So, I decided to see what the conversations in menslib were like regarding the current events.

https://np.reddit.com/r/MensLib/comments/m4t05x/men_feeling_treated_like_predators_by_default_and/

I came across this post. And of course there's a lot of sidelining the main point to ensure it meets the good old Menslib standardTM

But I also found these two comments that I was amazed were still left up and decently popular.

The first from a one

/u/nishagunazad

Being painted with the same brush as bad people you have nothing to do with sucks. Visible minorities get this sort of thing all the time. Who has what power where is irrelevant to the fact that you're being associated with acts and behaviors that you would never participate in. Much of the discourse about men writ large is uncomfortably reminiscent of the discourse around minorities heard from certain...less enlightened segments of the population. I do not equate feminism to racism, but some of the discourse can be a little triggering (like being called one of the good ones, or how its okay to assume you're dangerous because you're statistically more likely to be) if you've experienced those same tropes in the context of race. Handwaving it away with vague ideas if 'power' don't really change the emotional impact of that. Women are angry and scared about the state of things, and that anger and fear are valid. But anger and fear do not make for good analysis or thoughtful discourse.

And the second from a /u/vtj

It needs to be stressed that the "man=predator; woman=victim" stereotype causes more substantial harm than just bruised male ego. For instance, behavioral studies (like this one or this one) reveal that people tend to take the same harassment less seriously when committed by a woman than by a man, and also demand harsher punishments to men than women for the same misdeeds. There's also a recent study showing that men are facing discrimination when applying for jobs in female-dominated profession; this too might conceivably be linked to men being stereotyped as threats.

We should also stop framing this issue a some sort of a dilemma between women's safety and men's feelings. It is perfectly easy to do all we can to ensure women's safety, without resorting to any misandric stereotypes. To take the OP's example: the rule that "men should cross the street to avoid threatening a woman" can be perfectly well recast as "any person should seek avoid close contact with a stranger, by crossing the street if necessary". This new rule achieves the same purpose, has the extra benefit of also protecting the people who follow the rule, and has a better change of being embraced by men since it avoids the insulting stereotype. There is no excuse to resort to stereotyping against any group of people, and perfectly good reasons to speak up against stereotypes as soon as they appear.

I'm hoping this is a sign that the menslib mods have loosened their iron grip and warmed up to the idea that men's advocates have some legitimate points. And that self flagellation and kowtowing to anti male feminist misandrists won't get them nearly as far as they had initially hoped.

SO. Cheers to change!