There has been a significant development in the ongoing persecution of men in America, and as a leading voice in the man-newsosphere, I feel obliged to weigh in.

Australian author and uber-manly manly-man Nick Adams was on Fox News recently saying that the very fabric of our society is in danger because women are no longer allowing men to be men: "It emerges from this mindset that a lot of women have unfortunately bought in to, this destructive idea that men prevent them from being able to achieve their goals. From the left, from the politically correct, we have all these attacks on men. It's a very hard time to be a man in today's society."

Fox News host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who received part of her journalism training by competing on the reality television show "Survivor," quickly asked Adams the question on everyone's mind: "Is this in direct relation to feminism on the rise?"

Adams responded: "It is feminism, and basically what feminism has delivered is angry women and feminine men."

What a chilling statement, one that is undoubtedly accurate because it was spoken by a man.

I've never interviewed Adams and I haven't read his book, "American Boomerang," because talking and reading don't seem very manly. I prefer to just punch things until information comes out.

But he's not the only one claiming women are turning men into shadows of their former macho selves.

Fox News gravitas enthusiast Brit Hume recently said America's "feminized atmosphere" is to blame for some people viewing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a bully. Hume said guys just aren't allowed to be "masculine and muscular" anymore.

Adams explained this feminization trend in greater detail in an interview with The Daily Caller, a news website that is basically The New York Times for people who still believe Barack Obama is a Muslim.

"All aspects of male culture have been called into question," Adams said. "Whether it's gathering around on a Sunday afternoon to watch the football with a few friends, whether it is going to the range and shooting some guns, whether it is just being a male."

Now look, I don't let anybody tell me whether I can or can't watch "the football." In fact, I spent almost all day Sunday watching the football, and when I was done, I sat down to write this column, which I composed by shooting at the letters on my computer keyboard with the gun I keep duct-taped to my right hand.

But clearly people like Adams and Hume and I are a rare breed. Most guys in America are getting squashed under the thumb of Big Feminism, unable to do anything manly — like behave inappropriately in the workplace or give preferential treatment to men — for fear of being labeled sexist.

Consider these insidious steps feminists have taken to create the illusion that women are unequal in our society:

•According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women continue to refuse to earn as much money as men. In 2012, female workers insisted on being paid only 77 percent of what men are paid.

•According to Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that promotes inclusive workplaces for women, only 23 women have been willing to step up and become CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

•According to the Congressional Research Service, 102 women are currently serving in the U.S. Congress.

Nice try, ladies. Women make up about 50 percent of the U.S. population and I'm supposed to believe they're OK with filling only 19 percent of the seats in the Senate and House of Representatives? Yeah, right.

You see what's going on here, guys? By limiting their own pay and stubbornly refusing to rise to positions of leadership, women are preserving the inequality myth so they can continue to keep men from watching football, shooting guns and discriminating against women.

And now feminism is preparing its biggest scam of all.

It's widely believed that Hillary Rodham Clinton will run for president in 2016. And do you know what the feminist industrial complex would like more than anything? They'd like Clinton to lose so they can cement the "women can't get ahead" facade for years to come and devote their time to turning all men into gunless book club enthusiasts who spend their days bemoaning the violence of contact sports and discussing the feminist individualism present in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

If men like me want to preserve our testosterone-laden lifestyles, it's clear we must man up and fight feminism by making sure Clinton becomes our next president. After that, if we demand equal pay for all women and greater female representation in both business and politics, we'll do away with the inequality that has been keeping men down.

And that will usher in a time when manly bros like Adams and I can sit back and, without fear of persecution, enjoy a pleasant Sunday of gun shooting, man-being and the watching of the football.

rhuppke@tribune.com