“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd U.S. President
The reason why I started with Roosevelt’s quote is that anyone who is honestly concerned and advocates for men's’ cause can understand the importance of a ‘son’ and his ‘future’ in this gynocentric society filled will bias against men. Those who feel the importance of men’s rights know that it’s incumbent upon the activists to work hard enough so that the future generations can have a society that is free from any discrimination against men, a society that is free from any sort of gender-bias.
Today, when I think about what all unfortunate and shameful incident the country witnessed on 72nd Republic Day, staged using and defaming innocent farmers' protest, and the discussions I had with an old friend today, after two days of the incident, on a certain ‘concern’ actually disturbs me. It baffles me when I do not understand the society, the country I might leave back for my son to live in. Pertinent to mention here is that neither I have the custody of my son, nor I even get to see him. But I am dedicated to the men’s cause so that my son does not get to face any of the challenges of gender politics that I’ve been through.
The Concern
The concern that every father must have is regarding, first, the ideology, then, the incidents that it affects which almost all go contrary to the views and positions of law-abiding and God-fearing common men, leaving them wondering to figure out how to stop it. It’s scary, to say the least.
Over several years that I’ve been associated with the cause of Men, I witnessed that anything and everything regarding men's’ welfare has something or the other to do with gender-politics. And gender-politics is just one of the cruel tactical tools of leftists. With this, they cover everything under the sun that offers them even a slightest of mileage to propagate their divisive ideology as intersectional feminism. Now, feminism is not just about so-called abuse of women, it’s everywhere that offers them even a foot space, and this is a fact that many in Men’s Rights Movement in India deny to accept or express openly.
Gender-Issues revolve around gender, BUT Gender-Politics is too huge a term and does not necessarily revolve around gender-issues only.
There is no denying the fact that the political inclinations of individuals in the world’s largest democracy cannot be guided or dictated. Also very true is the fact that a vast majority of members in the Save Indian Family Movement, the Men’s Rights Movement in India have understood feminist and leftist cruelty, not before we ourselves fall prey to the trap.
The older members have made up our minds, either way; but the majority today in the movement is of those who are in the process and exists on both sides of the balance. Those on the wrong side of the balance are there because on face value leftist ideology appears to be cool, intellectual, woke, liberal and fashionable. And being on that side of the balance is in no way their fault. Everyone has the right to follow any ideology.
The balance here is not of left and right ideology but with leftist and feminists on one side and men’s rights sympathisers on the other. Not inviting any conflict.
Why Concerned?
Those who fight for men's cause criticize the victim mentality and victim cards that unfortunately has become a part of our culture. Those who advocate for men’s rights ordinarily point at feminists as the ones who perpetuate this feminist mentality of helplessness and cluelessness and thereby seeking special status and legal privileges. But, what am realising is that our 'woke' folks also are not unique in their belief system and have adopted this very victim mentality. Just that they complain about different things in gender sphere.
They complain about the issues that they end up supporting, invariably strengthening the base of the ideology that has actually offended them.
We must understand that there is a vast difference in the victim mentality and an activist’s mentality.
So What?
Manipulation of facts and truth to create a false hollow narrative and presenting it as a more popular and convincing truth has always been the modus operandi of the leftists and radical feminists, and they have been successful in it not because we aren't doing much, but because we've preferred to be politically silent (when required, politically correct), only reactive and haven’t been able to provide members with alternate/counter versions to choose from.
Doing this does not demand anyone to fight and die for the cause, nor just the 'will' to win matters here, everyone has it! It’s the will to prepare to win that matters the most here.
In my opinion, if we are not countering radical feminists and leftists in every possible sphere and on all platforms, limiting ourselves only to gender-issues, not waking up the ‘woke’ lot within the movement at least, not setting and providing alternate/counter versions to choose from, we will be guilty of complicity!
It isn't enough to talk about Men's Rights. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
[With future articles in this series, we will discuss more around the narratives peddled by radical feminists and extreme leftists, and the men's cause and their rights movement.]