Male Oppression
REMEMBER: Oppression is the systematic mistreatment of one group of people
by another group of people or by society as a whole; with institutional
power as a means of asserting that mistreatment.
HOW MEN ARE OPPRESSED:
1. Men are treated as inherently aggressive and violent. Men are not allowed
to be flexible; they are forced into a narrow definition of MALE. When they
do not fit in to the definition they are labeled "wimp", "sissy"
or "girl".
2. Violence against men is more condoned than against women. Despite the
growing societal awareness of violence against women (which is very good)
it is still acceptable to harm or kill men if the reason is "justifiable".
3. Men are treated as if they do not feel pain or experience the full range
of emotions like women. If killing or risking of life and limb is involved
men are chosen for the job. When they get hurt at work or play they are
expected to shrug it off and continue as if nothing happened; the work or
the game is considered more important than their feelings. Men are looked
upon as expendable.
4. Boys and men are not expected to need closeness, reassurance and attention,
which is thought to be harmful to their sense of place and importance in
the world. If a boy or man asks for help they are seen as weak and needy
and then put down for being like a woman.
5. Men are treated as inherently compulsive in their sexuality. It is a
lie that men cannot help the way they think, feel, look or act in a sexual
context towards anyone.
THE TRUTH ABOUT MEN:
1. Every man has always done the best he could to fight the oppression that
was placed upon him; even when he acts oppressively towards men or women,
he is still fighting against the oppression as hard as he can and as much
as he knows how to.
2. All men want, need and require close loving relationships with men and
women. It is the effects of oppression that lead men ever to act otherwise.
If it is difficult to see this then it is where YOU have bought into Male
Oppression.
3. Every man is capable of recovering his humanness completely. No man is
ever too far gone, too out of reach, or too damaged. AGAIN: Not seeing this
clearly is part of Male Oppression. It may take resource but every man is
worthwhile to love.
4. Tenderness, closeness, and softness are all inherent male traits. Therefore
it is 100% masculine to have these qualities. It is oppressive to consider
that masculinity is only "tough," "rough" and "strong;"
just as it would be sexist to view women only as tender, close, and soft
creatures. It is 100% feminine for women to be tough, rough, and strong
. By definition, men are not feminine, just as women are not masculine.
POSTSCRIPT:
It is true that men hold predominantly all of the power and privilege in
the current oppressive society. Although women do not hold near as much
power and privilege they still play a part in oppressing boys and men in
society by holding the above lies about men as true. Certainly men do this
too as well.
Men Against Racism & Sexism
517 Sacramento Drive, Austin, Texas USA
E-MAIL: mars@ccsi.com - Phone-Fax: 512-326--9686