Unpopular Opinions!

[Ricky]

 @Jub3r7, I suppose you didn't really watch the video. The issue is not caused just by a few extremist women but by our current society. Things like prostate cancer research (even though prostate cancer is more common) don't get nowhere as much funding or media attention as breast cancer research. That's just one example. And besides feminism should be both renamed (to gender equality or something like that) to get rid of the "fem" and focus on both male and female issues.

[Dude]

everyonism

[Pit0010]

This is going to come out sexist no matter how I say it, but I think the best way for me to say it is that traits that are common in teenage girls are my least favorite traits of any human. Most teenage girls in general really really irritate me.

I have to agree with you there.


even though Imma a girl...

[SlowPokemon]

Yeah, it's not like I hate all teenage girls. Some of my favorite people ever are women.

[Roz~]

I hate everyone equally

[spitllama]

Roz doesn't discriminate

[Roz~]

Exactly

[MaestroUGC]

Oh yeah?

Well I hate everything equally.

[EFitTrainr]

everyonism

[Ruto]

The guy in the video doesn't convince me of much. Just another angry MRA >__>

nsfw, comment on one of his arguments:

Spoiler

There's actually medical reasons why men are circumsized (it reduces the transmission of some diseases, makes it easier to clean *cough*, and it's possible for foreskins to get infected), not that it means I think they should all have to. There is no reason why women should be. The cultures that practice female circumcision do it to make sex/childbirth hurt like crazy and to stop them from being aroused.

[close]

The video mentions an edit about the funding question for prostate and breast cancer issue. Breast cancer gets more attention partially because women raise more public awareness about it, but also breast cancer tends to be more aggressive than prostate cancer and is not as easily/safely diagnosed. I've never seen anyone hand out leaflets in the park about the seriousness of prostate cancer, etc.

I have no idea why those commercials he shows are funny. Maybe they're just playing on male stereotypes? Although I don't see women as the joke in advertisements. Younger girls are, though.

Domestic abuse issue: While it's probably more common than I think, men are less likely to be killed or injured by the spouse in domestic disputes.

The other stuff that guy didn't bring up but I think should be changed!
-Giving men (paid) leave from work when they have children
-Stop "blaming it on the man" in family disputes
-Stop teaching girls and boys that boys can't control their lust (this is mostly for religious and conservative people) as an excuse for girls not to wear this, or do that...ehhh...slut shaming.

[Ricky]

I don't thinks he's an MRA. In the regard of gender equality he's pretty sane as he sees issues on both sides and obviously has noticed how issues on the male side tend to be ignored.

- Male circumcision shouldn't be done unless the male is adult and can decide himself. Putting babies at such medical risk and removing a part of their body should be strictly forbidden unless it somehow can save their lives (which I doubt but I don't know alot on the topic).
- Well, maybe prostate cancer isn't as dangerous etc. but it's more common and overall gets too little funding.
- Advertisement is advertisement, it likes to play on stereotypes. Feminism sees much advertisement as not "politically correct". They also generally dislike how women are portrayed in movies, video games etc. but it's pretty silly in the end. So he might have given advertising too much focus in his video but it at least portrays that advertisers play on the stereotypes of both genders.
- The problem is domestic abuse against men isn't taken seriously. Just watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFAd4YdQks
- I agree with the other issues you listed. Another issue, at least in Sweden and Britain, females are getting advantages in the work place to make things more "equal" by hiring females because they are females, not because of the skills the person has or doesn't have for the work position. Watch this to see what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaU8b0MO2rU . The older (compared with the other) woman in the debate with the program leaders has some sane things to say about this work place situation while the younger is an obvious radical feminism and thinks women should get certain jobs just because they are women. Also, father's rights compared with mother's rights is another issue.


I know, I know, there is feminism and there is also men's right movement and both have their points and share of good people but I've seen major flaws on both sides. The main issue is that any ideology is flawed because people get blinded by the ideology and don't consider what's good for others outside the ideology but rather focus on what's good for them or their ideology. When you are bound to an ideology you don't see the World for what it is, you see the World for how you want to see it. Since we are on the topic of gender equality and feminism lets take a few examples from feminism: A more or less extreme feminist might (I've heard of such examples) for example:
- Blame gender inequalities on an imaginary partiarchy or even worse, on "rape culture", insulting not only women, men but first and foremost actual rape victims (by making including lots of trivial things into their definition of "rape culture"). For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geQyrBGS_60
- Ignore any biologically proven gender differences such as difference in strength or ability to do well in sports etc. Instead they blame it all on social constructs.
- Hating men, wanting female supremacy, ignoring or even protesting against the idea of males being discriminated too. For example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYyGTmcP80
- A worldview in which everything seems to be sexist against women.



And finally by making something called gender equality or something like that it would accomplish two important things:

- Getting rid of the extremists on both side of the gender "debate" and making the debate more sane.
- Making society realize that there are issues of discrimination on both sides and if we want gender equality we have to approach it from both sides simultaneously.

In general I've been thinking this thought: If there's discrimination in one direction there's often discrimination in the other direction too.

[The_Subjective_Thought]

Oh yeah?

Well I hate everything equally.

And I hate every possible thing equally.

