And that's exactly the problem I have with the masculinist movement: it's used as an excuse to oppose feminism, without any real substance besides some simplistic notion of men vs. women. "Men's rights" advocates accept and participate in the gender binary that feminists have for so long been fighting to eradicate.
This is not necessarily true, at least not universally. I've actually taken the time to learn a little bit about the MRM and listened to youtube personalities. True, there are some MRAs that would fit into what you are describing, however there are plenty that do not and just want better rights and representation for men in the same way that feminism has done for girls. For example, taking male claims of rape and domestic abuse seriously; trying to help boys in school more because as it stands right now girls are outperforming boys in school. The fact that boys aren't doing as well is a problem that needs to be addressed. Many MRAs simply want better human rights for men, is that so wrong?
The reason a lot of MRAs are opposed to feminism is because largely of feminist theory and some short sighted revisionist and/or over simplified or incomplete versions of history. A good example is patriarchy. Patriarchy in the west I would argue is largely eradicated from western society. This article does a good job explaining
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/the-end-of-men/308135/ But in short, the notion that in the west men created a society for the benefit of men can be debunked simply by looking at how much effort is put into women in the west. Divorce courts favor women in almost every sphere. Family courts favor women. If you factor in other things like lifestyle choices, career path, etc. The wage gap is explained and women don't make less money than men. In some fields they actually make more. There is not real discrimination in wage pay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwogDPh-Sow&list=FLZQ3gNfeBJZTXtBEHinVkzA (This video is cited if you want to do extra reading) Women currently graduate college more often then men at a ratio of 3 to 2. When talking about anything in terms of health, for example introducing a health bill; the discourse is always about women's health despite the fact that women live longer, are less prone to injury, and are less likely to become ill than men. Women are not obliged to serve in the military should the nation institute a draft. Women's claims to rape and domestic violence are taken very seriously (as they should be mind you). But men are at risk for domestic violence too almost in equal proportion (some studies even indicate it can be a higher rate)
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-06-22-abuse-usat_x.htm. Some studies indicate that yes men do more damage when they hit but women actually hit more often. Our attitudes toward domestic violence committed against men ranges from apathetic to "he deserves it"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFAd4YdQks.
Even look at what is acceptable to say about males
http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/ATA/24745DG.jpg http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/da/david-and-goliath-boys-lie-t-shirt.jpg http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/da/david-and-goliath-boys-are-stupider-tee.gif http://menareangrynow.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/david-and-golith-boys-are-misandric-image13.jpg?w=300&h=300 even look at how funny the hosts of The Talk think it is that a woman cut her husband's penis off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKgwczruOSQ You would not get this same response if it was a woman's breast or clitoris. My point for bringing all this up is that if you examine the evidence and review this scientifically, the evidence does not support a patriarchy, that is a society men create for the benefit of men (often at the expense of women). Even the notion that patriarchy hurts men too inherently is a paradox. The evidence just isn't there to support it at least in the west. It is more accurate to say there is a system where the rich make a society that benefits the rich at the expense of others in the west. Did patriarchy exist in the past in the west? Sure, if you would have talked to me about this 100-200 years ago (even sooner) I'd be inclined to agree there is a patriarchy, however it is a bit more complex and multi-faceted than feminists let on, this is what I was talking about with revisionist and/or over-simplification and/or incomplete versions of history. And certainly patriarchies exist notably in the Muslim world. But to suggest they are here in the west is bunk and this is one of the things MRAs try to address.
For me personally I stand for human rights, so I'm for women's rights, men's rights, and children's rights because they are all humans
Topic: The Objectification Of Men In Media