This is a Man’s World

19th November marked International Men’s Day. If I’m honest, I’d have had no idea what it was if it wasn’t for an article I stumbled across on Facebook and gave a quick read. Other than that, I didn’t see any mention of the day on Facebook or Instagram. The article was written by a feminist stating that we should be celebrating men on this day just as we celebrate International Women’s Day. She explains how our society can be too quick to ‘vilify’ men and I think she might be right. She also raises the fact that in the UK, men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women are. Why aren’t we using International Men’s Day to highlight these issues?

The Dream

As a feminist, I deem everybody equal and I believe men should be celebrated as much as women. Men bring value to the world and to their own personal lives; positive male role models surround many of us. So why should we not celebrate this? Striving for equality works both ways, just as sexism does.

Sexism works both ways

One thing some feminists fail to acknowledge is that sexism does work both ways. Of course, women’s rights still need uplifting, but this should not lead in turn to the elimination of men’s rights. In South Korea, radical feminism is a growing force. As a country with deeply held traditional views on both genders, we can see how the idea of feminism may be a revolutionary idea. It is clear that South Korea needs feminists. However, instead of women standing up for equality and their social rights, many have turned towards misandry. Man-hating has become a commonly used tactic online and in everyday life by radicalized groups of women. Radical feminist groups such as Megalia go as far as to promote the abortion of unborn male babies. Every day, men in Korean society face scrutiny and aggression from radical feminists. The country is potentially facing a gender war.

Feminism is not a Gender War

I believe feminism can benefit both men and women. Anybody can be a feminist. Therefore, we should celebrate all men and women who live in society. Many feminists mistake themselves: it is not just women who face social pressures anymore. All men need to do is turn to a page in a magazine where David Beckham is posing half-naked to see what is expected of them. We should use International Men’s Day just as we use International Women’s Day; to highlight issues faced by both genders and to celebrate the amazing things that they are separately responsible for.

Men are Amazing

Just as women face social issues, men do too. International Men’s Day is a day to promote equality of both genders. If we are striving for true equality, we should not strip away men’s already existing rights in an attempt to gain power ourselves. You cannot be a feminist and hate men because of one simple reason: hatred never has the capability to bring out a positive result.

Read more here:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/19/feminist-celebrating-international-mens-day?fbclid=IwAR10US544RI2CN5_NVE0fp-tzN3IHwp5UD9bOw3wOzX8GIrzz_daFCjQyaM

https://medium.com/@yeji.lee413/megalia-south-koreas-radical-feminist-community-e0d2b855addd