If you are a straight, white man, you should support feminism

Lately, I feel that a lot of people belong to religions, political parties or other ideologies simply because they do not know who they are. They do not know what they believe in and even when they do know, they cannot say why. I want to understand who I am, my feelings, and why I think something. So, this series of posts is designed to explore this. I will tell you who I am to inspire you to search for yourself similarly. So, let’s get to it.

Who am I?

I am a straight white male. Some people would say – part of the most hated group today. But those people would be wrong. I am a member of a group that is the least likely to be discriminated against based on who they are. This is everything the term ‘privileged’ encompasses in this context. But more on that later. So, don’t worry, I didn’t go insane or right – wing. This is not a post where I cry about straight white males being oppressed or at fault for everything or some other nonsense.

And trust me, I have seen both arguments – people blaming straight white people for everything and straight white people thinking they are victims of oppression. Well, that is only natural because the Internet is a prominent place – and you’re about to run into all kinds of specimens.

According to statista.com:

As of the most recent reported period, the number of internet users worldwide was 3.58 billion

Statista

So it only makes sense that some of those users are assholes and end up blaming straight white males for everything or use it as a new form of insult. Let’s tell the truth here – there are probably some people out there who believe that the simple fact that someone is a straight white male means that person was handed everything on a golden plate. But in my opinion that is not what most people mean when they say the term “straight white male”.

Quite the contrary, it is the words and actions of the tiny minority that give the ammunition to the people who like to play the victim. On the other side of the “debate” – if you can call it that – are actual straight white men who believe that they are being prosecuted or some other nonsense. I am not one of them.

Male privilege?

Instead, I realize that from a worldwide point of view, I am a member of a demographic with more privileges than others. That is just a fact of life, currently. Want proof? You will not get it in this post, but keep visiting this site, I will tackle it in a future blog post. For now, look at the CEO demographics. Here is a handy embed:

Yes, there are more male CEOs named James or John than women.

Now, is it possible that all this is the result of white males simply working harder than anyone else? Sure, it is possible, as no law of nature says it cannot happen. But because something is possible, it doesn’t mean it’s true. As I said, I will explore it further in some other post. This is all about me and what this means to me.

It means I know I am privileged; by that, I don’t mean I was born into a wealthy family. If you are a straight white male and somebody says you’re privileged, don’t be offended too fast. I certainly am not. After all, they have a point. By saying you are privileged, people usually do not mean to say that you were born on a golden bed and a solid gold pacifier was immediately put into your mouth. In a vast number of cases, they mean that your race and sex are not holding you back in life.

A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

English Oxford Living Dictionaries

Every one of us is fighting their own battle. We have problems with family members. We have problems at work. We have issues with our lovers.

But it is, in my opinion, a much rarer occasion that a straight white male will have problems just based on who they are as a human being. Yet, this is what happens to women and sexual minorities all over the world. This is what people mean when they say white people are privileged. It means we have an advantage due to the current state of the world.

White privilege?

I probably do have greater freedom to move all over the world than non-white people. I probably do have greater freedom to work in many different countries. I probably do have more opportunities to speak up or to speak my mind than people—I am more likely to be listened to simply because I am white.

By definition, if you have more possibilities based on who you are racially and sexually – those possibilities are not earned. Sure, it could be that a white person has worked hard, became rich, and because of that, he is powerful (privileged). There is no question about that. The only problem people have is with privilege that is not earned – a privilege that was given to you at birth simply because your skin is white.

If you take an objective look – if you are a straight white male, you do enjoy advantages that neither you nor your ancestors have earned. By admitting this, you can look at what you can accomplish using that advantage. You can be selfish and use it to promote yourself and your interests above others, or you can try to be ethical and use it to help others whose voice is not perceived as necessary as your own.

What kind of person do you wish to be?

I wish to be a feminist.

First, let’s get some things straight. A person might cringe and disapprove of feminism while simultaneously having no clue what feminism is. So, let’s see what the definition is:

belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests

Merriam-Webster

Note how neither definition contains anything about hating men, lowering the status or the rights of men, practising witchcraft or destroying the foundations of society – although it would imply challenging some of those foundations, namely ones that women and girls should be quiet and obedient and similar nonsense of the patriarchy.

So, under definition one, I am a feminist. I do not participate in any organized activity for women’s rights and interests. Yes, this is a failing. I should try to get out and at least join a protest or a march when it’s close. In my opinion, this is the very least each of us should do to try and have a better world.

Historically, men have always had power over women. Feminism wants to change that.

It’s not that difficult. If one group currently has an advantage over the other, then improving the status of the other group will create a more balanced and fair world. From this premise, it would follow that feminism is permissible to promote women’s rights to the same level as men’s rights.

So, it would follow that feminism can be concerned only with women’s rights and status, and we should still support it because women taking what is rightfully theirs—an equal piece of the pie—the pie being everything, every resource and benefit our world has to offer, can only improve equality. And equality benefits society.

But it’s not only that. Believe it or not, feminism also helps men. How? Feminism demands equality and challenges society’s norms. One of the norms it challenges is the so-called „toxic masculinity.”

You might have encountered this term before, and it could even be used as an ad hominem attack. Yes, women are not perfect and they sometimes will resort to ad hominem. Nobody is perfect. The fact that somebody in anger might resort to ad hominem shouldn’t impact the movement’s overall opinion. But I digress.

When people say ‘toxic masculinity’ they mean that in a vast amount of instances, parents who are trying to raise male children and even society itself is attempting to equate manhood with aggression, the number of sexual partners, being an ‘alpha male’ etc. These norms of society can be very damaging to male children and even to grown men. Feminism challenges all that. That is, in my opinion, the primary way it helps men.

Of course, there are other benefits as well, such as the possibility of women having an abortion, which absolves men as well of the consequences of children, women working more means that men can work less – more time for family, etc, etc.

I am not going to continue in this tone because it would not be ethical to take over an article explaining why feminism is needed in the world and explaining how it benefits men. That is a topic for another post, but I wanted to touch it at least a bit because ultimately, men at some point have to be on board for the very simple fact that we all share this world, so we should try to make it better for everyone of us.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am a feminist. I do not want a medal. What I want is that my fellow men (and even some women) take a good and honest look at what feminism is, what it stands for, and how it will help to improve the world, and then decide if they want to be called feminists or not.

If you fall for the tricks of the misogynists who try to paint feminism as kind of a supremacy movement, yes you would be a victim, but this would also mean they would use you to achieve their goals. Should you allow that? If you care at all about not being used, you will take a look for yourself and ignore those that would like nothing better than to maintain the status quo because it benefits them perpetually. Again, don’t be naive. Take a look for yourself.