We've all seen the deluge of messages directed at all men that tell us in some form, "You could be a threat, or you could not be, but since we don't know we will treat you like one anyway". It tells the vast majority of men who have never harmed or harassed a woman, the men who themselves are victims of violent crimes by strangers (which happens at higher rates than women), the men who witness humans in trouble and react to save them, that they are all in the same group as the tiny number who commit sinister acts. It even blames them, saying "you aren't doing enough, you need to talk to your mates and hold men accountable".

The latest example I saw (found from the TinMen instagram) is called the "Good Guys Guide", which was launched by a UK-based feminist organization. The initiative offers 7 rules for men "to help women feel safer on the streets". They include things like "don't approach her", "cross the street", and "hood down hands out", to make your face and hands visible to show you have nothing to hide.

All seven are absurd and problematic, but the "hood down" is particularly troubling. I'm sure we all remember the case of Trayvon Martin, the 17 year old child murdered in Florida, USA as he walked home wearing a hoodie. His murderer mentioned the hood as part of the reason for his suspicions. A Fox News host addressed this by "urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies" (Wiki source). This racist and tone-deaf message was naturally met with outrage, eventually leading to the host apologizing. The whole world knows Fox News is very far right wing, so if they are apologizing for something it must be bad.

And yet, now we are seeing literally the exact same messages, primarily from feminist organizations, just with one or two adjectives fewer (black, latino). The BLM protests of last year reached a peaking point in response to the hugely disproportionate number of black and non-white (men) murdered by police. One of the biggest messages they pushed was the dangerous stereotypes and perceptions of black men as criminals or "thugs". According to them, inherent and systemic racism causes police to see black men as dangerous potential threats, which then makes them more prone to using violent and deadly means in their confrontations.

I don't know if the movement succeeded in shifting away from these dangerous stereotypes and perceptions, but if it did, the predominant messaging following the UK murder is working hard to undo it. They are telling us that men wearing hoodies, like Trayvon Martin, are a threat. Any man you see in the street is a possible threat, and he needs to be treated as such regardless of whether he is or not. Who is going to be most affected by this? Well I would guess it's the groups who have been facing the exact same messages from the far-right for decades with deadly consequences. Just now it's coming from feminist organizations as well.