The fledgling men's movement divided...in the early and late 80s—into four disparate wings, most of which limped along, leading nowhere.
The first and original wing, to which I contributed, was supportive of feminism, but was weighted down by academics short on strategy and who too openly simply parroted feminist theories. It failed to communicate a sense of true social urgency, making instead mere armchair challenges.
A second wing fulfilled the worst fears of feminists, becoming a counteraction to feminism, attempting to reclaim male privilege. It gained minimal popularity among divorced men being chased for either alimony or child support.
A third, better publicized men's faction followed poet-guru Robert Bly, who has led seeker-after-truth-male-coteries into rural encampments where they discuss myths and attempt to make "needed" connections with primitive interior images of some sort. Such tactics,
however, have done little more than uphold traditions, providing media (for a time) with a novel feature, making it unnecessary for networks to demonstrate any serious commitment to male-lib concerns.
The fourth wing was the brainchild of a Moslem fundamentalist, Nation-of-Islam founder Louis Farrakhan. Equality of the sexes in Islamic lands brings to mind the Taliban Moslems now going strong in Afghanistan. Not only are gays, as in Saudi Arabia or Iran executed, but women too are excluded from both schools and hospitals. They must wear beekeepers' fashions, minus, of course, white socks which, in Kabul, are currently verboten, being too sexy for sex-starved Moslem men to behold. Stoning is considered apropos for adulterers. The
Million-Man March was held to help, in part, restore conventional religious laws to the homes where men are undeniably granted scriptural authority as The Masters.
Enter the Promise Keepers, a pale Xerox of The Million-Man March.
When do you have time to "go to work"? Please... |
