Feminism ... by men

The idea of women being respected and treated as, you know, people, has been something working on me since I was in my early teens.

Over the years, I feel my feminist views have crystalised.  They have become clearer and more intense.  Most recently by me fellow bloggers (wow it feels call to say that).

The approach that has been going through my mind most recently is the role men play in feminism.  To me, the entire idea of feminism exists because of the culture in which men treat women as somehow lesser.  The idea that they can be owned or subjugated.  And some women are so influenced by these factors, they believe it, and perpetuate these devastating myths.

So I realised that sexism, misogyny, rape culture – none of these are “women’s problems”.  They are men’s problems.  Women are the victims of the “problem”, but men are the perpetrators, the cause and the origin.  So, following this thought, it is hopeless to think that women alone can solve the problem.  If men are to change, it has to come from within.  We need to take responsibility for our sex, for what we have created.

We need strong women to steer us – to remind us of the issues and the offences we have committed.  But we need to do something.

I know there are quite a number of feminist men out there.  I am heartened to see this, and feel proud to consider myself among them.  But I wonder if we can do more.  Perhaps as feminist men, our duty is to bring other men onto our side.  To use our maleness to convince other men of what is needed.  To have the balls to speak up.

I know it is only a small step, but I am trying to establish a Facebook group as a means of bringing more men together, so that we can help fight the good fight, and to consolidate our support of those great, strong women who are in the thick of the fight.

I’ll publish more later, but I’d love to hear people’s views on this – is it a good idea?  If we men want to get serious about making a change within our own kind, do we need to come together?

Late addition:  refer to Octavia Spitfire’s blog.  In particular the points about how, while we men need to own the issue of our privilege, of our creation of a culture of sexism, of rape culture, we must not drive it.  For that would just be another case of men controlling women.  We must listen first.

Further addition:  FB page set up, but still in infancy.  Once I get some spare head-space, I’ll develop it a little further and establish a strategy.