Why I plan on not letting my son cry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TeiGZVWnuJA#!

The above video is produced by Fathers 4 Justice. Fathers 4 Justice is a non profit organization from England who seeks to help end male oppression, and help fathers fight for their rights. In the video, you'll notice the man who dresses up like Superman and hangs a banner on his ex-wifes house that reads "Fatherhood is for life not just conception". Two things really bother me about this video. 1) This man had to go to such great lengths to have his voice heard, 2) most people who watch this video will not take it seriously. Over the course of class this week I noticed how few people took the issue of men's rights seriously. Even our guest speaker scoffed at the notion that a man could ever be oppressed(Side bar: His analogy about the football team being up by 100 points was shitty). So I ask myself why are people so uncomfortable with the idea of a man being oppressed? People have been taught for so long that a man is not a symbol of power, being a man is power. Apparently due to what's between my legs I'm some master of destiny who decides what happens in my life and I don't suffer hardship. For many people, a man has become a convenient whipping boy:oh if I only I were a man this would be better, oh if it weren't for men this would be different, well I lost out on that because of sexism etc. However, as the dominant social species in America (Educated white male), let me be the first to tell you that view from the top ain't all it's cracked up to be. And that, is what I feel makes so many people uncomfortable. Men have been built up to be these larger than life figures, and if they're suffering what hope do I have to ever be happy? The biggest oppression that men face today is that no one wants to hear to their voice. If they did, that man would have never been on that roof. In today's political climate if you scoff at feminism you're an asshole, and if you believe that men are facing oppression you are considered an even bigger asshole. This is why I refuse to let my son cry. I plan on raising the toughest, saltiest, he-man that ever walked God's green Earth. I don't want my son to cry because when his wife gets an abortion without his consent (legal in hte US btw) no one's gonna cry for him. I won't let my son cry because one day when he works a 40 + hour a week job to send half his  paycheck to his ex-wife and her new husband to support his children he's not allowed to see no one's gonna cry for him. I won't let my son cry because when he's drafted and forced to fight in a war he doesn't believe in no one's gonna cry for him. I wont let my son cry because one day when his rights are being violated I don't want him to cry about it, I want him to stand on a roof and force people to listen.

Why I'm not a feminist

After our class discussion with Shark-fu I realized that I am not now nor will I ever be a feminist. While I wholeheartedly support the idea of female equality I can never be feminist. During class, Cason mentioned to Shark-fu how he felt left out or attacked during her piece “ The Battle Hymn of an Dangerous Black Woman”. She responded by saying “This wasn't meant for you”. To me, this is why I cannot be a feminist, because it's not meant for me. Feminism is the idea that everyone is equal, however we do not currently live in an equal society. Therefore, it is my responsibility as the oppressed to fight for my rights and the rights of similar individuals. There's the rub, I'm not oppressed. My reality is that I'm an upper middle class heterosexual white male who believes in God and lives in Georgia. I'm about as far from oppressed as one person can be. Feminist are drawn to the cause because it gives the fight they've always been fighting a name. I however, have never had this fight, and I don't want to start it. I realize however this puts me in a moral gray area. Some would argue that I have the responsibility to actively fight injustice wherever it strikes because on some level I'm too connected to society to avoid it. However, I feel that this view is asking too much of the average person. Because once again, it isn't meant for me. There is nothing in feminism for me to identify with or hold on to. Sure I believe in the equal treatment of all people, but as someone who's standpoint is so far removed from the central themes I experience no sense of passion or attachment to the movement. I cannot be a feminist because I know nothing about it. Don't get me wrong, I support the movement. I certainly think it works towards a positive goal. However my support has a limit, and the front lines of battle are outside of that limit. For me, Feminism just another ism. I respect it, I admire it, but like many other isms I don't identify with it.