Why don't men protest more?

MelissaMiranti · 2024-03-29T16:45:50+00:00

First you have to convince people there's a problem. With all of the dismissal of men's issues by feminists and tradcons and the lack of decent ways of speaking about these issues, it's hard to convince anyone. Then you have to take the segment of the population that is pressured to work the most and convince them not to work for the money that they desperately need, but instead to protest for something that is resisted by pretty much everyone in power. Once you get them in on your losing fight, you have to keep them in the fight even though you keep losing for a long period of time. Meanwhile they're not getting paid.

SvitlanaLeo · 2024-03-29T16:14:56+00:00

There are a ton of scientific papers on men's health and how the cultural status quo negatively impacts it, written by men. This is also a form of struggle to change the status quo.

However, men are really taught that they shouldn't protest as men. Because there is a pervasive cultural attitude that there are real men and fake ones. And the real ones must sacrifice their interests.

This fits very poorly with the theory that the world is designed by men in the interests of men. If this were so, those in power would not impose the idea that real men must sacrifice their interests.

Leinadro · 2024-03-29T19:46:54+00:00

Feminists have spent more time trying to dictate to men what our problems are than trying to fix them.

It's hard to protest when a movement that brands itself as being against gender roles puts so much effort into erasing men's experiences.

2024-03-29T17:31:30+00:00

I speak on my own behalf: I'm too tired after working 50 hours a week to do anything else. Economics strongly influence culture, more so than the reverse.

odeacon · 2024-03-29T21:22:24+00:00

Because you’ll get doxxed and fired

WanabeInflatable · 2024-03-29T16:47:18+00:00

I used to go to some small street actions in Russia with our groups. Now it is impossible, because of sliding to totalitarian regime. And then I emigrated. Of course we didn't got any media coverage, when we protested.

There are mens rights groups in Russia, who do some political contacts, but I can't align with them. They are traditionalists leaning to patriarchy and support war, that kills thousands of men...

I think, in the west mens rights are more progressive. I'd participate in activism, but I don't know anyone doing it in Germany where I presently live (but will probably move elsewhere soon).

Just going in the streets is not going to help though. Need to contact political leaders, at least local. If they know that aligning with men actually gives some votes (while of course losing some feminists' votes) there would be a chance that some political leaders and parties would eventually represent our interests.

hylander4 · 2024-03-29T20:46:41+00:00

Because protest amounts to publicly labelling yourself an activist, which means others will pigeonhole you. You become a target for smears and personal attacks, and if the media notices your protest they’ll just pick some half-cocked line that serves the interest of their corporate masters and then that’s what everyone will think of you.

The state uses man vs. woman division to keep men in check by keeping the machinery of family law and divorce favouring women.

Like, you look after your stay at home partner for a decade, then she steps out on you. Man is now owing half of her debts, half of his savings and she gets indefinite income as spousal support funded by him. Divorced with kids? You’re generally forced into paying the woman to raise them badly.

No guy with his head on straight is going to put himself out there to be pilloried on some “men’s issues” topic. We all know what’s up. We do not have the advantage.

It would take a majority of men across different walks of life forming a political movement to make change. And we’re too busy fighting for our lives and drowning our sorrows to do it.

System working as intended.

Azihayya · 2024-03-29T21:53:36+00:00

Intactivists do protest. I would want to have a march for men's bodies, that emphasizes men's beauty where men are encouraged to march proudly whether they are bald, short, or fat, and regardless of whatever they want to wear (within reason). I might bring Stavros Halkias' annual calendar to put onto display.

What would you want to protest?

Cheetahfan123 · 2024-03-29T22:30:56+00:00

I really want to do something but I don’t know what to do by myself

throwburneraway2 · 2024-03-30T00:25:53+00:00

Cus men dont have anywhere near as much community connection as women do nor are there resources for men the same way as women, therefore making it way harder to get a group to protest

KPplumbingBob · 2024-03-30T10:54:58+00:00

Ironic to hear that from feminist when they've done everything in their power to shut down such things from happening. Any kind of talk of men's rights will get you an incel or misogynist label very quickly. Most of reddit will ban you just for speaking up about it.

trowaway123453199 · 2024-03-29T23:59:06+00:00

for a lot of men, their problems or sacrifices either has "meaning" (because it supports their families, gets them partners and a place to fit in) or they simply think they are so much priviligued that their problems are not real problems.

and that ties to the fact that men's problems are a net positive to almost everyone, from families and children who benefit from a stoic provider, to women and society that get their cogs running the machine and feeling proud about it.

way too much depends on men (or at least the lower echelon of men) being slaves or cogs in the machine to function, and I don't mean this in a "we build civilization" argument that tradcons use, but in a more solemn way , in a way to inidicate that I don't know how the future will be, with a trend of men "falling behind" in a lot of societal goalposts, with men killing themselves in droves, and with a society that seems to be more and more szhizophrenic in its concept of masculinity, with elements of traditional masculinity and feminism badly mixed.

eli_ashe · 2024-03-30T23:25:11+00:00

"One criticism I hear from feminists a lot is that women are actively trying to fix their gender norms, whereas men don't want to fix them and refuse to do any work"

There's a lot of good points being made in the comments on this. I'd add a few things here that I think are missing in the comments, tho I might be wrong.

1) Labor movements. Traditionally Labor movements were mens movements. There is still something to that overall, tho that has lessened as a mens exclusive sort of movement, which isn't a bad thing. I think tho that responding to folks saying 'well men don't protest for their rights' with 'you always forget Labor y'all' is a good thing for folks to do.

