Why are men threatened by sexually empowered women?

Men could benefit tremendously from true equality because that eliminates toxic masculinity and gives more freedom to men to feel their feelings, admit their needs of being supported and comforted and it also would take some pressure away because by not being thought of as inherently superior and more able, it would be truly ok(not just legally or whatever but with no social stigma and conditioning to affect self esteem and self worth) to not be the one earning more money, being the "strong" one (which just means denying yourself the need for comfort and help).

Yes, men would have to pitch in equally with house chores and the nasty bits of having a child and would not be able to randomly objectify and sexualize women at every step or feel innately superior over this one category, but that isn't right away and that privilege and comfort comes with the oppression and dehumanization of women. Having these privileges is not a privilege at all actually.

There's a lot of freedom is being allowed to be imperfect, because no is perfect, no one is inherently stronger or weaker and feelings or the need to be helped, having bad days, being sad, feeling loss, needing love, crying...those things are good to have freely because we all have them and when men are sort of pushed into repressing them or just not dealing with them, that ends up keeping a lot of men from experiencing full intimacy, connection, happiness, intimate and fulfilling friendships, a helping hand, etc.

Interesting that the topic of this thread has you enraged. I'm genuinely curious as to why some men feel this way though, and thought such this a healthy discussion that could satiate my curiosity.

I'm sorry if you find the topic triggering, but that is what drives my curiosity.

Is it really that angering to you that I want to be payed the same amount as a man for doing the same thing for the same duration of time and not be taken advantage of? If so, I'm just thoroughly confused here. Where does this anger come from?

I never said anything about the gender pay gap? Nor did I indicate any anger or that I was enraged.

While it has bred quite an intelligent discussion and some incredibly well-written and supported posts; the title and original posts felt more like baiting than an attempt at rational discussion.

Thing is that economical and social improvement is not the only solution because we're not just talking about America here or about people still alive. Patriarchy and male entitlement(and racist, white supremacy) are things that have existed for thousands of years and especially once certain religions, Christianity being a great example, became powerful enough to exert political and legislative power while also being the one deciding what is good and bad, who is better, who is an outcast, etc.

The disenfranchisement of the lower middle class and of skilled workers, of people in rural communities and of those without higher education is not a new thing, it existed always and only rarely were they more empowered, in certain unique circumstances or periods of particular prosperity.

Aggressive capitalism and right wing ideologies(by this I don't mean extremist right wing, just "regular" right wing ideologies that favor the upper middle class and the rich, the "intellectuals" over the skilled workers, that don't favor a social state that tries to help and even things with things like social healthcare systems the likes you find in ALL of western Europe - aka the best healthcare systems, not perfect but the best there is -, that promotes a sort of selfishness on the part of those more fortunate, etc) are generally harmful to everyone who isn't already well off or an intellectual elite. That is not a gender thing, it affects both men and women just as much only women are not socialized and conditioned to have an aggressive(mentally or physically) reaction to it the way men are. For women, who have already been suffering from oppression and who have always been treated as lesser human beings in on way or another, it's just another step down into the "mud" let's say. For men though...they fall off a pedestal.

Thing is we are not talking here about the US in particular, I'm not even American so although I know way too much about American politics, this is not a US centric debate.

And I do completely agree with what you said in this post and another reply, men just have to recognize their privilege, check their privilege and try to relinquish it. No one wants to do that but equality is actually good for both men and women.

Men could benefit tremendously from true equality because that eliminates toxic masculinity and gives more freedom to men to feel their feelings, admit their needs of being supported and comforted and it also would take some pressure away because by not being thought of as inherently superior and more able, it would be truly ok(not just legally or whatever but with no social stigma and conditioning to affect self esteem and self worth) to not be the one earning more money, being the "strong" one (which just means denying yourself the need for comfort and help).

Yes, men would have to pitch in equally with house chores and the nasty bits of having a child and would not be able to randomly objectify and sexualize women at every step or feel innately superior over this one category, but that isn't right away and that privilege and comfort comes with the oppression and dehumanization of women. Having these privileges is not a privilege at all actually.

There's a lot of freedom is being allowed to be imperfect, because no is perfect, no one is inherently stronger or weaker and feelings or the need to be helped, having bad days, being sad, feeling loss, needing love, crying...those things are good to have freely because we all have them and when men are sort of pushed into repressing them or just not dealing with them, that ends up keeping a lot of men from experiencing full intimacy, connection, happiness, intimate and fulfilling friendships, a helping hand, etc.

As someone who is clearly a 'staunch" feminist, I want full equality and that doesn't only mean not being objectified, having equal rights legally and also in the actual world where just because it's law doesn't mean it happens, not being socially pressured to wear make up and look a certain way to an extent men aren't pressured to do it, not having my worth stand first and foremost in how I look, truly having equal opportunities in life.

No, I want all those things but I also want the responsibilities. For ex, I don't want men to pay for me just because I'm the woman, I want to split the bill or, in a relationship for ex, I want to pay sometimes and then he can pay some other time too ofc like it happens with friends too. I don't want a man to be "my rock" ,I want us to be a team with equal rights and responsibilities, who support each other in equal measure to the best of our abilities. I don't want a "tough" or "stoic" man, I want sensitive men and yes that means I am ready to be there for them as well emotionally. A lot of women want that, to provide in equal measure, to be allowed to, but that does come with society as a whole rejecting gender norms and stereotyping that it has inherited in various forms from past generations.

It's like when you say religion is inherently pretty bad and violent. That's not to say everyone who believes in God is bad or violent at all or that everything about religion is that way, but as a whole it tends to be.

I don't expect men to apologize to me just as I don't think, for ex, every German needs to apologize for nazism. Men have to do what Germans did post war basically, admit that they were part of a society that gave the world nazism and ended up killing a lot of people, even if many individuals weren't guilty of anything, take a broad responsibility for it as a group and work towards eliminating the parts of their culture and mentality that made Hitler and genocide possible. Accountability is the first step.

"Why are some men so threatened by female empowerment/feminism?"

If you can reverse the statement about women being threatened by men, you'll understand

What? I'm confused.

If you can reverse the statement about women being threatened by men, you'll understand

Starsky....you give me hope for the future.

Was rereading thread from the start and it made me think of this...

https://de-film.com/v-patrick-batema...hP6nOB1dc.html

I'm super confused. And a little weirded out.

Glad I give you hope though.

Really? I'm surprised.

To clarify, good post. It was logical, based in reality and personal experience, considered other viewpoints. That has become less common in discourse today, hence my comment about being hopeful. ... or maybe I just liked it because I agreed with it.

Separately...

....the reason I thought of that movie and scene is because it reminds me of the generalizations, fake concern and speaking in sound bites that has become the standard in debate/discussion today.

Nothing to be "weirded out by."

Really? I'm surprised.

To clarify, good post. It was logical, based in reality and personal experience, considered other viewpoints. That has become less common in discourse today, hence my comment about being hopeful. ... or maybe I just liked it because I agreed with it.

Separately...

....the reason I thought of that movie and scene is because it reminds me of the generalizations, fake concern and speaking in sound bites that has become the standard in debate/discussion today.

Nothing to be "weirded out by."