Misandry
From Freepedia
Misandry, sometimes called misandrosy, is the hatred of men, for being men. While usually ascribed to women, it is also possible for males themselves to be misandrist. Unlike misogyny (a pathological aversion towards women), misandry has been little discussed or investigated.
This term is sometimes used interchangeably with misanthropy but that is not correct usage, as misanthropy refers to hatred of both male and female humans. Androphobia is the fear of men, which may lead to the hatred of men, but it is not an exact synonym of misandry
Within those who research and study misandry, there are various schools of thought. Some masculists maintain that misandry has been rampant for thirty years, maintaining feminist advocacy has become widespread popular culture, and thus misandry has become a social pathology. On the other hand, a marginal number of feminists find misogyny to be a social disease but are skeptical of the current condition of misandry.
More popular is the view (held by a large number of both feminists and masculists) that the "war of the sexes" arising from traditional gender roles is the considerably powerful source of both misogyny and misandry.
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Forms of misandry
There are many different forms of misandry. In its most overt expression, a misandrist will openly hate all men simply because they are overly male. Other forms of misandry may be more subtle. Some misandrists may simply hold all men under suspicion, or may hate men who do not fall into one or more acceptable categories. Entire cultures may be said to be misandric if they treat men in ways that can be seen as hateful.
Misandry in popular culture
Some hold that certain aspects of popular culture have depictions or display attitudes which could be said to show misandry, such as:
- depictions of men as being sex-crazed and overbearing.
- attitudes where women are superior to men
- depictions in sitcoms and advertising of bumbling male ineptitude (especially fathers).
- descriptions where the body count as described by some as "there were X fatalities, including Y women and children" is argued to reduce the value of the male lives lost
The controversial French movie Baise Moi (2000) could be argued to be such a film which has attitudes of misandry; two women go on a sexual and murderous rampage of various men they encounter.
See also
Links
- The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture book review
- Androphobia: The Only Respectable Bigotry by Robert Anton Wilson
Bibliography
- Spreading Misandry: The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture; Paul Nathanson and Katherine K. Young, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, 2001; ISBN 0-7735-2272-7
Categories: Prejudices | Gender | Sexism
