"Feminism is a Joke"

"Feminism is a propaganda used to spread hate against men." "Feminism aims to bring highly reputable men down from their pedestal." "Feminism is a useless notion in today's society." "Feminism is a joke."

You may say that women do not really need to fear men or fear you, or that it's not all men. Certainly not. But try telling that to Oksana Maker, Jyoti Singh Pandey, Elizabeth Pena, Jennifer Ertman, Junko Furuta, Anita Cobby and countless other women who have fallen victim to rape.

Oh, wait.. you can't. Because they were raped and killed.

You see, the concept of feminism may be a propaganda to you. A tool. A useless notion. A joke. But I remember my freedom and my happiness being cut short in my childhood (and even now for that matter in certain aspects) because my parents were afraid to send me out into a world filled with.. men. I remember feeling scared to my bones when I was alone in a narrow alleyway and a guy was approaching me from the opposite and I had nowhere to run. Yes, not all men. Yes, definitely not you. But if you were given a bowl of apples and told that one of them is poisoned, would you still risk it? And yes, men are victims of rape and sexual assault too. And that's exactly why feminism is needed. There's one thing that we all need to understand

Feminism is not WOMEN > MEN

It's WOMEN = MEN

It is not about putting women above men or bringing men down from their pedestal or crushing them to the ground. It's about equality in opportunities, equality in the freedom of speech and movement, and equality in all the spheres of human existence where inequality now prevails. It's stopping violence against women. It's stopping rape and sexual assault and doing everything in one's power, whether man or woman, to put an end to it all. It's about giving men the right to be emotional- to express their emotions and not having to be so "manly" all the time as per societal constructs because according to feminism, a "manly" man can still cry and laugh out loud and not lose his manliness. It aims at giving men the will to come forward and claim the abuse they were met with. It's about giving equity where it is needed, and equality in the broader spectrum. And no, we have not yet achieved that. So, yes, feminism is still a very important concept to be upheld in today's society. And no, being anti-feminist doesn't make you "cool". It just makes you inhumane because ultimately, feminism just represents.. humanity.

(not my art)

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