One piece of advice we often hear is that when we’re at a social gathering, we should avoid discussing religion or politics because it’s almost guaranteed to make a light and breezy event heavy and confrontational.
But while that might be true for a dinner party, there’s also a danger of sweeping these uncomfortable topics under the rug. Although there may be a time and a place for these discussions, they do need to happen at some point. Otherwise, issues that boil under the surface can breed resentment between friends and family and even have tragic consequences if left unaddressed.
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And that is why one TikTok user recently made the case that men in particular need to stop treating feminism as a dirty word.
Be advised that the full video contains explicit language and discussions of suicide that may be triggering to some readers.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
On May 26, a man who goes by @comradekam made a TikTok replying to a point made by another user.
As this person said, “It’s it crazy how we live in a world that makes fun of guys who cry but 80% of suicides are guys?”
For @comradekam, this statement served as a “perfect example of why feminism is beneficial for men.”
He starts by saying that contrary to popular belief, feminism is not about hating men.
Instead, it’s about directly addressing the effects of a wider patriarchy and its ‘oppressive norms.”
He also said that while men benefit from patriarchy the most, that doesn’t mean they’re not victimized by it and that the tools of misogyny can’t also be turned on them.
As he sees it, this is particularly noticeable in the way that patriarchal norms outline how men are “supposed” to deal with emotions.
As he put it, “When men get vulnerable or emotional, they’re criticized, made fun of, told to be a man, not to act like a woman.”
This ends up being toxic for men who buy into this norm as they are then left to bottle up their emotions.
And as a result, these men are left thinking that they have nowhere to seek help when they feel overwhelmed and aren’t taught healthy ways to deal with their emotions.
In @comradekam’s words, “Patriarchy oppresses all of us. Some more than others, yes, but all of us.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
