Tue | Dec 5, 2023

Feminist claptrap

Published:Tuesday | July 9, 2019 | 12:11 AM

THE EDITOR, Sir:

An anti-man tirade is sweeping the media landscape. However, such criticisms are usually jejune and banal.

Despite major strides made by women in the West, feminists and their sympathisers want us to think that men are somehow marginalising women. Their insufficient understanding of biology forces these mawkish characters to construe even normal male practices as toxic masculinity.

But the more cogent point is that feminists and their followers are deluded in believing that redistributive justice is required for women to achieve parity with men, professionally and economically.

Numerous studies have shown that disparities in earnings and academic enrolment in male-dominated fields are not explained by discrimination. Yet, in spite of the evidence, feminists insistently parrot the myth that a patriarchal state disenfranchises women. Evidently, feminists do not want a level playing field, but rather, a system privileging women, who assume that females should receive reparation for past wrongs.

Society does not owe women anything. In fact, it is most interesting that those advocating for the abolition of patriarchy also want men to be chivalrous. Therefore, it can be concluded that feminists actually desire special treatment on the basis of gender, not equality. No one is surprised that feminists lobbying for the abolition of patriarchy never have a problem with ladies being served before gentlemen at a party. Such practices are indeed backward and patriarchal, if the assumption that men and women are equal is true.

Women positing the equality of men and women ought to fend for themselves in all circumstances and stop expecting support from the State, or men, when their position is at a disadvantage.

Shallow commentary

Furthermore, using commentary to characterise most Jamaican men as disrespectful is shallow. After all, a million unsavoury terms may describe Jamaican women. Though acerbic, the truth is that there are more brilliant men than brilliant women, but also more male idiots (Edinburgh University, 2007). This is known as the Greater Male Variability Hypothesis.

Painting males as malevolent will not shift the balance of power. Women have to realise that the traits enabling success are more prevalent in men than women. In addition, feminists commenting on gender issues need to insert more logic into their arguments, because much of what they say is nonsense, serving no practical objective.

LIPTON MATTHEWS

lo_matthews@yahoo.com