Just Smith.

permutationofninjas:

As a masculist and egalitarian who spends a lot of time directly opposing “feminists,” I often face a few things.  One of these is “but men aren’t oppressed.”  Another one is “but what are you actually fighting for?”  A third is “but even if men do have problems, they’re not nearly as bad as the problems women have.”  Half of my job is calling out feminists who are being bigots and misandrists (and debunking some of the crap they say), but the other half is proving that not only do men face problems and discrimination, those problems are far from insignificant.

This is a short list of twenty key items.  On one hand, these demonstrate male oppression and sexism against men.  (And no, the stereotypical whining about “but that’s patriarchy” is not going to be entertained.  Yes, it’s patriarchy, but as the list itself mentions patriarchy is not “by men, for men” and never really has been.)  On the other hand this is a list of the things I and others like me are fighting to deal with, much like the vote, abortion rights and education rights were for the original feminists.

1. Gross judicial inequity against men.  (Being black raises conviction rates ~20%, being male raises them over 150%.)
2. Gendered/sexed military service requirements.  (I’ve got no objection to service requirements, but everybody has to be in line for the same thing.)
3. Men accounting for virtually all workplace deaths.
4. False accusations of rape which depending on the study range from few but problematic to absolutely rampant.
5. De jure sexism in IPV (domestic violence) laws which apply different standards to men and women.  (VAWA etc.)
6. Cultural bias of “women as victims” leading to the belief that men can’t be raped or abused, let alone by women. 
7. Cultural prejudice against men operating in a child-rearing capacity whether in the home or workplace.
8. De jure sexism in divorce courts, including the misuse of restraining-order laws originally intended to protect women.
9. Sexism with regards to both child-support and alimony laws.
10. Lack of judicial resources to combat paternity fraud, and lack of mechanisms for victims to remove improperly-applied CSOs and sue for reimbursement.
11. Prejudices in (particularly early) education against boys and educational programs that consistently cater to stereotypically female styles of learning.
12. Societal standards which simultaneously force men to approach women then condemn them for doing so.
13. Societal standards which encourage or force men to financially support women without sensible cause.
14. Acceptance of negative media portrayals of men, where such a portrayal would not be acceptable of a woman.
15. Lack of good media role models for young men.
16. Pressure on men to conform to stereotypes destructive to both themselves and others, whether that of the “good man” who subordinates himself to others of of the “bad boy” who engages in behavior harmful to himself and others.
17. Disregard for the reproductive rights of men, and the attitude that consent to sex equals consent to procreation.
18. The treatment of all men as potential or actual rapists, pedophiles et cetera.
19. The current face of feminism that’s less about gender equality than it is about bashing men.
20. The notion of “patriarchy” as something “by men, for men” rather than an overarching problem which affects men and women in relatively equal and opposite ways, caused originally by biological roles rather than any conscious choice by anyone.

All of these things are important.  All of these things are relevant.  This is hardly a complete list, and it was originally written in about ten minutes in response to an ask.  I may continue to edit it to add things, it’s far from exhaustive but it’s useful in its simplicity.  It’s a start.

Hopefully soon I’ll be able to start taking things off this list rather than putting them on.