Note these movements are also frequently criticized by feminists exactly for being male centered. Because of course they are.

2) I think folks here have it in their heads that feminists give a shit bout men. I'd like to say they do, but it just looks increasingly like they don't. I think we tend to think this because we give a shit bout women, and men have long been allies to women and the feminist movements. So we assume, apparently wrongly, that women and feminists would generally do so in kind.

Boy were we wrong there!

I don't suggest that we therefore abandoned feminists or women, such would be a shite thing to do as there are such things as women's issues etc... but I think that part of OP's point here is stemming from an expectation that feminists give a shit.

To wit: "One criticism I hear from feminists...."

3) Men do advocate for themselves and protest with some regularity, have for a long while now. These are usually derided and given lower tier status within leftist groups, and are largely non-starters in righty groups. Not that we righty here, but the point is that there is just a lot of minimalization of those kinds of activities. Issues such as male genital mutilation, sexual violence done against men (by women and men), dealing with veterans affairs, and advocation for father's rights and better marriage rights are all things that happen. we do some of that here. Tho it isn't protests.

4) Related to '2' some interests in men's issues run counter to certain feminist narratives. I don't think they actually are in conflict with proper gendered justice as a whole, but due to the biases in gender theory justice the notion of what is 'fair' is heavily out of balance and so it puts men's issues in conflict with certain feminist narratives and theories. 'equality looks like injustice to the privileged' to be blunt and put a thumb in their eye.

Blauwpetje · 2024-03-30T15:06:05+00:00

Any protest by men, except feminist men, is either ignored, actively silenced or ridiculed. I’ve been trying to make points on especially Facebook for about a decade. People haven’t a clue what I’m talking about and even when I explain it very clearly imho, with links to articles or videos by (often female) MRA’s, they react as chickens looking at a thunderstorm, as we say in Dutch. So men may be right not to protest too often, just for their mental health.

drhagbard_celine · 2024-03-29T18:25:45+00:00

Admitting you need help is weak and shameful. You don’t show your inadequacies to anyone. Because so many of us think this way.

2024-03-29T17:56:40+00:00

Men have no incentive to as in either direction (tradcon/left) voicing grievances is seen as a weakness of some sort and both men groups will desire a partner that expressing said views could prevent them from getting.

And then if you're a man who is sympathetic to male issues but not entirely aware of them; then many spaces with a pro-male bend can be just as offputting as feminist spaces depending on your worldview.

Puzzleheaded_Pea_889 · 2024-03-30T01:32:59+00:00

I personally would hesitate to protest in favor of men's rights for fear of being lumped in with more misogynist factions such as Andrew Tate's supporters (a common response by misandrists).
Men are taught to fend for themselves rather than "whine" about their problems
It's actually quite difficult to organize any form of protest, activist organization, or support group without the aid of existing groups and social infrastructure, as you need someone with an existing platform or follower base just to get the word out. Unfortunately, most existing groups will either be feminist-leaning (and thus unsympathetic) or red-pill leaning (which would cause other problems, see item 1)

hylander4 · 2024-04-02T02:55:07+00:00

I think we need to change this. I think the energy is there. Lots of men are complaining anonymously online. A small group of people just has to take the lead and start organizing public events. I think if they do things the right way, men will come out of the woodwork to support them.

And really, I think it's critical that this happens. Men's issues are barely in the public conversation at the moment. A very public event like a men's march, or even a social media campaign (not on X, though...or it'll be dismissed as MAGA crap), would change that. And if we focused on specific demands that are easy for the public to accept, like the lack of male teachers, or sexism in divorce courts, etc. ... then I think that could really make men's rights a legitimate movement in the eyes of the public.

I think any explanation about women being biologically superior at making social connections or acting in solidarity is 100% bullshit. Men have acted in solidarity for workers rights in the past, they were the ones that pushed for democracy and for communism. Men today might not imagine that they could benefit from acting in solidarity with their own *gender* (as opposed to e.g. their own race or class), but that might just be due to the fact that gender activism is kind of a new thing and, historically, women as a group needed it earlier than men did.

So basically I'm saying that nothing is stopping us from protesting. We just have to start. If you have any interest in organizing a protest, then go do it! I think there would be a lot of people waiting for the opportunity to follow you.

Buffaloman2001 · 2024-03-30T03:46:21+00:00

I'm not good at organizing, and I don't know of any projects to do in my local community, but I'm gonna look into it more on Monday, and see if there's anything that needs doing here or in the neighboring city.

WokeUpIAmStillAlive · 2024-03-30T05:53:04+00:00

I can't protest I have bills to pay... I'm struggling keeping my sanity and life together as is

specialmente-io · 2024-04-02T02:40:30+00:00

Because men built the system we live in. Why would they protest what they designed and actively upkeep?

AdFun5641 · 2024-04-02T17:54:49+00:00

What would this protest look like? What would a men's right's protest look like? What could men protest for men's rights about that Rachel Maddow isn't going to have 6 segments about "The Andrew Tate Loving Incels that hate women" or "Explicit femininzation of men"

Any sort of protest would be done for a reason, raise awareness of men's issues. But anything other than "We should have more men wearing dresses" isn't going to be reported on by the media as "Men protesting for equal treatment", it's going to be reported as "Men protesting their inability to oppress women". That narrative in the media that you see all the time is counter productive to any ends that we would actually be protesting for.

WSmith1992 · 2024-04-26T14:27:40+00:00

The media would call them neo-nazis and insurrectionists

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