Good Men Project goes bad
If you follow the feminist side of the blogosphere you will have already read discussion of the Good Men Project website and its founder Tom Matlack's article Being a Dude is a Good Thing where he claims women are always blaming men for everything and always picking on men, and subsequent meltdown over being called on his trite sitcom assertions without actually producing a shred of evidence to support his claims.
It was probably inevitable. Feminists don't write about femininity, at least not in the glowing terms that this and other "mascuilinity is good" sources do. They mostly talk about the pitfalls of adhering to traditional feminine and masculine roles as well as the positive things we can learn from either role, without requiring one be any particular sex or gender to use them.
But even if we were to take Tom's word for the whole "blaming men for everything" claim — what does he expect us to do? We don't already blame men for everything. He says women think men should be more like women. How? What are we expecting men to do that they can't do? What are these "basic instincts" men have that women don't? I can't think of any.
He mentions a friend who's afraid to speak to his wife and doesn't make sudden movements or look her in the eyes when he does. is this familiar to ANYONE as a standard way men and women interact? Not me.
He says at the end of his Being a Dude is a Good Thing article that men are going to start to share their feelings. As if we don't know what feelings these guys have! You can't have it both ways. You can't say women react badly to your feelings and say you don't express them.
It was probably inevitable. Feminists don't write about femininity, at least not in the glowing terms that this and other "mascuilinity is good" sources do. They mostly talk about the pitfalls of adhering to traditional feminine and masculine roles as well as the positive things we can learn from either role, without requiring one be any particular sex or gender to use them.
But even if we were to take Tom's word for the whole "blaming men for everything" claim — what does he expect us to do? We don't already blame men for everything. He says women think men should be more like women. How? What are we expecting men to do that they can't do? What are these "basic instincts" men have that women don't? I can't think of any.
He mentions a friend who's afraid to speak to his wife and doesn't make sudden movements or look her in the eyes when he does. is this familiar to ANYONE as a standard way men and women interact? Not me.
He says at the end of his Being a Dude is a Good Thing article that men are going to start to share their feelings. As if we don't know what feelings these guys have! You can't have it both ways. You can't say women react badly to your feelings and say you don't express them.
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