this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2025
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This is the root of the problem with much of the discussion around male identity online.
Women finally, and rightfully, gained a voice, and plenty of dudes listened. Many of them, not really understanding feminism as an academic discipline or having any real sympathy towards any aspect of being a man, used that voice to point of the many issues faced by women in the world and to fight for women.
Where this falls apart is that because of the lack of real understanding regarding feminism and the concept of patriarchy, a lot of it boiled down to "shut up, the women are talking" and "we don't care about your problems"
None of this makes the problems away, none of this is really geared towards equality, and much of it is just switching the genders on deeply toxic patriarchal power structures that were used to oppress women for centuries.
When you think about how stupid 90% of the people involved on both sides of this discourse online are, it's of little surprise so many women went looking for easy answers from hucksters who pitched exploitation and oppression as empowerment.
I really liked bell hooks's approach to this. She focuses on incorporating male problems into feminism as a focal point, not excluding them.
Interesting. What's a good place to start reading what bell hooks said about this?
The Will to Change by bell hooks is the book you want! Short read too, but very meaningful. I've been making my way through it extremely slowly for several months, trying to digest everything. It's interesting to see how she often conflicts with a lot of contemporary feminists as well.
The Will to Change by bell hooks is the one book that made me feel seen as a person. Usually I open a feminist book with the suspicion that the author will be like "all men are evil" and that usually makes me care less about feminism for a while. But that book was a pleasant surprise, it spoke to me and not at me.
Well said! I like the acknowledgment that men being at the table can help and may be better to address patriarchy and other problems that face everyone. We all move forward together or no one does.
I think this is a little over the top...