerned in practice with the tribulations of white middle-class women in Western countries. Certainly, the Middle East needs feminism for equality. But the West needs men's rights for equality.
I am happy to admit, unlike the feminist movement, that I am a chauvinist for the Western sociopolitical space in which I and everyone I care about live, and thus I am concerned with gender equality here (read "mostly men's rights these days") before the Middle East. (And presumably, should you wish to impose social change on them, the same tried and tested feminist liberations can simply be applied, programmatically, to the Middle East now we have figured out how to do them, so the debate stage is not important).
Have you got any proof that the feminist movement has always been concerned in practice with the tribulations of white middle-class women in Western countries. I'm sure there are movements across the world that cover working class women as well... And men's rights - please don't tell me you're going to start of spouting out some bull**** about privilege theory? I have no patience for you....
It is impossible to quantify oppression, for starters. But areas where men suffer (and always did) from inequality are systematically discriminated against under the law, while areas where women suffered from inequality have since feminism been afforded special protections by the law, and this is the dominant mode in public discourse. There are even women's studies departments at universities, for heaven's sake. I think by any reasonable objective measure men today are more oppressed in those areas where they suffer(ed) from inequality than women.
Disclaimer: referring, of course, to the West throughout.
I'm going to be provocative and say we could definitely do more. Sexism is entrenched in our culture so there is a constant fight to deal with it so you know what? Who cares if we have women's studies courses, I'm sure it's pretty interesting actually...
This is just related to the fact that men are under a lot of pressure. They are usually responsible for the family's financial solvency and they know a terrible diagnosis would prevent them, through anxiety, social pressure, wish to be closer to the wife and kids, and actual debilitation to stop providing for their family. It is a frightening prospect and men bury their head in the sand. Men know subconsciously that they are, by dint of evolution, the disposable sex, and neither women nor the rest of society nor even the man himself much care about how they are feeling beyond how that affects their ability to provide resources for the upkeep of their children (and their caregiver, the wife).
Disclaimer: referring to men entrenched in the traditional gender role throughout.