Everyone is the hero of their own story. But when it comes to the alarmist messaging around ‘toxic masculinity’, male violence and ‘patriarchal oppression’, there’s a real danger that social media advocates are fanning the flames of the very fire they claim to fight. So be honest and ask – what happens when all this anti-male rhetoric that frames men as inherently evil and dangerous, mixes with institutional racism, puts on a badge and picks up a gun? Yes, I am talking about police homicide. An issue plaguing America, of which 96% of victims are men, particularly Black men. And I am talking about the hypocrisy of the social justice warriors who threw out a virtuous black square, patted themselves on the back, and then went straight back to stirring the pot of fear within which so much of police brutality is rooted. Those stupid metaphors comparing men to rabid dogs, insects, poisonous snakes, or even to playing a game of Russian Roulette. The bogus gender theories, the angry rhetoric, and mischaracterisations – who will pay the greatest price of this moral panic and fearmongering that now swirls around men? Who will be locked up, falsely accused, or shot by police, as a result? Who is the number one target of the hysterical “Karen” accusations? The answer is, Black men. A Black man walking his dog, cleaning his car, or innocently picking up litter. As unpopular as it sounds, when it comes to the cultural fear that police brutality is borne from; does the feminist movement have blood on its hands? The outrageous hypocrisy of those who took a knee of solidarity, but somehow forgot how carceral feminism played an active role in putting so many of these Black American men behind bars. So as the movement gives itself the credit for fighting a problem partly of its own creation, I wonder if such a harsh realisation will ever knock upon their heads? These hateful words toward men, these conspiratorial gender theories, and incessant pearl clutching… Project fear: who does it hurt the most? What do you think? Images by Kiwi Hug, Black Kiwi Hug, Ray Zhou, Luther Boterill, Justin Essah, Malik Skydsgaard and Lucas Gouvia. #blm #blacklivesmatter

2023-04-04