By Sam Frescoe
http://samfrescoeproject.blogspot.com/
#SamFrescoe #feminism #feminist
On 12 Sep 2017, a group of Duke University feminists took it
upon themselves to cry foul because they were systemically oppressed by the
existence of all things masculine. – I just can’t make this up. Right now, in
21st century America, at a major university, there is a group of children
disguised as adults that believe they are being systematically oppressed by the
existence of all things they deem masculine. That’s right; there is an entire
segment of the American population that claims griever status because
masculinity is inherently evil. – My God, do their fathers know?!
I must admit, that while at university it DID cross my mind
that chemistry, calculus, and ancient English literature were oppressive; but,
it NEVER crossed my mind to feel upset because of the mere existence of another
person. – Dear God in Heaven, these so-called-champions of righteousness have
their heads shoved so far up their backsides that they can see daylight in the
dark of night.
Dear college feminists: Even though you are formally
educated you still lack intelligence. The belief that you are oppressed because
the natural delineation of manly and womanly nature (which has existed for
thousands of years and to your benefit…you are alive today) is inherently
corrupt. – You must be nucking futs crazy.
Here We Go Again
The Women’s Center at Duke University claims that they initiated
the Duke Men’s Project as a way to call men into conversations about feminism
and gender oppression. While reviewing their published materials, I made a
number of observations that seem noteworthy. If you wish to read about the
Center or its Project, then there are links listed immediately after this
article.
Their Claims – My Translations
CLAIM: The Duke Men’s Project is an initiative to call men
in to conversations about feminism and gender oppression. To this end, the
Project offers two options: 1) a nine-week Learning Community to unpack
expressions of masculinity through a feminist lens; 2) larger talks for all
genders to engage in conversations linked to masculinity, male privilege, pornography,
rape culture, male privilege, men taking up space, and emotional labor.[1]
TRANSLATION: The Duke Men’s Project
is about reinforcing the fallacy that men (collectively) are responsible for social,
political, and economic violence inflicted on women (et al). The intent of the Women’s
Center is to demonize all men.
CLAIM: Men doing gender equity work operate with a very
specific set of privileges. Such men have a dual role as they are equipped with
knowledge and perspective to be able to engage in: 1) gender equity work; 2)
activism in a constructive way that acknowledges their privilege. The Duke
Men’s Project is a space that remains accountable to the great work women and
non-male-identified activists and thinkers; and honors and respects the legacy
and scholarship that men doing this work invariably benefit from that work. [2]
TRANSLATION: Men promoting
third-wave feminism are granted special status by feminists after they forfeit
whatever those feminists deemed inappropriately masculine. This requires men to voluntarily: 1) accept
feminists as morally righteous persons; 2) subordinate their beliefs to the
feminist world view; 3) advocate the idea that being masculine is inherently
bad/immoral/viscous.
CLAIM: The Duke Men's Project is an initiative sponsored by
the Duke Women's Center to increase male allyship in gender equity and gender
violence prevention. [3]
The Center claims to promote a campus culture that ensures the full
participation and agency of women students at Duke. [4]
The Center believes in systemic, patriarchal oppression.[5]
The Center seeks to promote social justice, Womanist and feminist values,
community activism, cultural-shifting, and collective action.[6]
TRANSLATION: The Duke Women's
Center is socially and politically weak. Thus, the Center must have the
allegiance of men to bolster their presence on the Duke campus. The cost of
entry into this arrangement is to be subordinate feminist masters.
Additionally, even thought the Center is sanctioned of Duke University and
enjoys its protection,[7]
the Center demonizes the University by declaring a general state of systemic, patriarchal
oppression on the campus. – To bite the hand that feeds you is stupid.
In my view, the Duke Women’s Center is motivated by the
desire to secure social-political legitimacy and power in order to exercise
their intent to: 1) expand, augment, and control all things and ideas deemed
feminine; 2) diminish, deny, or destroy all things and ideas deemed masculine. –
Simply stated, the Center is motivated by emotions (rivalry, envy, jealousy,
revenge, pride) in a demand for recognition.
