Everic White

Social media, audience, product management, SEO strategy & journalism

Filtering by Tag: Sociology

Dear Reverse Sexists

Photobucket
So, because I don't look, dress or act like this, I'm emasculated... -____-

via The Bulletin:
Despite what feminists might argue, real men don’t wear skinny jeans. Real men also don’t wear V-neck tees, or accessorized scarves, and they avoid purple and pink like the plague. The mere idea of a pedicure or waxing makes a real man nauseous. If a woman hangs out with this kind of girly-man routinely, it’s only because she wants to share his wardrobe and his non-fat caramel macchiato. A woman can’t imagine a man reloading his double barrel shotgun or chopping wood when he’s donned in Donna Karan and drinking an Appletini. Men were meant to wear rugged Wranglers, leather jackets and boots, like they belong in a James Dean movie and not an episode of “Will & Grace.”

When did men in America go from being masculine steak-eating, plaid shirt wearing, Old Spice smelling, cigar smoking cowboys who like football, hunting, and Clint Eastwood movies to skinny jean wearing, satchel carrying, pierced ear metrosexuals who like chick flicks, “The View,” and Bath & Bodyworks? The American man is an endangered species due in large part to the over-feminization of society. Not surprisingly, the arrow of blame points towards the feminists who have transformed our schools into gender neutral zones of indoctrination. Early on, boys’ innate masculinity is suppressed by banning competitive, rough games like dodge ball and tag on the playground, having co-ed teams, not keeping score in soccer games, and rewarding passive, demure behavior.

Boys learn to subdue their more spirited, intrepid behavior in elementary and middle school, their male instincts of competition and individualism quashed in the interest of what’s best for girls as they walk like lemmings over the edge of the radical feminist cliff by the time they reach high school. Because of the feminist movement, boys aren’t allowed to be boys - society has fenced them in, corralled their adventurous enthusiasm in the name of sexual equality. The end product is pantywaist pushovers who will cry during “Steel Magnolias” and urinate sitting down. This is bad news for America, who will eventually have to reap what the feminists have sown, which will be a paucity of male leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists and heroes.

DISCLAIMER: Please do NOT take this letter regarding the wild ruminations of some wacko beat writer as my disdain for women altogether. At the same time, realize that not all of this applies to any one person, group or gender. As a society, we don't really treat the opposite sex as equally as we should, on both sides of the picture. What ends up happening is that people have to assume roles within their sex in order to feel secure in their sex, which leads to many of the misconceptions and misunderstandings between males and females. This letter is about women who feel the need to tell a man to 'man up', forgetting that they don't even know what it feels like to be a man...

One of the things I see a lot of, especially during trending topic hailstorms, is people airing out their grievances against the opposite sex. People gripe about every possible relationship problem they could ever have, and make known their ideas about what their relationships entail. The one that bothers me the most though, is the argument that men should 'man up'. Man up? What does that even mean in a literal sense? Absolutely nothing. When women say it to men condescendingly, such as the writer above, I have to ask you, do men tell you to 'woman up'? Throughout history, the plight of feminism was to gain equal standing for women and loosen their traditional role in society. Today, though there are many pitfalls to this goal of equality, huge strides have been taken by women. That said, what happens when the roles of men are generalized by women? We can't really speak out on that, can we?

I mean, when is the last time you've seen a "men's support group", helping men feel more secure about themselves or less constricted by gender roles? I can't think of any time. The truth is, masculinity is one of the most rigid structures in society. There's no room for movement. If a man doesn't fit that traditional role of a 'man's man', chopping wood, playing football, eating steaks and breaking women's hearts, he gets labeled as a p*ssy or a b*tch or whatever derogatory term is the letter of the day. But that's not the point of this post. Women telling a man to 'man up' is sooooo much worse than a man doing it. After reading Ms. Givalry's post, I have to ask you emasculating women, have you ever been a man? Do you know what it physically (never mind emotionally) means to be a man? How can a woman try to put a stereotypical gender role on a man, when she's trying to break free of one?

