This is the title of an editorial published yesterday in Aftonbladet, Sweden's largest daily newspaper, which describes itself as independently social democratic and is regarded as generally supportive of the largest left-wing party, the Social Democrats.

The text begins:

What would the world be like without men? Yes, I know the question is both hypothetical and provocative. But it is worth dwelling on. For some, society would have felt both safer and more secure.

Can you imagine a popular newspaper talking about another demographic group like this? Outright suggesting that the world might be better off without the group.

The subject of the text is a criminal incident, a robbery/assault where the victim was female and the perpetrators male. She portrays it as another example of male violence against women (1), and says that such crimes are why women fear men. Not mentioned, because it doesn't fit the narrative, is that men are at higher risk of being victims of robberies and assaults.

The Social Democratic party has a gender gap problem: while 37% of young women support the party, only 12% of young men do. Of the party's voters, 63% are women and 37% are men. The party is significantly less appealing for men than it is for women.

My view is that a factor in this is that the party officially considers itself a feminist party and the party and its representatives and prominent supporters are associated with misandric attitudes such as described above. The party makes it clear it will serve the interests of women in particular and the Swedish left has no problem tolerating outright hateful attitudes toward men as a group. The Democratic party in the US appears to be in a similar situation, and I would bet the same could be said of major left-wing parties in other European countries as well.

It seems to me that for some time - I'm not sure for how long - the left has been trying to become a coalition of women and minority groups rather than a force representing the general working population of the country. I don't think this strategy will be successful, and I in any case will not be supporting a movement that disregards my interests and defends vilification of people like me.

The article: https://www.aftonbladet.se/ledare/a/bm0wql/ibland-drommer-jag-om-ett-samhalle-utan-man

(1) As a foot note, somewhat related, the Swedish state and its department of gender equality officially classifies intimate partner violence against men as "Men's violence against women", perhaps to obscure the problem of male victims of domestic violence. Violence is blamed by this department on "norms of masculinity". Feminist narratives are given official sanction by the state.

Source: https://jamstalldhetsmyndigheten.se/fakta-om-jamstalldhet/vad-ar-mans-vald-mot-kvinnor/