The empire of feminists strikes back

Twitter is a pretty handy little communication device, which is why a hashtag like #MensRightsMovies can flare up pretty quickly and create all sorts of fun commentary on so-called “men’s rights activists.”

The hashtag came about when Aaminah Khan was conducting a Twitter rant in opposition to white privilege and took on subset of “My Little Pony” male fans who call themselves “bronies” and are men’s rights activists.

Khan tweeted “my little ho-ny: friendship is worthless #mensrightsmovies.”

What followed was a string of tweets aimed at teasing the patriarchal perspective of most Hollywood films.

“Silence of the Women.”

“Girl, Interrupted By A Man Who Knows Better.”

“You’ve Got Male Privilege.”

“Dude, Where’s My Patriarchy?”

“Driving Miss Andry.”

It’s great fun to come up with various plays on popular movie titles to deconstruct our male-dominated society.

But more importantly, why does anybody think we need activists for men’s rights?

I must have missed the national conversation addressing potential legislation to politicize my male genitals.

Or the fact that women now suddenly earn astronomically higher salaries than men and hold more than half of the CEO jobs on the list of Fortune 500 companies.

Oh right, none of those things have happened.

One justification for men’s rights activism is the abundance of organizations working to edify and educate society on issues affecting women and minorities, but no such movement for men.

Well, let’s take a look at some historical facts.  

Women haven’t even had the right to vote in America for 100 years.

In the Senate, women only occupy 20 of 100 seats.

In Congress, women only occupy 98 of 535 seats.

On average, that’s around 20 percent female representation in government in a country where women make up more than half of the population.

Without any liberal snark or sass, I would genuinely love for someone to point out to me where men’s rights are being underrepresented.

White men may feel discriminated against on many grounds.

Maybe it’s a lack of experience when seeking a job or insight when shut out of a conversation of which they’re not deemed worthy.

White men may even be discriminated against because of their sexuality or societal status.

But none of those things have anything to do with a man’s gender.

While men’s rights activists may have the sound intention of getting their voices out there, they need to realize they’ve never had to fight for a platform to do so.

That was a battle forced upon women and minorities that still exists today.

­— wdmcdona@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Dane McDonald on Twitter @W_DaneMcDonald.