Because those who bash men in the name of feminism are NOT feminists. They are severely misinformed about the definition of feminism, and therefore cannot be grouped in with actual feminists. The "not all men" defense is invalid because the men who are "like that" are still men. Of course not every man hates women, not every man rapes and murders women who reject him, but when people use the "not all men" defense they're missing the point. The point is that some men are like that and that's the problem we should be dealing with, instead of avoiding it with weak responses like "not all men are like that."
How I see it though, feminists chose to be feminists but men didn't choose to be men. But instead of calling out and trying to weed out the radical feminists ( or misandrists ) you ignore them and say they aren't with you when people point it out. And the problem with radicals is they're the ones that are heard because you always hear the bad things a group does so the people who disagree with them can use them as leverage or an advantage. And the definition isn't always a good excuse, if you've been on some websites and seen some people, they will say all definitions are bogus because white men wrote them and if you're white you're automatically racist and no one can be racist to you.so, anyway I think " not all men " is a much better excuse than " not all feminists " because one is a choice and the other isn't.
Also, ( same guest ) when they say " not all men " they're trying to remind you that men aren't the problem. Self entitled jerks are as well as people who are criminals ( because let's be honest, women commit lots of crimes as well but get it easy because they're women )
I absolutely agree the problem is self entitled jerks. A mysoginist and a mysandrist are both narcissistic jack-asses who treat others poorly. Same with racists, religious zealots, and really any bigot.
The reason I personally don't like when someone says "but not all men/women/anything" is because this type of interjection is meant to take away from what is being stated or written. When you say it in relation to any issue, your more conserved with feeling like someone is including you in a generalization, then the issue at hand.
Saying "not all men" means you care less about the issue at hand then distancing yourself from the actions of those who share your gender.
Don't take away from a discussion or article or presentation by creating a tangent about yourself.
If you are a man who "isn't like that", instead state your support for women. State why you're different. Show that you are, rather then just saying it.
Saying something like "this type of behavior against women saddens and disgusts me" in response to rape or domestic violence. Or even replace the word "women" with "anyone" and your now including all victims. It shows your support of those victims, and shows that you really aren't "one of those men" rather then just claiming to be.
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· 9 years ago
Thank you for posting this. I've been trying to tell people this through comments and it hasn't been very effective.
I feel most everyone missed the primary point of this. They are saying that some feminists don't understand feminism means wanting to be equal (the same treatment) to mankind. whether it's blacks, whites, men, women, kids, adults, the elderly, etc... People should be treated the same until proving they need special treatment.
The reason I personally don't like when someone says "but not all men/women/anything" is because this type of interjection is meant to take away from what is being stated or written. When you say it in relation to any issue, your more conserved with feeling like someone is including you in a generalization, then the issue at hand.
Saying "not all men" means you care less about the issue at hand then distancing yourself from the actions of those who share your gender.
Don't take away from a discussion or article or presentation by creating a tangent about yourself.
If you are a man who "isn't like that", instead state your support for women. State why you're different. Show that you are, rather then just saying it.