Hey, you there. Yes, you! This is about you.

Here's [url=http://www.facebook.com/itsjaythenerdkid/posts/343461005755782]another thing I wrote on Facebook[/url] that I thought this community might want to read. In this case, I think it's definitely relevant to a lot of people here. Enjoy: [quote]Hey, gentlemen, pull up a seat and sit down. I'm going to tell you how feminism can very directly help you. Suicide rates are highest amongst young men. Why? Because society has conditioned us to believe that men are too strong, too independent to need help, so when young men with mental illnesses or men who are struggling in life find themselves backed into a corner, they feel like they have nowhere else to turn. They can't go to a doctor, because that's weak. They can't talk about it to their friends and family, because that's weak too. They're forced by the patriarchy into maintaining a false facade of strength and stoicism, and it ends up costing them their lives. Feminism wants to change that. Men who go into traditionally "female" professions like nursing are constantly mocked, ridiculed or assumed to be gay. Why? Because why would a man willingly go into a subservient field, one that's only good enough for women? Why would a man lower himself to a woman's level? There are men who find a genuine calling in fields like nursing, and they face societal stigmas and mockery for their whole careers because of it. The patriarchy tells them that they're too good for "female" professions, and it ends up opening them up to the judgement of their peers when they decide to do what they're passionate about anyway. Feminism wants to change that, too. Men who aren't macho, alpha-male types are portrayed as somehow less deserving of romantic companionship. Why? Because not being macho, not being "alpha" (whatever the hell that even means) are seen as female traits, and any guy who acts like a girl is obviously not a real guy. Guys who want to express themselves emotionally and creatively, guys who want to live lives that don't conform to the patriarchy's expectations, guys who aren't interested in being "real men" and just want to be true to themselves are constantly treated like they're inferior to the muscle-bound, super-successful alpha upper-crust, just because they don't fit society's idea of what a man is meant to look like. Feminism is about fighting that unfair expectation, every minute of every day. Men are often at an unfair disadvantage in custody battles. Why? Because society doesn't think it's a man's place to be a nurturing, caring parent - his sole responsibility is to provide financially for his family, whilst women do the less glamorous work of caring for the kids. But plenty of guys are fantastic, caring fathers, and they're told that this isn't important because that's female stuff, and female stuff isn't important. Men lose their kids to women who might be unfit mothers because even our justice system thinks all men are emotionless and uninterested in child-rearing, and all women are by default soft and nurturing. Sometimes, this just isn't the case. Feminism is about making society realise that not only is being a good parent not just a female thing, but that the things we think of as "female" aren't inferior, so it's fine if men do those things too! Male-on-male and female-on-male sexual assault and domestic violence are virtually ignored, and often, male victims of violent crime are not only not given the support they need, but actively mocked for being victims. Why? Because while our cultural narratives support the idea that men are more powerful than women and therefore can do to them whatever they like, they see male victims as weak and somehow deserving of violence if it happens to them, because as men, they should have been able to defend themselves. There are people who think violent crime perpetrated against men is somehow comedy fodder. That's not okay on any level. Feminism wants to change that. Women can dress pretty androgynously and get away with it; men can't. Why? Because while everyone can understand why women want to be more like men, nobody can understand why men might want to be more like women. This leads to us unfairly questioning the masculinity of gay men, trans men and basically all men who aren't what the patriarchy thinks men should be. Feminism realises that that's an unfair standard, and wants that standard to change. If you're a man - any man - feminism is about you too. It's about all of us. It's about making the world a better and safer and fairer place. Don't be so quick to dismiss feminism because you think it can't possibly be about you. It can be, and it is.[/quote]