In my view, the Duke Women’s Center, through the Duke Men's
Project, seeks to demonize any person deemed unacceptably masculine under the
guise of compassion and empathy. The Center wants you to believe that the
actions of some (individual men that commit crimes against women) warrant the
condemnation of all that is masculine (an entire collection of groups, ideas,
and views). Those that advocate, support, or condone such a stance seek to
appeal to prejudice (sex/gender) in order to adversely stereotype those that
dissent from their views. – By definition, this is discrimination [8] and
is unjust.
In this case, those responsible for the existence of
feminist sexism at Duke include at least the following: the Duke University
administration; the Duke VP of Student Affairs; the Men’s Engagement Intern (a
Duke-paid employee); those involved with hiring the Intern; those associated
with the Duke Women’s Center; volunteering male-identified students; and those
that ignore, condone, excuse, deny, or encourage such behavior.
Back to Reality – Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid
False Flag – The Center wants you to believe that because
there are men (individuals) that do commit acts of brutal force against women
(individuals), that all men (collectively) are inherently oppressive to all
women (collectively). Thus, all men are to be feared. Therefore, all women are
in need of a “rescuer” (Duke Women’s Center) against oppression brought forth
by the existence of men. This view is further reinforced by psychological
manipulation (Duke Men’s Project) in order to further public compliance.
Therefore, the Duke Women’s Center presents a “false flag” when it claims
femininity is oppressed by masculinity because specific individuals
demonstrated criminal behavior.
Authority – The acceptance of the Duke Women’s Center by
Duke University is significant. Due to the fact that the University has a local
monopoly over the determination of justice, the Center is bolstered as a
legitimate agency within the university social fabric.
The Dilemma of Anti-Discrimination – The Duke Women’s Center
envisions that inequality of human kind can be corrected through equal
outcomes, to include feelings. However, because people are inherently
different, their performance and choices and feelings are also different.
Therefore, reality does not match vision. Disregarding the fact that there is
no society in which this reality is false, the Center seeks to restructure Duke
University by introducing “victims” while denouncing dissent as examples of
oppression. At this point, intent trumps merit. In turn, messaging promotes
claims of privilege, safe spaces, systemic patriarchy, and variations of
political correctness.
False Liberalism – To characterize the actions and attitudes
of the Duke Women’s Center as liberal would be to promote a falsehood. The ends
of liberalism are life and property, and its means are liberty and toleration.
Clearly, the Duke Women’s Center is not interested in either liberty or
toleration, and quite willing to permit the subjugation of others, though it
may be voluntary.
Morality – If you are willing to do demonize men for being
masculine, then why aren’t you willing to be demonized as women for being
feminine?
Logical Fallacies – Just because an individual could do
something, does NOT mean that a similar collective actually did that something.
– The conclusion of the Center that masculinity is bad/immoral/viscous does not
necessarily follow from the fact that individual men behaved
badly/immorally/viscously.
Political Calculus – Concerning the political economy of Duke
University, the Duke Women’s Center believes that aggravating secondary effects
(resentment of masculinity) is more profitable than reducing primary concerns
(criminal behavior perpetrated by anyone).
Taken together, the Duke Women’s Center, an institution, and
Duke University, an institution, sanction and promote doctrines and strategies
that arbitrarily devalue men (collectively) on the basis of perceived
masculinity. This activity is: 1) done openly and with the full knowledge and
consent of Center leadership and University authority; 2) done outside the
merits and behaviors of those individuals being discriminated against.
Therefore, the Duke Women’s Center and Duke University are engaged in sexism.
Shoe on the Other Foot
Still don’t believe me…perhaps repurposing feminist
messaging with a male/masculine voice can help. [9]
Women’s Project
The Women’s Project is an
initiative to call women into conversations about masculinism and gender
oppression. It aims to create a space of sisterhood and fellowship dedicated to
interrogating female privilege and matriarchy as it exists in our lives, our community,
and our society. Our intention is to rework current narratives of femininity
for a healthier alternative; one that is inclusive, equitable and positive.
