Photos by Adam Bird of Bird + Bird Studio, courtesy of RapidGrowthMedia

Red pilled feminism & the case for men’s issues

Another feminist bites the dust

I didn’t set off to fall down this rabbit hole. I wasn’t trying to be countercultural, or jump on any new bandwagons. I swear.

I was just following the research — including my own lived experience.

And the reality is that a holistic look at gender inequality — and the actual lived experiences of individuals — do not match with so many of the narratives the mainstream holds dear. What’s more, a look beneath the surface yields some stunningly hypocritical and alarmingly regressive attitudes guiding the radical feminist community.

Something is rotten in Denmark.

Before I go any further, I want to qualify something — something which a lot of people probably won’t get, and probably a lot of people on both sides won’t like, but I need to make it clear, anyway:

It is my researched conclusion that the existence of inequality in the treatment of men does NOT negate the existence of inequality in the treatment of women, in other areas. In other words: both men and women can face different kinds of gendered oppression. At the same time.

Oppression, ladies and gentlemen, is NOT a zero sum game.

Do not give in to black and white thinking — or “splitting”, as it’s sometimes referred to in psychology. It’s a response to trauma (or a symptom of a disorder), and it’s no way to operate as a healthy human being.

Which is exactly what a small but increasing number of strong, independent minded young women with expressed feminist values have been discovering lately, it seems.

Cassie Jaye’s 2016 documentary The Red Pill follows her journey, as an award-winning feminist filmmaker, through a deep investigation into the Men’s Health and Rights Activist (MHRA) community, its leaders, the issues it raises, and its counterpoints in the feminist community. It’s honest, balanced, nuanced, and the subject matter is compelling and engaging. The film won four awards, including the Digital Hollywood Conference’s “Women In Film” award (which promotes female filmmakers) — yet it was pulled from major platforms immediately after receiving a wave of negative backlash from radical feminists and mainstream outlets. Today, the film is absent from Netflix and other major channels. Users have to pony up on Vimeo, YouTube, and other user-run platforms to watch it. (Note: Amazon has since this was posted quietly re-added the movie to its platform).