In response to a "Male Privilege" post

Hello MR, I went lurking on /r/srswomen for some stuff that /r/rage couldn't provide, and oh boy did I find something: a blog post on 30+ Examples of male privilege. Let's dig into this dribble, shall we?

1) If you have a bad day or are in a bad mood, people aren't going to blame it on your sex

Yes. They'll blame it on you. If you show emotion in public, people will judge you harshly, but for women, it's not socially unacceptable precisely BECAUSE it will be blamed on their gender

2) You can be careless with your money and not have people blame it on your sex

See above

Once again, I don't see how having inadequacies redirected away from you because of your gender is considered a terrible thing.

3) You can be a careless driver and not have people blame it on your sex

See above

4) You can be confident that your coworkers won’t assume you were hired because of your sex

In what world are 51% of people assumed to be hired for their vaginas? In the scary spooky feminist world, that's were. It kind of makes me sad to think that feminists like this are constantly questioning themselves, thinking other people's motives are always to belittle their gender no matter what the situation.

5) If you are never promoted, it isn't because of your sex

So she's implying that women that are never promoted are always never promoted because they're women. How often does this happen anyway? Note that the post has no citations.

6) You can expect to be paid equitably for the work you do, and not paid less because of your sex

Yes. There isn't a single underpaid man in America. Also, I think we've already covered the wage-gap myth. Besides, doesn't the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 take care of direct gender discrimination?

7) If you are unable to succeed in your career, that won’t be seen as evidence against your sex in the workplace

I'll be honest, don't quite know how to respond to this one. I've never heard of this issue before. Perhaps you guys can figure it out.

8) A decision to hire you won’t be based on whether or not the employer assumes you will be having children in the near future

I'd give him this one, but isn't it very difficult for an employer to find out if someone will be having children in the near future. It is also considered incredibly unethical in the business world to ask about that these days. This just further shows he has no comprehension of how the business world works.

9) Work comfortably (or walk down a public street) without the fear of sexual harassment

That's not a privilege. It's a struggle women face that we don't. There's a difference. "Privilege" implies it's something we should be thankful for. "Privilege" also implies it's something I do not deserve. I am not thankful I'm not sexually harassed on the street, I am angry that women are, and it's something that should be changed. Using that kind of language just absolves verbal harassers of their actions.

10) Walk alone at night without the fear of being raped or otherwise harmed

Yes. Men are never the victims of violent crimes at night. Men are never afraid.

11) Go on a date with a stranger without the fear of being raped

Once again, not a privilege, it's an issue.

12) Dress how you want and not worry it will be used as a defense if you are raped

Yes. Because if you are a man you will have no defense if you are raped, because no one will care or believe you.

13) If you are straight, you are not likely to be abused by your partner, or to be told to continue living in an abusive household for your children

...

14) You can decide not to have children and not have your masculinity questioned

I wouldn't say not having children is a big deal anymore in today's society.

15) If you choose to have children, you will praised for caring for your children, instead of being expected to be the full-time caretaker

True. Although you could also be viewed as a child predator for how you interact with your child. You could also have your child taken away from you by the courts unfairly under various circumstances.

16) Balance a career and a family without being called selfish for not staying at home (or being constantly pressured to stay at home)

Wat?

17) If you are straight and decide to have children with your partner, you can assume this will not affect your career

Wat? I'm pissed off by how much this feminist undermines fatherhood as if it's a no-work job.

18) If you rise to prominence in an organization/role, no one will assume it is because you slept your way to the top

True, but once again, not a privilege, and once again, does not effect every woman in America.

19) You can seek political office without having your sex be a part of your platform

Believe it or not, being able to use your gender for political gain is a privilege good thing. Seems like Feminists have figured out how to use one word to flip positive things into hardships.

20) You can seek political office without fear of your relationship with your children, or who you hire to take care of them, being scrutinized by the press

Who in the hell is he referring to here? I'm a big politics geek, and I've never seen anyone's relationship with their children scrutinized by the media, let alone a woman's.

21) Most political representatives share your sex, particularly the higher-ups

I'll concede this one, but I wouldn't attribute it to something as simplistic as the idea of "privilege" or even "Patriarchy."

22) Your political officials fight for issues that pertain to your sex

Really? Where's my divorce procedure reform? Where's the protection for male victims of sexual assault? Barack Obama has done a great job of fighting for women, not just with things such as the aforementioned Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, and ending gender discrimination in healthcare, but also with things that solely apply to them, such as preventative medical coverage in Obamacare. Where are those things for men? Does our privilege wave us from medical issues?

23) You can ask for the “person in charge” and will likely be greeted by a member of your sex

This depends on the profession.

24) As a child, you were able to find plenty of non-limiting, gender role stereotyped media to view

Wat?

25) You can not care about your appearance without worrying about about being criticized at work or in social situations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14

26) You can spend time on your appearance without having people criticizing you for upholding unhealthy gender norms

Yes, this is true (but still not a privilege.) But isn't it the Feminists who are criticizing fit women for "upholding unhealthy gender norms?"

27) If you’re not conventionally attractive (or in shape), you don’t have to worry as much about that negatively affecting your potential

From personal experience, I can confirm this as total, 1,000% bullshit. Besides, women are the primary deciders and initiators of sex. From conversations I've found that unless it's due to religious or moral reasons, almost any woman in America under the age of 20 is not a virgin. I could go on a whole sappy rant about the male sexual frustration, but that would probably take away from my argument.

28) You are not pressured by peers and society to be thin as much as the opposite sex

For the most part yes. Although in a lot of places heavier males are still bullied, and as he said before, women who care about their health are vilified for it.

29) You’re not expected to spend excessive amounts of money on grooming, style, and appearance to fit in, while making less money than the opposite sex

Once again, not a privilege. This is a social construct women have made themselves. If every woman in America stopped wearing makeup tomorrow I doubt there'd be an uproar.

30) Have promiscuous sex and be viewed positively for it

True. But it's difficult for a man to have promiscuous sex, especially if he's unattractive.

31) You can go to a car dealership or mechanic and assume you’ll get a fair deal and not be taken advantage of

What the? How? Fucking HOW?

32) Expressions and conventional language reflects your sex (e.g., mailman, “all men are created equal”)

I don't see how this is privilege it's just the result of thousands of years of language progression. As for "All men are created equal," if Feminists are truly mad about this line, they should pull for the re-introduction of the sadly un-ratified Equal Rights Amendment.

33) Every major religion in the world is led by individuals of your sex

True, but not "privilege."

34) You can practice religion without subjugating yourself or thinking of yourself as less because of your sex

Wat?

35) You are less likely to be interrupted than members of the opposite sex

Wat? Women interrupt men just as much as men interrupt women.

I spend 90 minutes writing this all out, not because I am truly deeply angered by any of these false assertions, (except for that domestic violence one) or to implicate that there is such a thing as "female privilege," I did it because I feel truly worried by the use of that word. This article just proves how feminists seek to manipulate reality by using language, or in this situation with a single word.