MODERN feminists have waged war against traditional gender roles and masculinity. They have said that conventional masculine roles are built into the patriarchy and are responsible for war and widespread violence. This has led men to look for role models who accentuate these ‘traditional’ roles. These role models portray the worst forms of masculinity and misogyny, creating the manosphere. Let us examine the feminist rebellion against gender roles and how that gave rise to a countermovement.
The French activist Pauline Harmange wrote I Hate Men, a provocative feminist book that promotes misandry. It was translated into 17 languages, leaving a lasting imprint on the modern movement. Harmange wrote that masculinity was a problem for the whole society, and that ‘hating men and all they represent is absolutely [women’s] right’. Gloria Steinem is a prominent feminist and journalist who founded Ms. magazine. In a talk titled ‘The Cult of Masculinity’, Steinem pronounced that mass shootings, serial killers who murder for pleasure, and the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks were all carried out by ‘100 per cent males’. In another talk, ‘The Future of Feminism’, Steinem quoted the assassinated Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme who said that ‘gender roles are the deepest cause of violence on Earth’.
The cause of mass shootings and sadistic killers is not masculinity. It is a twisted, mentally ill seeking of control and domination. Traditional masculinity is not causing violence – traditional masculinity is desirable and the cornerstone of being a reliable husband and father. The extremes of femininity or masculinity are problematic and perverted. However, mass shooters and ruthless al-Qaeda terrorists are not the cause of teaching traditional gender roles.
One day, when my cousin and I were young, we were with my father in New York City. A cab nearly ran over my cousin. My father banged on the bonnet and screamed at the driver for his recklessness which endangered his family. This is an example of the traditional role of taking control and protecting, which was necessary and something that should be expected. A man’s family feel safe when protected by a father who is strong, dependable, and who can take control. No father should stand by while his daughter is sexually accosted or if one of his boys is assaulted. These are qualities that women should not be ashamed to look for in a man. They are qualities that men should not be afraid to exemplify.
Unfortunately, but predictably, this form of feminism has caused a crisis in masculinity, where men have begun taking advice from poor male role models who amplify toxic forms of masculinity based on male dominance and women-hate. This is what created the so-called ‘manosphere’, which is a collection of women-hating and a rebellion against all feminism and women’s empowerment. A pimp and self-proclaimed misogynist, Andrew Tate, rose to the top of this cultural phenomenon. In 2022, he was the most searched man on the internet. He racked up billions of views across social media platforms, reaching a younger, male audience by portraying himself as a masculine role model. However, his ideas about subjugating women as ‘property’, viewing them as sexual objects, and focusing on money and dominance led men astray.
Tate’s misogynistic portrayal of women is not aligned with traditional values, such as being dependable, protective, and honourable men. Equating men to their worst activities – masculinity as a driver of war, mass murder, and sadistic killing – made men and their gender roles seem evil and despicable. If this were the reality of traditional male gender roles, I would agree with Harmange – women would have every right to hate men and what they represent. However, by eliminating the positive aspects of the male gender role, we are left with misogynistic incels or men who refuse to stand for their values and the people they are supposed to protect and be dependable for.
Feminist misandry is the root cause of the manosphere and the widespread misogyny infecting the younger generation. Young men must be led away from this sick impression of masculinity and instilled with positive masculine qualities of honouring women. Likewise, feminism needs to stop inciting the divide between men and women and teach women and LGBT people that marriages should be built on the foundation of strong, dependable, masculine individuals.
