Thread: Michael Flood; 'International Men's Day - An Open Letter Of Rejection'

International Men's Day: An Open Letter of Rejection


(Parody of an original letter) By Dr. Michael Flood


This is an open letter concerning my woman-respectin desire to spearhead an anti International Men’s Day campaign because it has come to my attention that an angry men’s group in Canberra is proposing to commemorate this day simply to hurt and violate women. This angry men's group is proposing an IMD as a way to draw attention to men's poor state of health, but as someone who has supported men’s issues since the late 1980s let me tell you that men who draw attention to their health are usually disenfranchised narcissistic fathers who have lost custody of their children and are subsequently dying from self-created and deserved ill health. Therefore I do not believe that an International Men’s Day is an appropriate or effective way for them to dig themselves out of this hole. Believe me I would love to help them. I argue impartially below that no sane person should support this woman-hating event. But before spelling out my concerns, I give some background on the day itself.

Background:
International Men’s Day was founded in 1999 by a group of dubious, possibly violent men in Trinidad and Tobago (my research confirms that there are a lot of murdering, wife-battering men in the Caribbean). It continues to be observed there on November 19th each year, no doub't enforced by the incumbent patriarchy. International Men’s Day does not have any worthwhile international presence, and I'd go so far as to say its a dud. A Google search for this event finds very few examples of other countries or organisations acknowledging this day and its internet presence is primarily in the voice of angry male commentators stating, in response to International Women’s Day, “Give me an International Men’s Day, or I'll bash the crap out of every woman and every homosexual I know.” Hardly the kind of approach that invites goodwill from feminists like myself! In Australia this so-called Men’s Health and Wellbeing Association has already initiated the first celebration of IMD in Australia in 2003, without my permission. This slipped past my radar and I regret not being more vigilant as I could have mischaracterized, ridiculed and stopped this effort before it began. Anyways, it has happened, and Phil Gouldson of the MHWA writes, “We are keen to build on this locally and nationally. The Association is contacting men’s organisations around Australia to encourage them to undertake their own local celebrations.” I do not know to what extent other angry men’s organisations have taken up this event, but Its obviously based on some kind of perverted womb-envy which attempts at emulating the very successful International Women's Day. I understand such womb-envy, believe me, but if I have anything to do with the event it will be to cancel the event, or otherwise to turn the event into an 'International-Men's-Day-For-Celebrating-Women'. If the celebration is to survive this is obviously the way we should try and re-construct it.

Concerns about International Men’s Day:
We feminists think there are a number of important problems with International Men’s Day. In summary; IMD offers a false parallel to International Women’s Day, because men will never have a womb and so have no issues on which to base an international campaign. What, (LoL) are they going to argue that they have unique health issues deserving attention such as prostrate cancer or an epidemic of suicide? Please, you males are so violent that if you do suffer suicide or cancer is small comuppence for the violence that they wreak every day. IMD also stands a chance of alienating services and organisations that might otherwise support measures aimed at improving men’s wellbeing or service responses to men, such as "Feminists for the Reconstruction of Men" or that other helpful organization, "Reeducation of men who batter babies and pet animals". Perhaps the most important problem lies in the very notion of an “International Men’s Day”. It offers a false and dare I say 'impotent' challenge to International Women’s Day. Let me explain..... the notion of an “International Men’s Day” implies that men, like women, are a group systematically disadvantaged or oppressed by gender inequalities. There is no denying that men do suffer limitations and harms under the current gender order, e.g. poor physical and mental health, even though its obvious they brought these tragedies upon themselves via their own violent natures being turned inward. So in response to some men’s question, “Can't we have an International Men’s Day?” To that question I have a simply cunning one-liner reply I'd like to spread far and wide; that "every other day is International Men’s Day." (Sorry, ROFLMAO!) Don't you just love that one! I realize we could say the same one-liner about every day being women's day, particularly when every other day is marked on the U.N calender for women alone. But lets ignore that as women have already suffered enough violence from you puppy-murdering male bastards.

The men's complaint goes as follows: “International Women’s Day.... Why isn’t there an International Men’s Day?” Or, “Women’s refuge...... Why isn’t there a men’s refuge?” And so on. There are several problems with such complaints. They fail to recognise that we women (oops, that includes me too) got an International Woman's Day first, and as anyone knows, that means we are the winners. We women (and me too ;-) were here first, so all you violent males just get used to it (hahaha). Violent men assume that there should be a level playing field between men and women, such that any service or resource dedicated one-sidedly to women represents an injustice. They assume that this injustice must be remedied either by generic services for women and men, or by parallel services and resources for men. This kind of simplistic “You’ve got it, we want it too” logic will not provide the most appropriate services for men, especially if I have anything to do with it ( in which case they'd get sweet FA!). This “us too” approach won’t actually get men the most appropriate services they need, because it is motivated more by a logic of equality than by an informed appraisal of the kinds of services men are going to use and like. Yes I do concede that Feminists (I like using a capital F for that word) got where they did by demanding "Me too!" but lets not dwell on that. Look, its only fair (and eminently logical) that women deserve an international celebration in the sense of "Me only" because my eminently reasonable research proves that men are just too violent to be trusted to hold an International Men's Day...... can you imagine the bloodshed that would take place with all that psychopathic testosterone just poised to rip one another apart? Point proven. An IMD would probably be just like Super-Bowl Sunday where men would arrive home in a hostile mood from IMD celebrations and procede to bash the crap out of their wives and children, a sad probability. Enough said.

