I try to stay informed about modern
feminist theory. And I do actually consider myself a feminist –
much to the chagrin of some online acquaintances who consider
themselves part of the “men's
rights” movement. But I'm not big on the Andrea Dworkin school
of thought and I'm quite sure that most feminists
don't actually believe that all men are latent rapists who should be
castrated at birth. Nor do I believe that everyone in the growing
“men's rights” movement is a hate-filled misogynist. Still, it
is fairly clear that there are a lot of hateful people who
unfortunately identify with both movements.
My goal in writing this isn't
optimistic enough to believe that we can somehow repair all of the
damaged people who have redirected their pain into the avenues of
sexist hate and oppressive practices, but I think this is a subject
worthy of attention. And, while I'll try now to offer some frank
comments on a complex and difficult subject, I realize that I live in
a repressed culture and probably will have some points of contention
with other good-willed people who also grew up in a repressed
culture. Nevertheless... I do hope that I can offer up some subtle
and pertinent points which may often be overlooked in typical
discussions about sexuality.
The following critique largely will
center around monogamous hetero-normative relationships as they are
traditionally perceived. This is not intended to deny or dismiss the
existence of other types of relationships, sexual or otherwise, but
is rather intended to demonstrate what is commonly presented as
“normal” in modern society and how that standardized normality
undermines modern society.
