[Link] Seeing Women’s Safety as Sacred Is Not New or Progressive

IM_MAKIN_GRAVY · 2019-11-16T05:32:11+00:00

As far as the topic being related to men's issues, much of the article (unlike the title) points out the focus of progressive movements on the safety of women over men, while being blind to the fact that men are actually subject to equal or greater amounts of violence in many/most arenas.

My point is not that no discussion should ever focus on women’s safety, but rather that we should understand that a general preoccupation with women’s safety over men’s is not new or progressive.

LacklustreFriend · 2019-11-16T15:18:37+00:00

Interesting article, longform criticism/analysis of the current gender paradigm is rare enough that I always enjoy reading it.

While I very much agree with the general premise of the article, I have a few criticisms of the article.

The author portrays feminism's attitude to women's safety as almost unintentional, almost saying "wow, I can't believe feminists haven't noticed their focused concern on women's safety is traditional". The author doesn't even entertain the notion that feminism may not be concerned with general progressiveness, but may instead be concerned with giving women as much power as possible, even if it conflicts with progressive principles or with equality. That feminism's concern over women's safety even when it clashes with gender liberation is deliberate, not an accidental oversight.

Secondly, perhaps because it's so ingrained, the author themselves falls victim to the very thing they are criticizing:

Many people seem to have the impression that violence is a bigger or much bigger problem for women. Some types of violence arguably are, like sexual assault and partner violence, and gender disparities there receive a lot of attention (“76% of Canada’s domestic homicide victims are female: study”).

The author doesn't acknowledge that seeing women's safety as sacred can lead to a greater perceived female victimization. That we only see these crimes as uniquely gendered because we value women's safety greatly. The exclusion of male victims of domestic violence and sexual assault has actually been codified - made-to-penetrate being legally deemed not rape (thanks Mary Koss!), or the Duluth Model which assumes men cannot be the victim of domestic violence under any circumstances. Not to mention implicit forms of exclusion of male victims - e.g. telling male victims of sexual assault they actually just wanted it (so they don't report).

Lastly, the author doesn't discuss the cognitive bias both men and women have towards women ("Women Are Wonderful"). The cognitive bias may be in part based in biology. This is not to say we shouldn't try to overcome our bias - human civilization itself is arguably a challenge to overcome our biology. Arguably the primary reason feminism succeed so quickly and bloodlessly was because both men and women were already biologically and socially biased/primed to accept it. We are naturally (and/or socially) predisposed to address women's issues, including through feminism.

2019-11-16T11:49:21+00:00

Becauseits2015 is a great website. I think this article, and the one I posted entitled "What is to be done about the problem of creepy men?", both do a great job of looking into the reactionary assumptions that are baked into parts of current woke discourse.

Egalitarianwhistle · 2019-11-16T18:50:04+00:00

Gynocentrism is the process by which a Patriarchal society favors most women's needs and wants over most men's needs and wants.

werubim · 2019-11-17T02:26:38+00:00

That site is an absolute gem.

Blutarg · 2019-11-21T02:30:18+00:00

What is interesting, but hardly ever remarked on, is that this special concern for violence against women actually looks a lot like the protective attitudes towards women commonly found in traditional gender roles.

That's because feminism is a very traditionalist movement.

Title	[Link] Seeing Women’s Safety as Sacred Is Not New or Progressive
Author	IM_MAKIN_GRAVY
Upvotes	26
Comments	12
Date	November 16, 2019 5:29 AM UTC (6 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/comments/dx2s9t/link_seeing_womens_safety_as_sacred_is_not_new_or/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/link-seeing-womens-safety-as-sacred-is-not-new-or.1064391 https://theredarchive.com/post/1064391

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