Unfortunately I had to get into a struggle session this morning about whether men and masculinity are inherently cruel and misogynistic by nature.
I love this website, and I’ve seen us improve through discussion many times over the years, so I’d like to open this thread to discuss (trans)masculinity and how it fits into leftism.
As leftists, one of our core beliefs is in the ability of people and societies to improve. I think this goes hand in hand with the ability to understand and create space for positive masculinities in our communities.
Framing all masculinity as inherently oppressive and misogynistic is counterproductive for several reasons, including (but not limited to):
- Giving men an excuse to refuse to examine toxic behaviors (e.g. “I can’t help it, it’s in my nature!”)
- Making trans men and transmasculine people feel ashamed to transition and/or come out of the closet.
I’d like to share one of my favorite articles about transmasculinity. I’ve posted it on this site before, but it bears posting again: https://thenewinquiry.com/on-hating-men-and-becoming-one-anyway/
An excerpt:
Secondly, unitary theory redefined the terms of gender oppression in a way that places the ultimate blame on the bourgeoisie (a group that I, in my entry-level research job, definitely do not belong to, with none of the grey area associated with my maleness). I now understand the ways in which working-class men benefit from oppressing women as analogous to the ways in which scabs benefit from strikebreaking. The gains are undoubtedly real on an individual level but are not representative of workers’ ultimate class interest in either scenario. This allows for meaningful solidarity across gender lines.
Not necessarily, but I do think its important as Marxists to comprehend that men and women currently have material differences in our gender hierarchical society and that the benefactors of a material difference can have their perceptions of the world warped. This is why one’s occupation often informs one’s ideology. I’ve met many trans men who have started radical because they were very obviously queer in appearance and worked manual labor. But over time, the testosterone did its work and they advanced in the corporate ladder. I refuse to talk to these people now because they have essentially become the average older male which in America is obviously not a good look. Its possible that this can happen to anyone here, you can have a massive change in standard of living and the conditions in your life and that will inform your ideology in some way. I think being cognizant of this helps a little, but there’s a reason that America hasn’t succumbed to revolution yet and it lies in the fact that many people in America are too comfortable.