In summary, “International Men’s Day” smacks of the “me-too-ism” that has dogged the men’s movement since its beginnings. And this me-too-ism does men no favours. Potentially alienates services and organisations that might otherwise support measures aimed at improving men’s wellbeing or service responses to men If people disagree with arguments made so far, there is a further argument against IMD that may be more persuasive. This is the point that IMD is bad strategy. IMD is likely to alienate women’s services, women’s organisations, and other women and men who might otherwise be supportive of the causes (men’s health, fathers’ positive involvement with children, etc.) associated with IMD. Nevermind that it is mostly women who are setting up International Men's Days around the world, such as the young University of Kent women who conceived and coordinated an big event. Such women are betrayers of feminism and lets face it they are complicit bitches doing the bidding of violent males. How else would you explain such anti-feminist hatred? We feminists know that this is true because our research tells us that these women are merely the hapless victims of overpowering men. An “International Men’s Day” will be understood by many women and women’s services as at best misguided and ill-informed, and at worst as anti-feminist backlash. I realize my arguments are somewhat faulty when you stack them up against the claim made by Trinidad & Tobago's IMD inaugurators that "The IMD is not intended to compete against the women's day but instead the goal is to foster and promote better relations between men and women" (2001). But hey, whats wrong with a bit of poetic license (snicker)..... its for a good cause, surely, if I can convince everyone that men are bastards and that only women need support and recognition?! It is poor advocacy when violent men antagonise the women and women's agencies that are potential supporters of efforts e.g. to improve men’s health. It is these same agencies that a men’s organisation would need to work with in developing local initiatives on these issues, as they share the same field of community work and service provision.

Attempting to address issues such as men’s health through an “International Men’s Day” smacks of backlash. I am arguing that men’s organisations should only ever organise events or advocate policies that would be supported by all women’s organisations. It just seems crazy to advocate an event that is very likely to antagonise or alienate the majority of women’s services and organisations with this kitten-hating male sentiment. Particularly when there are other ways to achieve the goals with which the IMD ostensibly is associated. This brings me to my next point. There are other non-violent ways to achieve men's goals. There are other, safer and more effective, ways to achieve the IMD’s goals. If the goal is to ‘raise men’s issues’ in the community, then there are any number of ways to do this that do not have the same risks associated with the IMD. In addition, there are a range of special days and weeks that already serve as useful organising points for work on men’s issues. These include Fathers’ Day, Men’s Health Week, and others. We can ignore the fact that these services are directed only at fathers (even though most "men" and boys are not fathers) and yes I also understand the complaint that the 'men's health week' approach portrays men as crass bufoons who bring bad health upon themselves. But men should take what they are offered. Finally, an “International Men’s Day” may be ineffective at engaging men because men are usually too obsessed with doing other things like mowing the lawn or making a living for their families; i.e. they just wont hear it. On the other hand, such an event may attract only those men who do believe that ‘feminism has gone too far’ and ‘now men are the real victims’. Conclusion “International Men’s Day” is at best misguided and political naïve, and at worst hostile and anti-feminist. Men’s organisations should not promote nor support an International Men’s Day. Nor should other organisations offer their support to such an event. Please feel most welcome to circulate or publish this letter or to popularise the themes I've tried to push about IMD.

Footnote: For those who claim I wrote this critique out of a bad experience of males, IT ISN'T TRUE, DAMMIT. Ok, I admit I accidently let it slip in an online interview that the defining moment of my manhood was being bullied by boys at school. Ok you got me there. That little mention of mine was placed on one of Steve Biddulph's pages some years back. I guess I've never really wanted to think about those painful years at school, and I've just shut it all out by busying myself 24/7 obsessively studying male violence against women. Just be assured that those early experiences of being punched in the nose have nothing to do with my need to destroy International Men's Day.

Sincerely, Michael Flood. Dr Michael Flood E-mail: I-Hate-Men@tai.org.au PO Box 4026, Ainalie ACT, 2602, AUSTRALIA. Further reading For further reading on VIOLENT BASTARD MALES, see my articles collected here: XY: men, masculinities, and gender politics For academic references, see my Men's Bibliography: The Men's Bibliography