8 Comments

Just bought the Kindle version and skimmed the first essay. Makes excellent points, starting with the proposition that modern feminism can best be defined as the belief that men are treated more fairly than women are, and then examining the various ways in which we can measure this proposition (i.e. earnings, number of hours devoted to household and childcare needs, male-on-female violence). Using statistics and logic, how can we evaluate the claim that women are treated unfairly?

I was particularly struck by Bryan's observation that both sexes put heavy value on superficial characteristics in choosing romantic partners. Men are prone to evaluate women as "sex objects"---and women are prone to evaluate men as "success objects." Speaking as a woman married to a man and as a mother to both a girl and a boy, Bryan's observation is completely congruent with my life experience.

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I hope you are right about the lead. But as a father, I can tell you I'm horrified and disgusted by how girls and women are treated by our society (in general). Physical attractiveness, getting married, and then having children are how women and girls are judged. Boys and men are judged on what they do.

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Sep 12, 2022·edited Sep 13, 2022

Seriously, mate. Are you thinking about Iran, or are we both on the same page with contemporary life in America? Boys and men are judged by what they do, that much is true, and often men are found guilty and punished for doing nothing more than achieving, or being successful. Surely you have heard of this phenomena called "the patriarchy"? It is a system in which women can do no wrong and that everything bad will always be traced back to men, not the good just the bad, so that men are the scapegoat for all the ills of society.

Look it up, it's a thing..

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Men also serve more severe sentences for the same crimes than women do. So if he wants justice, then either the men get lighter sentences (seen in many bail-less liberal areas) or the women get greater sentences.

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I'd be disappointed in a child of either gender that didn't get married and have a family.

However, whereas "accomplishments" help a son get married and have a family, the likelihood that such things would help a daughter are mixed. My wife and I both have high incomes, and that has advantages, but we would never choose it over a good family life, and she continued to work because we've been able to get a lot of accommodations from her employer. If it started to seriously interfere, we would ditch it, which is the situation most women find themselves in.

Women have a higher floor and lower ceiling. For the vast majority of people, that high floor is worth a lot more.

As for being judged on what you do...most people most of the time do bullshit. I can't imagine anyone prizing their work over family, either I've got a low opinion of work or a high opinion of family or both.

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Sep 12, 2022·edited Sep 12, 2022

What's wrong with not being a father, like me, and caring about the plight of all people, including those people who aren't like me in any way? Why does your proximity to women make you a moral harbinger and a better person than me?

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Is it available for purchase anywhere else?

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