See, I don't get the 'men can't show emotion' and 'men can't be interested in their appearance' arguments. First of all, show me any woman who would go out with a man who didn't look relatively put together? I'm not saying he has to be fresh out of a spread in GQ, but ladies, could you see yourself dating the spawn of Oscar the Grouch and the kid from the Peanuts with the cloud of dust around him? Second of all, why is the spectrum of emotions for men limited to anger, happiness and sexual desire? Can a ninja be sad or upset for once?? For a man to open himself up to you, and be willing to share his feelings beyond those rudimentary ones is a big step for most of our kind. Downplaying it as him not being 'man enough' is about as small-minded as it can get. It's as if you get all of your ideologies about men from watching 'The Expendables' (great movie, by the way). How can YOU as a woman toss ME as a man toss me your copy of 'The Man Laws' and expect me to take you seriously? In today's world gender roles should be able to bend both ways, not just in women's favor. It stands as a testament to feminism, in a universal sense, where no one is restricted to what society deems worthy of manly or womanly. I guess my point is this ladies: If you want to sit around and talk about how men should 'man up', then you can never be upset when a man questions your feminine charms. You'd be erasing all that false power you'd built up in your head under the guise of feminism, and probably not feeling too pretty afterwards. Support the men in your life as they are, not as you think they should be...

Dear Gay Marriage

Photobucket
My how times HAVEN'T changed...

via The New York Times:
A federal judge in San Francisco struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, handing a temporary victory to gay rights advocates in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court. Wednesday’s decision is just the latest chapter of what is expected to be a long legal battle over the ban — Proposition 8, which was passed in 2008 with 52 percent of the vote -- and proponents were already promising to appeal, confidently predicting that higher courts would be less accommodating to the other side than Vaughn R. Walker, the judge who issued the ruling.

Still, the very existence of federal-level ruling recognizing same-sex marriage in California, the nation’s most populous state, set off cheers from crowds assembled in front of the courthouse in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon. Evening rallies and celebrations were planned in dozens of cities across California and several across the nation.

In San Francisco, the plaintiffs’ case was argued by David Boies and Theodore Olson, ideological opposites who once famously sparred in the 2000 Supreme Court battle beween George W. Bush and Al Gore over the Florida recount and the presidency. The lawyers brought the case — Perry v. Schwarzenegger — in May 2009 on behalf of two gay couples who said that Proposition 8 impinged on their Constitutional rights to equal protection and due process. For gay rights advocates, same-sex marriage has increasingly become a central issue in their battle for equality, seen as both an emotional indicator of legitimacy and as a practical way to lessen discrimination.
I've got a confession to make. You know those annoying 18-24 year olds you see in train stations and on street corners in trendy neighborhoods trying to get you to give them money for (insert cause here)? Well, I was one of those people. Albeit, it was only for two months as I raised some much needed funding, but I learned a great deal about patience and the importance of lobbying. That's neither here nor there. It's just to say that the movement to legalize you, gay marriage has been bubbling over for years now. Gay marriage, I'm not going to sit ehre and say that I'm completely for you. I believe that homosexuality is wrong religiously. Yet, as I so eloquently placed in my pitches to passers-by, there's no reason that the government should be able to tell people who they can't marry. None.

Gay marriage, you are this generation's civil rights movement (along with health care reform and marijuana (for some), which is quite refreshing to say, honestly. You are this generation's (hopeful) victory that we will be able to look back on in 20 years and say that we supported rather than downplayed. While the ruling in California only overturned Proposition 8 in that state, and is likely to be appealed by those stick-up-the-ass conservatives, you're still something to fight for. You give a silent group a voice by allowing them the same unalienable rights that every other potential marriage should have. The United States is full of kooky double standards that no one wants to fess up to. Your banning is one of those double standards. How can we call ourselves the land of the free when some of our citizens can't marry freely, or the home of the brave when a good portion of our citizens are scared of you becoming legal? America talks a good talk, but until you have your fair day in court and come out a free institution, our country is failing on its promises and its Constitution. I guess this is kind of a preachy letter. At the same time, the opposition are still preaching, using religion and fear to influence political views against you. If they can stand in their (proverbial) pulpits, I can use my keyboard. I may not agree with you're concept spiritually, but politically you should be as legal as anything, gay marriage. Relish this victory, because the road won't get easier from here on out. I suppose the fight is half the beauty of victory, though. Keep fighting...