There is a misinformed narrative that gender equity and masculinism hurts women,
but through conversations on the limits of femininity and healthy alternatives
we demonstrate that women have much to gain.
The Women’s Project facilitates a
nine-week Learning Community, where a group of 15 female persons unpack
expressions of femininity through a masculinist lens. The Learning Community
discusses femininity while understanding how it exists under multiple spheres
of oppression (like matriarchy, traditional marriage, the nuclear family, emotional
self-control, personal responsibility, and divorce culture). We also hold
larger talks and discussions for all genders to engage with conversations that
are linked to femininity and female privilege. Past events have focused on promiscuity
and divorce culture, female privilege, women taking up space, and gender
disparities in the ability to do physical labor.
Women doing gender equity work
operate with a very specific set of privileges, often referred to as the “glass
elevator” effect. Thus, the Women’s Project is a space that remains accountable
to the great work men and non-female-identified activists and thinkers have
been doing for decades. Our space is one that honors and respects the legacy
and scholarship that women doing this work invariably benefit from the work
done. Such a beneficiary is permitted a dual role: 1) to equip women with the
knowledge and perspective to be able to engage in gender equity work; 2) to
engage in activism that constructively acknowledges female privilege.
The Women's Project is an initiative
sponsored by the Men's Center to increase female allyship in gender equity and
gender violence prevention.
Bottom Line
Dear Feminists: You cannot lift women up to new levels by
tearing men down to your depths. You, and the men and women around you, are the
beneficiaries of those Americans that addressed women’s suffrage, voting
rights, and civil liberties long before you were a good idea. In doing so, they
did what they did, fought as they fought, and died as they died so that everyone
could benefit in ways that they could never have foreseen. – It’s time to count
your blessings, embrace the goodness of human nature, and attend to the
privilege of higher learning.
© 2017 – SamFrescoeProject.Blogspot.com
– All Rights Reserved
Links
Sexism – The Duke Women’s Center, and the Duke Men’s
Project, promote sexism.
- - Fact: The Duke Women’s Center perceives sex/gender classification as masculine and feminine.
- - Fact: The Duke Women’s Center perceives sex/gender stratification as “that which is masculine” to be inherently inferior to “that which is feminine.”
- - Fact: The Duke Women’s Center promotes policies, principles, and guidelines (doctrine) that prescribe sex/gender classification and stratification.
- - Fact: The Duke Women’s Center is engaged in plans, approaches, and schemes (strategy) that prescribe sex/gender classification and stratification.
- - Motive: The Duke Women’s Center believes that masculinity oppresses femininity. The Center feels the perceived oppression to be real and manifest in a systemic patriarchy. Therefore, the oppression of the first compels action against the second.
- - Intent: The Duke Women’s Center aims to convince men to voluntarily limit, subjugate, or abandon their masculinity in exchange for the benefit of being redeemed in the eyes of the Center.
- - Institutionalization: The Duke Women’s Center is an administration sponsored and recognized agency that dedicates resources to realize its motive according to its intent.
- - Normalization: Because Duke University accepts the Duke Women’s Center as a means of enhancing the “intellectual, social, cultural and physical development of students” in order for students to “demonstrate personal and social responsibility,” the Duke Women’s Center enjoys a normalized relationship with the campus authority.
[1] Duke
Men's Project.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DukeMensProject/about/?ref=page_internal (accessed
170914)
[2] Duke
Men's Project.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DukeMensProject/about/?ref=page_internal (accessed
170914)
[3] Duke
Men's Project.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DukeMensProject/about/?ref=page_internal (accessed
170914)
[4] About
Us | Student Affairs. https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/wc/about-us (accessed
170914)
[5] Duke
Men's Project. https://www.facebook.com/pg/DukeMensProject/about/?ref=page_internal
(accessed 170914)
[6] About
Us | Student Affairs. https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/wc/about-us (accessed
170914)
[7] About
Us | Student Affairs. https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/about-us-student-affairs
(accessed 170914)
[9] Duke
Men's Project.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DukeMensProject/about/?ref=page_internal (accessed
170914)
