Men's Liberation
This community is first and foremost a feminist community for men and masc people, but it is also a place to talk about men’s issues with a particular focus on intersectionality.
Rules
Everybody is welcome, but this is primarily a space for men and masc people
Non-masculine perspectives are incredibly important in making sure that the lived experiences of others are present in discussions on masculinity, but please remember that this is a space to discuss issues pertaining to men and masc individuals. Be kind, open-minded, and take care that you aren't talking over men expressing their own lived experiences.
Be productive
Be proactive in forming a productive discussion. Constructive criticism of our community is fine, but if you mainly criticize feminism or other people's efforts to solve gender issues, your post/comment will be removed.
Keep the following guidelines in mind when posting:
- Build upon the OP
- Discuss concepts rather than semantics
- No low effort comments
- No personal attacks
Assume good faith
Do not call other submitters' personal experiences into question.
No bigotry
Slurs, hate speech, and negative stereotyping towards marginalized groups will not be tolerated.
No brigading
Do not participate if you have been linked to this discussion from elsewhere. Similarly, links to elsewhere on the threadiverse must promote constructive discussion of men’s issues.
Recommended Reading
- The Will To Change: Men, Masculinity, And Love by bell hooks
- Politics of Masculinities: Men in Movements by Michael Messner
Related Communities
!feminism@beehaw.org
!askmen@lemmy.world
!mensmentalhealth@lemmy.world
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While there are some points worth discussing in the article, I want to raise an issue with the community itself, since it's actually fairly adjacent.
If you look through it, majority of posts in the community that calls itself "Men's Liberation" is really not about, well, men's liberation. It's about how men should adapt to the realities of modern feminism, without getting a set at the table to discuss how it affects them and what they would've done differently. It just straight up mirrors feminist talking points and rephrases them to have "men" in the name.
This is very much why feminism is often hated: not because it gives women seat at the table, but because it takes the seat away from men, while vaguely claiming they have power elsewhere (but do they?).
Don't get me wrong: feminism tackles important questions, but it always looks at issues through the women's perspective, which might miss the unique circumstances men find themselves in and their angle with the issues raised. Since the community claims to come from the men's side (it's in the name), I find it deeply disingenuous and concerning.
I mean there is a duality in patriarchy, that each issue that touches on a woman also touches on a man. If you don't understand how feminism is two halves a whole, and how it is actually a mirror for us to investigate our own masculinity, then I don't know how to help you on your path to liberation.
Of course there is!
But that's the very issue I take. The problems around gender stereotypes, patriarchy etc. are a complex combination of factors on both sides - and the only way to untangle this is to listen to both sides. Men should absolutely scrutinize their behavior using what women can share; but so should women hear male voices to see what can be changed on their end.
We can't expect to find a common ground under the dictate of one side. Men didn't manage to solve the issue of women back in the pre-feminism era, because they thought they knew better. Now women repeat the same mistake, thinking they hold the keys to the solution and not bothering asking men on what they think about it.
Sorry but this has not been my experience, but even if it was, I don't see how that's a "man" problem. We are not here to talk about how women should change, but men. You either accept the situation and make the best of it, or you look for excuses not to engage in the subject.
What's so "Men Liberating" in it, then?
This is not "Feminism for Men 101".
Isn't getting rid of traditional roles and being able to chose your own role liberating?
It is, yet it's not quite what this place offers. It just trades one model for the other, while squeezing men between two of them, both of which they should seemingly follow simultaneously.
But it is. Also again - no-one is stopping you from creating a non feminist male space and see where it goes. I think there was even one around on lemmy - see for your self how it ended. I really don't understand your problem with dudes talking about mens issues from feminist perspective.