I have written much on the terribly unfair--relative to their merit-- treatment of white men and boys.
Just one example: the longevity gap between men and women has increased from just one year in 1920 to 5.2 years now. Yet 95+% of the gender-specific medical research over the last 60 years has been on women's health. There's a federal agency and 39 state agencies on women's health, none on men's.
The Obama Administration has created a powerful White House Council on Women and Girls but rejected our compelling proposal for a White House Council on Boys and Men. Forbes recently did a long article on it.
Perhaps even more frightening are the distortions on race and gender issues. For example, the media and even the president continue to promulgate the misleading statistic that women earn 77 cents on the dollar, when there is solid evidence, for example, THIS, that for the same quantity and quality of work, women earn--depending on the study--only slightly less or slightly more than men. And that when women earn less, while there of course are a few Neanderthal sexists out there, the main reason is not prejudice but the choices women make. For example, see THIS National Academy of Sciences study about why women scientists are "underrepresented."
An easy way to access some of my writings on race and gender is to click on "men's issues" and "race" in the label cloud on the right side of this blog.
The unfairnesses to men and boys are terrible not just for them but for society. My most deeply held belief is that meritocracy is more likely than egalitarianism to yield the greatest long-term good.
But we must know which battles are worth fighting lest we squander the precious little time we are given. As the Serenity Prayer wisely says, "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Alas, after fighting this fight for two decades now, I'm forced to conclude that the net impact of my efforts to bring merit-based fairness to men and boys has been negative. I have written perhaps 100 articles, op-eds, letters to the editor, and a book, The Silenced Majority, submitting each to 10 or more media outlets and they're almost always rejected. HERE is one reject that particularly disappointed me. Perhaps their being rejected is simply because my work is inferior, although somehow when I write about politically correct matters, my work is routinely published. I'll leave you to judge my work's quality, but certainly my long-sustained efforts seem not to have helped the situation at all. Indeed, white men and boys are, net, treated more unfairly than when I began writing and speaking on the topic. The main effect of my efforts seems to be damage to my career.
Alas, after fighting this fight for two decades now, I'm forced to conclude that the net impact of my efforts to bring merit-based fairness to men and boys has been negative. I have written perhaps 100 articles, op-eds, letters to the editor, and a book, The Silenced Majority, submitting each to 10 or more media outlets and they're almost always rejected. HERE is one reject that particularly disappointed me. Perhaps their being rejected is simply because my work is inferior, although somehow when I write about politically correct matters, my work is routinely published. I'll leave you to judge my work's quality, but certainly my long-sustained efforts seem not to have helped the situation at all. Indeed, white men and boys are, net, treated more unfairly than when I began writing and speaking on the topic. The main effect of my efforts seems to be damage to my career.
So I've concluded, subject to revision, that this is the wrong era to write honestly about race and gender. It seems that today, we can hear only that women and minorities are victims or heroes. And in my judgment, that is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future.
So if you notice that my future writings discuss such issues less or not at all, that's why.
12 comments:
If women really did earn 69 cents or 77 cents or...whatever...for every dollar a man earns, no company would have ANY reason to hire a man - after all, since all people are equally qualified, it would be suicidal to pay 40% more for the same output. The smart company would hire only women and ride the labor cost benefit to the bank.
As you state, women tend to choose careers that don't pay as well. Over 90% of elementary school teachers are female (though some teachers make pretty good money after 20 years and a master's degree). Look at all the pink-collar jobs: waitress, maid, etc. Look at the blue-collar jobs: mining, road construction, etc. Raising a family has a lot to do with these choices, but one can hardly blame men for that (blame God if you must).
Sir, I for one enjoy your writings on various issues. Your articulation on Men/boy issues is second to none. As a man, I appreciate your efforts to bringing these issues out. Your writing has coincided with my convictions on the state of men for some time. Sadly, I too admit that issues of men/boys is largely ignored by most in our society today. Most don't care and others will simply respond with the age old comment to "man up" and stop complaining. Meanwhile the virtues of masculinity suffers at the alter of political/social correctness. Like the citizens caught in the clutches of the Spanish inquisition, we must concede that we do not live in an age of reason, Mr. Nemko. I don't want you to stop writing about these issues but if you feel you must, I understand. In every battle there are two sides. Our side, it seems has lost.
Marty, please don't cease. People are beginning to wake up to this. The efforts of you and other MRAs are a splash in the pond right now, but that's what's needed to start the wave. If everyone is silenced, than nothing will change. Someone needs to speak and your eloquence and intelligence will eventually fall on the right ears.
It's a shame that you have to give up on this matter, Marty. I've been reading you for a while, and I agree with your take on race and gender issues, and I'm a female.
Most of my friends are males; hardworking, great people who deserve everything they have. I can't stand the idea that I would have any privilege over them, just because I happen to be a woman.
I was raised with the idea that I have many opportunities, that I'm not limited by my gender to be a productive citizen. That I don't have to be handed stuff, as if I were a poor little kid, not by the government, nor by any man (I seriously despise gold-diggers and beggars.)
