The Michael Richards' episode and hate speech against men
When the anti-black racist rantings of Michael Richards became public knowledge, there was a loud public outcry as there should have been.
However, I wonder if there would have been anything similar if a public figure made similar hate speech against men. In fact, I’m pretty sure there would not have been such outrage. In all likelihood, a comedian engaging in hate speech against women would have at least received some harsh criticism.
There have always been both man-haters and woman-haters. However, the feminist movement has led to a strong social disapproval of anti-female sentiments. No similar outrage is attached to the expression of negative feelings toward men. French actress Bridget Bardot was once asked what she liked most in a man and she replied, “his absence.†In another statement, she said, “beasts wouldn’t do the things [men] do.†An actor who expressed this type of negativity toward women could expect to be deluged with criticism.
The reason misogynist statements occasion great outrage while misandrist hate speech rate barely a shrug is that there is a general perception that men are the dominant or privileged sex, i.e., “it’s a man’s world,†and are therefore fair game. The more complicated truth is that societies are bisexist, consisting of both privilege and special burdens for both sexes in different areas. In many respects, men are an oppressed group. As an oppressed group, they are entitled to be offended when they are denigrated. Furthermore, sensitive and thinking women should also be offended at misandrist sentiments and stereotypes.
While feminism has led to a greater sensitivity to misogyny, feminism should not be blamed for the existence of misandry. Slogans like “men are such BEASTS†and “they’re only after one thing†were not invented in the 1970s when the second wave of the feminist movement broke and I’d wager that they were around before the suffragettes began agitating.
However, misandry IS a form of prejudice. As such, it deserves to be rejected by good people of both sexes and criticized when it is expressed.
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