(Of course this comment and the previous comments are still true if we love everything a whole huggy bunch)

[Ruto]

- Male circumcision shouldn't be done unless the male is adult and can decide himself. Putting babies at such medical risk and removing a part of their body should be strictly forbidden unless it somehow can save their lives (which I doubt but I don't know alot on the topic).

I heard cirumcision is more common in America so I'm not really sure what every other country does. I guess it's seen as more of a prevention thing and makes it less awkward for a few things later >_> (Go ask your mother) Isn't it going to be harder to convince some guy to do that to himself when he's older?

- Advertisement is advertisement, it likes to play on stereotypes. Feminism sees much advertisement as not "politically correct". They also generally dislike how women are portrayed in movies, video games etc. but it's pretty silly in the end. So he might have given advertising too much focus in his video but it at least portrays that advertisers play on the stereotypes of both genders.

Hahaha from experience women are a lot less likely to laugh at themselves, and more likely to think something isn't funny.

- The problem is domestic abuse against men isn't taken seriously.

Agreed but violence against women is still way more common. Definitely more publicized too...

- I agree with the other issues you listed. Another issue, at least in Sweden and Britain, females are getting advantages in the work place to make things more "equal" by hiring females because they are females, not because of the skills the person has or doesn't have for the work position.

Yeah I've heard people say this too. Oddly in America, hiring or accepting minority students to schools is acceptable to "bring diversity" into the group. In college though, a lot of schools try to bring their student populations close to 50% men and 50% women, but in reality the schools I've been to is more like 40% men and 60% women. Turning down better qualified women to get numbers closer to 50/50 is starting to happen more. Can't tell you what it's like in the workplace yet, but an advantage from being a woman in college doesn't really exist here.

- Blame gender inequalities on an imaginary partiarchy or even worse, on "rape culture", insulting not only women, men but first and foremost actual rape victims (by making including lots of trivial things into their definition of "rape culture"). For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geQyrBGS_60
- Ignore any biologically proven gender differences such as difference in strength or ability to do well in sports etc. Instead they blame it all on social constructs.
- Hating men, wanting female supremacy, ignoring or even protesting against the idea of males being discriminated too. For example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYyGTmcP80
- A worldview in which everything seems to be sexist against women.

And finally by making something called gender equality or something like that it would accomplish two important things:

- Getting rid of the extremists on both side of the gender "debate" and making the debate more sane.
- Making society realize that there are issues of discrimination on both sides and if we want gender equality we have to approach it from both sides simultaneously.

In general I've been thinking this thought: If there's discrimination in one direction there's often discrimination in the other direction too.

I think people will get more sane eventually.

[Mashi]

Ricky, I think you're spending too much time on Tumblr.  You can't generalise an entire group for the actions of a few.  It's like saying every Muslim is a terrorist.  It's a ludicrous notion sustained by the availability heuristic.  Have you met many feminists?  There are certainly extremists, but that's no surprise; extremists will exist in every group.  Although I sympathise with some of your points (eg. biological differences, manifesto of the existence of a patriarchy and rape culture, etc.), I think you're forsaking the idea that feminism is working for equal gender rights.  If someone believes that women are superior to men, that's not feminism, and anyone labeling himself/herself as such is pseudo.

Although some of us aren't feminists in the more official sense (with official cards for the organisations or whatever), most people you've met are probably feminists!  I'm a feminist, Ruto's a feminist, and I would say virtually everyone on this forum is a feminist!  So it's odd that there are still so many difficulties faced by women in regard to civil rights and social circumstances, considering that the number of people who support equal gender rights is so large.  And to be honest, women's rights movements are something that have been going on for a few centuries in America (and I'm certain, also, in other parts of the world), before we became the USA even!  And I find it dubious that most women are out to one-up men, because I don't think that self-righteousness is a trait that characterises most women; women have been leaders in nearly every social movement ever; abolitionism, temperance, civil rights, tolerance of sexual orientation, etc.  Not to say that men don't support good things, but women have tended to be very active social contributors!  To be honest, if anything, they may not have been paying enough attention to their own rights in the past (though, I imagine a good deal of women may have been fine with the status quo back then.  But it's a liberal time now, so things have changed!).

I do concur with you that there is some discrimination towards men.  I remember reading a few that I thought were frivolous when studying such things in Government.  I actually personally think that some discrimination is necessary to make up for biological differences (eg. I support drafting men and having women volunteer, because men tend to be physically stronger and I think war is an environment that men may handle emotionally a bit better than women, no offense to women though!!!  And I would imagine most men to agree with the idea too).  I'm conflicted on my stance for a paternal leave, for example, but I definitely support a maternal leave.
But anyway, despite their being discrimination on both sides, there is definitely way more discrimination against women.  That's rather undeniable.  Maybe people like us don't see it because we socialise with a good crowd of people, but the world is a big place!  There's plenty of good and bad everywhere, we just don't see it much.


So I think there's been a misunderstanding on what exactly feminism is.  Feminism isn't what a pseudo-feminist radical is spouting.  Feminism is equality between genders.  And that's all there is to it!


tl;dr: Girls can turn into Magical Girls.  They are awesome.

[spitllama]

Can men be feminists? I've always thought that was offensive to the women who labeled themselves that way.
I usually just say I'm supportive of the movement.