I heard you speaking on Woman's Hour today about "Justice for Men and Boys (And the women who love them)", and am very sorry that you feel the way you do. I don't expect anything I say will change your mind on this, but as the mother of two boys, I am concerned by the message you are promoting.
There are many levels of bias, inequality and persecution. Some are more harmful than others, but they are all damaging (and not just to the person on the receiving end).
One of your arguments began with the statement that men pay more tax, work longer hours and in more dangerous jobs than women. Ignoring the fact that this is not always true, (although I accept that at present this is more often the case than not) in giving this as a reason for your assertions you are completely ignoring (or at least negating) any contribution to society that does not command a salary. You are also completely ignoring the number of hours many men and women spend raising children, caring for elderly or disabled relatives, maintaining a household and providing emotional support...
Yes there are inequalities. But they are not all, or even mostly, aimed at males. They are aimed at the sick, the disabled, the elderly, the uneducated, the impoverished. They are aimed at those who are either unemployed or underemployed. They are aimed at those for whom money and status are not a driving force. At those who, because of all or one of these things, are not considered to be "important"
I don't want my sons to think like you do. I want them to respect themselves and others enough to understand that it is their privilege to give up some of the advantages their race and gender have enjoyed for so long in order to help create a more equal world. I want them to know that in giving up an advantage they should never have had in the first place, they will gain far more than they have "lost"
I hope one day you see the truth of this.
Sincerely,
a woman who loves the men and boys in her life, but is not served by your party.
2 comments:
What a fair and reasoned response to what seemed to be an unfair, angry and prejudiced item this morning by Mike Buchanan. Thank you for writing this - it has helped to temper my outright fury at this man.
Very glad if I helped in any way. I too was furious when listening, but writing this helped me.
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