So the hash tag "#questionsformen" is trending. From what I understand, this hash tag, started by Clementine Ford, was put out into the world on the basis that most hardships that women face in day to day life stem from male oppression/casual sexism. I would argue that this is extremely true.
And if you think for a second that casual sexism doesn't exist, you should just stop reading this now. Because I don't even have the time to explain to you how wrong you are.
I woke up this morning on all across my Facebook feed were people saying how they have never had as much attention, and negative attention, from a single tweet. So I looked at these tweets and they are my friends sharing their stories and experiences just trying to show the casual sexism that exists in our world and how they've faced it in their day to day lives.
So I wanted to see what would happen if I posted on this hash tag. I tweeted "#Questionsformen Why is it okay for you to attack people for posting their stories? Why is ok for you to say they are lying?" because I really wanted to know.What gives anyone permission to attack another human being for something that happened TO them. What makes it okay to say that something that happened TO someone is a lie? People aren't looking for sympathy. They are showing the extreme double standards in our society and the extreme casual sexism that exists.
And guess what...by attacking them for it on social media, you are only making it worse. You are proving exactly what they are showing So in a way Thank you? Because your ignorance is showing exactly what the problem is. You are preaching "Not All Men" yet are being the men that are oppressing women for speaking out on something that is important to them. The double standard shows that hardships that women are facing, and it shows how most of these hardships are because of men. To not be able to share your story because you are afraid that MEN are going to attack you for it. I mean, that doesn't sound like anything else that happens everyday...definitely not like people being scared to report sexual assault or rape cases because of how men around them will react and stigmatize them.
Let me be clear: Men do get raped and do get sexually assaulted. Men do face hardships in life as well. But most of, if not all of those, are not because they are a man and not because of females.They are because of actions they take, words they say, ways they act, etc. They get mad at the systemic hardships they have...the system that was created by white men. The system that gives white men an extremely higher amount of privilege than any other group of people.
So let me leave you with one last #questionformen: When are we going to grow up, stop blaming generalization, recognize our privilege and use it to do something instead of attacking people on social media for the sole purpose of "not all men"?
