The partisan voices that seek to maintain the ideological status quo will continue to encourage us to go binary and fight. But here’s what happens when they don’t get their way.

Recently, I posted an article titled Why I’m Proud to Be a Men’s Rights Feminist.

As usual, there was some partisan, binary comments and some more generative dialogues. Then, on the evening of March 20th, a most remarkable conversation was sparked when HeatherN posted the following question.

@Mark Greene: I am a feminist (surprising no one here), but I am curious what MRM “ideas and philosophies” you love?

HeatherN posed the question to me, but I was off taking care of my son, oblivious of the conversation which followed until a day or so later.

I don’t mean to imply that this thread is all hearts and flowers. But constructive open-minded dialogues like this one are very much needed. And the Good Men Project is one of the few places where constructive dialogues are happening despite efforts to shout them down by more partisan voices in the Men’s Rights and Feminist camps.



I don’t mean to imply that this thread is all hearts and flowers. But constructive open-minded dialogues like this one are very much needed. And the Good Men Project is one of the few places where constructive dialogues are happening despite efforts to shout down these dialogues by more partisan voices in Men’s Rights and Feminist camps. But these binary voices are losing sway or shifting as a growing number of us seek to explore and determine our own interpretations of feminism and men’s rights issues.

Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free

This thread represents a groundbreaking model for what civilized dialogue looks like between feminists and men’s rights advocates. It includes a range of gender voices. It represents an open dialogue in which all sides were able to move into a nuanced and layered discussion about the issues surrounding men’s and women’s rights.

And most importantly? You can see that all parties are making a conscious effort to not be reactive.

Accordingly, I believe this conversation transcends simple debate. I see evidence of genuine curiosity, mutual respect and a willingness to bridge the gulf. The points made in this conversation, on both sides, represent a huge learning experience for me. Budmin, NotBuyingIt, Archy, Schala, Erik, and especially HeatherN and Danny have broken important ground. This is college curriculum level stuff. And its deeply human.

Bottom line? These folks have taken an abstract idea, that feminists and men’s rights advocates can be in dialogue and they have made it manifest. (Please excuse any editing errors or odd turns of phrase. The conversation is pasted in “as is.” I suspect all parties were typing very quickly. LOL)

Welcome to the GoodMenProject. This is why we exist.

This is a completely arbitrary stopping point. No one gets the last word here. The conversation is still going on, all across the GMP and the net. Change is happening, but it will only happen in the places where ideological extremism and silencing are not the rule of thumb.

The partisan voices that seek to maintain the status quo will continue to fight for their ideological turf. Over and over, they will attempt to use hot button issues to keep us all in unproductive and binary debates. But, god willing, they will not set the rules of engagement for the rest of us. No matter how hard the try.

♦◊♦

More by Mark Greene:

Click here for more GMP articles by Mark Greene.

♦◊♦

If you like our article, please consider sharing it via the button below. And thank you.