Just like the phrase "white privilege", the concept of "male privilege" is a bogus concept designed to punish a dominant group of people in society while excusing failure among others. That's not to say that there aren't societal advantages that men have but it seems that the closer to parity we get, the louder the cries are against those perceived to be in power. Regardless though, part of being a man is hiking your pants up and tightening your belt so you can move on and do what matters most; supporting your family and being a positive role model for other men as well as women around you.
The concept of "Male Privilege" evolved from feminist scholars in the 1970s as a major reason for women not succeeding in society as leaders in politics, business, and other traditionally male dominated professions. The concept is that our society is based around a system of advantages or rights that are available exclusively to men based on our sex and gender. While a male's access to these benefits may differ based on how closely that man matches a society's ideal masculine norm, ultimately all men benefit from this system while women suffer from it. Over time, this concept became more convoluted and complex as intersectionality come into play and further divided up the notion of privilege based on not just sex but race, social class, sexual orientation, gender, and other methods to further divide society.
Most men today do not subscribe to this outdated view and openly welcome women to the table while recognizing that there are some things that each sex may generally better at. Furthermore, most men also recognize that previous generations have made mistakes and maintained assumptions that we need to change today.
However, I will admit that while it is a generalization, each sex has certain advantages. Some of these are biological - men are generally stronger and tend to be more agressive. Some of these are based on societal norms and are more gender based, instead of purely dictated by chromosomes. For instance, men are generally more likely to pursue leadership roles and focus on work in order to provide for the family, while women are more likely to seek careers based around nurturing and caring for people, including disproportionally deciding to stay home when the couple decides to have children.
Unfortunately, by the tales told in the media - men are all just one step away from raping a woman or beating someone up. Toxic masculinity is a plague that must be stopped and many voices are even calling for boys to act more like girls instead of focusing that testosterone fueled energy for good. There are certainly bad men that do bad things that of course, but we need to focus on promoting those men who do good. Despite this narrative that exists though many men do a good job at being men, at that but we can do better. After all, if we don't defend our gender ... nobody else will either.
I'm personally sick of the concept of "male privilege" and I'm sick of slogans like "the future is female".
While I strongly support equality of opportunity I disagree with any systematic mechanism in society to promote one group of people over another. Despite how well intentioned that movement might be, systematic discrimination is simply bad for society and we should work to eliminate those barriers and promote talented people from all areas of our country when they are ready. Instead of fighting a false narrative though, I feel like the best thing that men can do is to simply be better than others. Don't get down and dirty in fighting, watch your mouth so you don't get pulled down into the swamp and do what you can to simply showcase the strengths of our gender while working to overcome weakness in ourselves and those men around us.
However, if you do believe that Male Privilege exists then use your perceived advantages to use it for good!
Call Other Guys Out When They Do Stupid Shit
Sometimes, men are in the best position to call other men out when they spot bad behavior, no matter what form that behavior takes. It might be that it’s time to tell your mates it isn’t cool how they talk about women. Or, perhaps you want to call other guys you meet out for not using their privilege in any real way. You could even simply highlight how another man has chosen to use his privilege for wrong. Either way; this is the age of guys calling guys out at last. Are you ready to use your voice to join the trend?
Arm Yourself With Verifiable Facts and Figures Not Emotion
There are plenty of circumstantial pieces of evidence to support the concept of male privilege but there are also facts and figures that we need to know as well. Empirical evidence is what our society is based on and ultimately facts will win. No matter what topic, from environmentalism to divorce law to health, supporting your premise with empirical evidence driven by facts will allow you to communicate effectively with those who's support you want to attract.
The challenge here is that in today's data driven world there are "facts" available that can support almost any position imaginable. To overcome this, make sure to go with trusted sources such as those provided by the FBI for crime statistics or NOAA of weather and climate data for instance. While pre-peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals might have interesting data, don't rely on those simply to support your perspective. However, they can present interesting ideas that will allow you to explore new ideas and build stronger arguments but you always need to go back to trusted sources.
Use Our Platforms To Provide A Positive Influence
As men and in particular those of us who are considered male influencers and bloggers, we have built platforms that give us a larger voice compared to typical men. We can use these social and media platforms to get our opinions heard. That doesn't mean that people will always agree but it is our opportunity to present our story - no matter what that story is.
Conventionally, we look at outspoken celebrities such as Joaquin Phoenix, Lenoardo DeCaprio, Charlton Heston, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as those that have platforms but collectively we have just as much power and often times more authenticity. a platform of any kind provides you with the perfect setting to provide a positive influence. you might prefer to back environmental causes or highlight the good work done by companies like Choosesolar. Your platform, your message, but it’s worth making sure that you’re spreading something you’d like other people to hear.
Start Spreading Love Instead Of Hate
Imagined male stereotypes often leave us without the confidence to approach matters lovingly. This unfortunately comes from multiple directions. Men should reject the violent in your face rhetoric presented by men as well as women. Ultimately we should all embrace a society built on merit where hard work is rewarded and opportunities are available to anyone willing to do what it takes to get there. The world isn't fair sometimes and some people are born without advantages that others are and this is true for genetic advantages too. We should focus on eliminating obstacles so that the best members of society can succeed while also supporting and taking care of those who for whatever reason have failed.
Instead of fighting over which policy is right or wrong and blaming people for what gender or race they are born into, we should focus on what brings us together. If we can start spreading love and understanding instead of projecting hateful rejection of ideas that which are contrary to our own then we will be able to work together again and build a stronger society.