This is the reason why I'm opposed to feminism, what it represents nowadays. They call themselves ''empowered'', yet they don't act as such. They see enemies everywhere, and are deviated from its original intention. Simply because the movement already served its purpose, long ago. They achieved the goal.
I was born in the mid 80s. I can vote, I can take whatever job fitting my skills, and I get paid what a man would. Not even once in my life I've been told by a man ''you can't do this, because you're a girl''. Take into account, I live in a country known by its supposed repression of females. I'm sure this was the case, but 50 years ago.
I know many Americans personally, I know the region, and I can't believe women over there have it any worse than me. Especially when you can see their hatred, all over the American liberal media, and it's not even considered hate-speech.
I agree with you, because you don't come off as misogynist irrational person, your position is just the natural response to the unfairness, and the ''gimme dat'' mentality, that is harming our societies across the world. I believe that anyone, with a functional brain can see this, independently of the gender and nationality.
You shouldn't give up writing about this. And much less should this become detrimental for your career, you have all the right to speak your mind, just like they do. Don't comply to political correctness. With due respect, if everyone in the past had stopped because ''the era wasn't ready for them'', we wouldn't be the sucessful species we are.
Matt, I've been trying for 15 years and have been in contact with others who have been doing it for a lot longer. Without going into details, we've all suffered considerably for daring to speak up for fairness, and we've seen no societal benefit to our efforts. Those efforts have, at best, been holding a thimble up in an attempt to stop a tidal wave. I continue to be a member of a task force attempting to create a White House Commission on Boys and Men, but the Obama Administration has truly rebuffed us despite our prodigious efforts.
If Obama is voted out, his successor will almost certainly be more receptive to your message. Why not wait a year and see what happens?
So I am a man, and my wife is in the medical field and has told me about a revolution of women in the medical field alone which has always been male dominated. There has been such a huge influx of women in male dominated roles its astounding. Pharmacists alone have gone from over 70% male to almost 60% female in the last 20 years. Women are still relevant but men age better. Great topic, Thanks.
It's the nature of our sexes.
When some women complained and protested that things were unfair, everyone pretty much said, "You're right; things should change."
When men complain and protest that things aren't fair or right, everyone (men included) responds, "Toughen up. Man up. Real Men don't complain. We're a bunch of stoic martyrs. Shut up and get on with life no matter how awful it might suck."
Sorry Marty, we need to come up with a completely different approach. Perhaps framing Men's rights not from the male perspective but packaging it so that it's interesting to women. When men bitch, we ignore them, when women do it, we accomodate...
Your advocacy for men and boys has helped me personally. It helps to understand that the problem is really "out there" and that I am not bad or crazy for seeing it that way. Accordingly, I feel better about myself and that improves my functioning which is to the benefit of everyone I know as well as myself. I have never forgotten a very important conversation with you at a holiday party on Treasure Island about twelve years ago and your carrying the torch has kept the light shining for me ever since. It has done a whole world of good just for me alone and I'm sure it has done the same for many, many other men and women. I deeply appreciate it and thank you very truly from my heart.
Discovering your blogs this Thanksgiving brought a glimmer of hope and an articulate voice to an issue without adequate representation. Your writings gave me hope. While Ive only read a dozen or so of your notes, i am guessing that if you were writing to you, you might say "tackling truly important issues is running a marathon - perserverance is the only way to make a difference - but do take some time off to recharge yourself or you'll lose your perspective." Please dont stop. And get some seo help!
This is a heaping pile of pungent bovine excrement, and your minions are slurping it up by the bowlful.
Just the introductory sentence is laughable: "I have written much on the terribly unfair--relative to their merit-- treatment of white men and boys." OH YES! The Plight of White Males in America! Watch them suffer while worrying about whether their Saturday night hookups will make them wear condoms. Share their panic as they watch their dominance in the US Government dwindle from 90 percent to 88 percent! See them tremble as women wear t-shirts that poke fun at them! Well, guess they'd better pull out the 12 rape-jokes they have stashed away for rainy day use.
Not before you knock your wife up and don't let your female employees take maternity leave.
Have you ever considered that maybe...just maybe, your work on men's and boys' rights hasn't been published (and your "politically correct" ones have) because YOU and your MRA cronies are the Neanderthal sexists? Too obvious?
And maybe the Obama administration cares more about women's rights more than your BULLSHIT men's rights because, you see, President Obama himself and many of his administration are from ACTUAL MARGINALIZED GROUPS. Not imaginary ones, like f*cking white males. You do not know more about sexism than women do. You have not lived their experiences. You do not know racism better than people of color, as you have never been a person of color.
Why is so important to you to fight for these rights that you already have? I just don't understand. What do you need that you don't already have? What do white males lack that women and PoC don't have to fight for EVERY GODDAMN DAY?
Tell me. For real. I'd love to know. Because right now you sound like an entitled, bloviating ignoramus.
I was tempted to not respond to your cherry-picked unfair response. Alternately, I was tempted to write a line-by-line refutation. Instead, I've decided it's wisest to simply refer you to two recent posts of mine that I believe constitute a reasonable rejoinder:
http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2012/06/our-approach-to-men-reinvented-special.html
http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2012/06/on-fathers-day-ode-to-men.html
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