Issue 481 Men in a feminist society December 11, 2014

While we all want to be a little bit feminist, so as to support equality amongst the sexes, there's a problem.  Feminism can become contradictory at times to allowing men to still be considered men.  Allow me to explain.

Contradictions:  Yes, feminism does espouse equality for women, but it does not do so for men.  Such is the case with employment.  Feminist groups want more women in the workforce which is great, but they want it at the expense of the male portion of society.  So they have issued quotas, and given greater deference toward women in job applications over men even if 50% of a particular job is dominated by women.  Case in point is teachers.  The majority of teachers are women, but because the numbers of female teachers has reduced as more job opportunities for women opened up (due to feminism) the feminists became frightened that a "traditional" job of women was being lost.  Mind you learning to sew, cook, and do household chores is a no no for women now, despite them being useful skills that should be taught to both men and women alike.  Are you beginning to see the contradictions?  

Can't be a gentleman:  I will say there are extreme feminists who really know how to put a man down.  In this case, men are apparently not allowed to open the door for a women.  She is apparently "strong enough" to do it herself.  Men are not supposed to pay the bill on a date with a woman as that is apparently insulting to her saying that she must be cared for and is bad with money.  Basically, anything a man does to value a woman is treated as an antithesis to feminism.  It is unfortunately sending a message to the shallower segment of the male population that women while equal are still on the same level as objects to be tossed around.  So men are no longer allowed to value women, and treat them as such in today's society because of this ridiculous notion that a man can't open the door for a women if he wants to.  I mean it is ok for a women to do it now, but not a man?

Conclusion:  While I like the idea of feminism, I do not like the radical elements to it.  I want to treat a woman like a real woman.  A person deserving of respect.  If I can't do that, then I'd rather be hated as backwards then treat a woman as something to be objectified.  This is my take on this, and I hope you have not had some of the same onerous experiences I and others have regarding this issue.