Am I being too sensitive when I comment on the A Game of Thrones series and point out the subtle elements of misandry and gynocentrism in it? No. Misandry in the media reinforces misandry in our culture and only exacerbates the problems we face. Do we need more "girl power" messages like Arya Stark's arrow in a society where boys are already so denigrated, in a society where boys are already expected to behave like good little girls, while female teachers celebrate femininity and demonize masculinity?
It starts immediately after birth, when many baby boys are circumcized, an issue that's recognized as genital mutilation and a human rights issue of the utmost importance when it happens to girls, but is quite legal and even celebrated here. The misandry continues on through boys' early years and throughout their lives as men.
Only 42% of college graduates are male. Single men are almost four times as likely as single women to be homeless. Males are 93% of workplace deaths. Males die at least 5 years younger than females on average. Males who choose to marry stand almost a 50% chance of their wives divorcing them or forcing them to file for divorce, and a very high chance in these cases of losing the ability to be a parent to their children.
We treat boys and men like dirt, and we always have. (Who went to war? Who worked the coal mines?) Women and girls have always been the privileged, protected sex. (Who stayed home? Who was allowed to live on the Titanic?) It's called chivalry.
Feminism has only made things worse - so bad, in fact, that men and women alike are waking up to the injustices men and boys face. And we will no longer stand for nonchalance in the face of sexism.
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