CHRIS HALLIGAN
Feminism robs masculinity
A revolution now and then can
be a healthy thing, however
unguidcd and blind a person
might be going into one.
Perhaps one of society’s most in
fluential revolutions in the last 25
years was the women’s movement of
the ^Os. Truly a successful “call to
arms,” the movement changed many
fundamental views of American cul
ture that were believed and practiced
for generations.
Suddenly, American women were
empowered to make choices for them
selves and the people around them.
They found the strength to compete
against overpaid men in the work
force, the power to release themselves
from the suppressive grip of bad
marriages, and they were able to rise
above the sexual stigmas that helped
keep them in the home for hundreds
of years.
They took on a man’s world and
transformed it into a joint operation.
Then again, maybe they didn’t.
As I read about the new backlash
towards feminism and the new “call
to arms,” 1 sec why there is such a
•feeling of anger and amazement on
the part of feminists throughout this
country. Backlash, as I sec it, is a sort
of “going back to the start,” a societal
rethinking of exactly why the move
ment beg^p and where it went wrong.
Perhaps italsocould be interpreted
as an angry reaction to some damage
certain persons have done to what
used to be the norm. As many femi
nists will agree, things seem to be
moving backwards.
So while many feminists are resur
facing in the ’90s to jump-start a
movement that is dying out, I sec that
the basic premise of the entire move
ment is, again, explained by femi
nists as a result of men’s disregard of
the potential power of women. How
ever, because I never have seen a
man’s written point of view on this
touchy subject, I decided to play the
devil’s advocate.
So arc many reasons why men are
thinking twice before getting into
relationships that have anything to do
with women. Here arc some reasons
why:
Our generation of children remem
bers well the effects of the ’70s
women’s movement. While divorce
was considered a somewhat radical
alternative to a bad marriage in early
American history, suddenly, in the
’70s, divorce rates skyrocketed. I grew
up with half of all of my friends living
in single-family units, units caused
by women who felt empowered to
bail from what they considered a bad
marriage.
In the ’90s, some
men who are begin
ning to feel as if it is
illegal to be. men are
actively striving to
regain their, mascu
linity. which was
robbed from them
through implementa
tion of feminist pol
iex in the '70s.
While the feminist movement was
created to empower women, women
have also, in many cases, succeeded
in robbing power from so many other
— primarily male — facets of soci
ety. New choices, new voices and
new attitudes that arc now the norm in
society are the results of the women’s
movement.
Clearly a feminist could argue that,
in the past, women simply did not
have the resources to get out of bad
marriages, that the financial stability
created and used by men entrapped
women to stay on.
However, while the women’s
movement created the strength for
women to leave, it also created a
blind cowardice disguised as “strength”
that allowed women to think self
ishly, many limes without considera
tion of the effects on other people
involved in the marriage.
Now, as the ’90s roll on, my gen
eration of men is thinking twiccaboul
getting into a marriage. These men
remember the devastating effects they
experienced in their childhood.
Another reason men might be dis
trustful of women is rape.
Needless to say, situations of rape
are abhorrent. These acts of violence
towards women arc naturally inex
cusable on any level. In the past,
women very often felt powerless to
the vise grips of male physical domi
nance. When rape occurred, little was
to be done in a male-dominated jus
tice system. Now, in light of the
women’s movement, we have seen
policies that nail men who commit
these blind sex crimes to the wall,and
justly so.
However, we also have seen clear
abuse on the part of women in dealing
with situations of these sorts. New
terms such as “date rape” and “friend
rape” have climbed up out of the
feminist flames and have given some
men an irrefutable fear to even be
alone in a room with a girl.
It has gotten to a point where women
have empowered themselves with the
right to decide whether the sex they
had the night before was rape or not
rape, without taking into account what
the man might have been thinking at
the time or even what they them
selves might have been thinking at
the time. The destiny of a man’s life
lies in the hands of a woman he had
sex with.
Now, many feminists arc asking j
themselves why this “backlash” oc- j
currcd. Perhaps some of them should j
think about it on the way to court.
In the ’90s, some men who are
beginning to feel as if it is illegal to be
men are actively striving to regain
their masculinity, which was robbed
from them through implementation
of feminist policy in the ’70s.
At one time, men could depend on
women for complete support and
recognition of their malcncss. Today,
men arc turning to their male friends,
who they can trust to recognize them
as men.
In attempting to empower them
selves over men, it seems as though
women accomplished nothing more
than completely relinquishing per
haps the most influential power they
had over men: the inherent male trust
of females.
However, as many men would
agree, the women’s movement of the
past two decades did more. It stole
power from men and left many people
feeling powerless in situations that
fundamentally require power for the
survival of society.
Indeed, there has been a backlash
towards feminism in recent years, and
we need to look at the reasons why.
Perhaps we are on the verge of
men’s movement, a movement dedi
cated to giving back to men what was
rightfully theirs: the fundamental
power of men to be men.
Halligan is a junior Knglish major and a
Daily Nebraskan columnist.
Column lacked insight on legislative method
We are writing in response to Scan Green’s
column “Law, order redeem Legislature,” in
the April 13 DN. It’s almost amusing to us. We
are pages at the Legislature, and we sec what
goes on there everyday. Your article was
humorous because it is probably how a lot of
people who slop in for a few minutes view their
stale government. Thai’s really too bad. You
really couldn’t understand it that quickly. If the
legislators seem to be rushing around like they
have two jobs, well, you arc correct for the
most part. Most of them do have two jobs—the
salary of a legislator isn’t any great amount.
Yes, the debate on an average day is —
average. The senators are civil to each other
even when they don’t agree on issues. You
can’t expect raised voices all the time, or
thrown punches on the floor. Some issues do
invoke heated and quite interesting debates,
such as abortion and the controversial lax is
sues. We’ve learned quite a bit while working
here, from how the system is run to the altitudes
of the senators. The hearings can also get long
and tedious, but that’s how our democratic
system works — everyone who wants to say
something has a right to.
That’s the way wc sec it, anyway, no matter
how boring the debate may be.
We were disappointed in your article in that
it was so typical, clichd maybe. Sure, it’s great
that you are using your right to freedom of the
press, and if that’s how you feel, put it in
writing. Why not? But everyone seems to
complain about their government. We would
have liked a different angle from the DN, rather
than the same old scoop.
Julie Locfflcr
junior
economics
Editor’s note: Eleven other pages’ names
were also on the letter.
. r •
Youth needs to take initiative
Today’s youth, as the clichd goes,
are tomorrow’s leaders. But where
is the direction we urgently need
coming from today? Nowhere. My
question is: Where has the fervor
of our generation gone in this age?
Answer: We arc reacting, just as
the rest of the world is watching
and standing by, too.
What is the responsibility of
young people today? To think. To
vote. To understand. To discuss
what can be done. To take the
initiative in directing the future.
To act. My challenge to you, reader,
is to accept your role as a citizen of
this nation and of the world. WE
are the foundation and catalyst for
change. How do we do this? We
read. We watch the news. We vote.
We write our congressional repre
sentatives in Washington. We search
for new ideas.
Create your vision, reader. Make
a difference, no matter how insig
nificant you may feel it is. New
ideas are wailing to be discovered.
Many solutions need only be redis
covered. Youth is traditionally the
harbinger of change, providing
insightful — and sometimes radi
cal — solutions. Great change is
taking place in the world today. It
would be a tragedy to miss the
historical opportunities we face.
Become an actor and play your
role to the fullest.
Joseph B. Fran/
freshman
international business and politi
cal science
--I
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