Radical feminism has become very toxic.

Before the pitchforks come out, let me make this perfectly clear: I am a strong supporter of first and second wave feminism, and believe those movements have resulted in great benefit for society.

Feminism can be categorized in three different waves. The first wave of feminism focused on basic inalienable rights that all ought to have. This included the rights to own property and vote, which many women bravely fought for. The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s, and had a huge focus on workplace rights. Second wave feminism resulted in great economic benefits, as the labor pool expanded and all genders were given a chance to pursue a fulfilling career. I greatly support gender equality, and any reasonable man or woman should feel likewise.

Third wave feminism, on the other hand, has strayed far the ideal of equal rights. It demonizes men while promoting a mentality of victimhood, and attempts to silence opposing views. Modern feminism has turned a progressive ideology into a regressive movement. Instead of chasing equality, third wave feminism wants rights without the responsibility.

One thing that I always found amusing about modern feminist theory is the concept of a pervasive “patriarchy” that conspires to continuously oppress and hold women down. Men are constantly portrayed as upholders of this evil and oppression. I could see an argument for the existence of a patriarchy many decades ago, or in certain Middle Eastern countries. However, in most developed countries, the average woman lives longer and is healthier than the average man. I find it far-fetched to believe that the oppressed is living better than the oppressor.

By viewing men and masculinity as the enemy, radical feminists promote a victim mentality rather than one of empowerment. Rather than fighting for the right to better oneself through hard work like the first and second wave feminists, many radicals are angry Tumblrinas and emasculated men who demand trigger warnings and mob justice for microaggressions. Any attempt to logically reason with them will be met with sneers of “Check your Privilege” or “Quit Mansplaining”. Natural male characteristics, such as drive, ambition, and aggression are viewed as “toxic masculinity”. It is no wonder why a lot of young men feel out of place, as radical feminism has infiltrated K-12 education and higher learning.

One of the biggest myths that third wave feminists like to perpetuate is the wage gap: the fiction that there is a conspiracy by the patriarchy to pay women less. A common figure quoted is that “women make 70 cents for each dollar a man earns”. While this statistic may be true, numbers and figures are meaningless without context.

When a twitter hashtag warrior decries sexism for a pay gap, he or she fails to probe into why the gap may exist. I do not deny that on average, men are paid more than women. However, the matter at hand is whether or not this is unjust. I believe that if a man and a woman do the same job, they absolutely deserve to be paid the same. In general, men choose higher-earning professions, are willing to work more, and thus make more money. Why do jobs in engineering, finance, accounting, and medicine pay more than gender studies? It’s not sexism; it’s because there is a greater market demand. The beauty of capitalism is that people act in their self-interests. On a macro-scale, business owners will want to hire the most qualified workers for a specific job for the lowest price to maximize profits. If we truly could get away with hiring women for 70% of what it costs to employ a man, businesses would be laying off all the men already.

The third-wavers bemoan the lack of women in corporate leadership, while conveniently ignoring how sanitation workers and miners are all men. Radical feminists will rarely bring up how 92% of workplace fatalities are men. Nor will they bring up how almost all unglamorous labor jobs are filled by males.

Indeed, it is ironic how they enjoy uttering the phrase “check your privilege” so much, when their attitudes come from one of privilege. Radical feminists are quick to bemoan trivial perceived slights, while ignoring real problems that women face around the world. They will feel victimized over “manspreading” or the lack of “fat acceptance” in society (despite how obesity is a legitimate medical issue costing our economy over $200 billion a year). What most won’t do though, is protest the tyranny and oppression that radical Islamic regimes have imposed upon countless women. We ought to protest the injustices caused by religious fanaticism, rather than focus on a lady who got triggered because someone called her “sweetheart” or “honey”.

Radical feminism no longer fights for equality, it fights for special treatment. As I said in a previous post, affirmative action is one of the most ironic forms of discrimination. Not only does affirmative action go against equality, it is incredibly condescending to its beneficiaries, as it implies that they are not good enough to succeed based on their own merits. Gender based affirmative action demeans the millions of hard-working women who would like to be judged based on their merits, not their sex.

There are plenty of reasonable people who describe themselves as “feminist” and believe in equal rights and opportunities. This article is not addressed towards them. The fight for equal rights is also still not complete in many parts of the world, such as Asia and the Middle East. However, just like religion or politics, feminism can be distorted by radicalism. Demonizing masculinity and natural male traits is not the answer. Neither is bemoaning your shortcomings on “male/cisgender/white privilege”, instead of working to better yourself. I believe that men and women can collectively work together towards a better society, and this will be best done through unity, rather than through the divisiveness and hate that third wave feminism espouses.

Apologies if anyone was triggered by my “mansplaining”, but common sense should not be brushed aside in the name of political correctness.

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