Have we been Disempowered?

Question

Have men been disempowered? Empowerment is the deliberate shifting of power from one group to another. Like Hitler empowered the nazi party in old Germany. And when one group is empowered another group is correspondingly disempowered. Using the German analogy, it was the Jews who were disempowered.

In Brit and the US today, as feministic groups are empowered, do men and normal women become correspondingly disempowered?

[Object of Ire] Silly you if you think this is about humour. Being Black and Jewish I daresay I understand Hitlerism and Naziism and disempowerment a tad more than you do. So if you don't like the truth get out of the kitchen and take your judgemental pseudo-intellectualism with you.

[Object of Ire] No, I am not in the least threatened. D'you think you are the only one with a degree? (I never make a big play of it but I have one of those, too.) The difference is that I am also enlightened enough to have a mind of my own with which to think. Try it sometime.

[Wendy] Just because most legislators happen to be men, it doesn't follow from that that they are trying to 'do down' women. Men in power (and women, I would hope) should set out to represent and look after the interests of ALL people, regardless of sex or colour or anything else.

Answer 1

For those that think men are in "power" please read this:

http://www.dadsnow.org/essay/ZOHRAB1.HTM

excerpt:

"In this case, the weakness is that the fact of a large number of males in these professions does not logically imply that they are "controlling" women any more than they are controlling other men. Men make up the majority in many very low-status occupations, as well as in the high- status ones. More importantly, if the "coercive force of the police" is directed mainly at women, why is it men who constitute the overwhelming majority of those who are arrested by the police ?

The general point is that Feminists assume that men always promote their own interests over those of women. This is not, in fact, true. But, on the other hand, it does seem to be true that, when Feminazis score some political victory, they almost always use their newly-won power to benefit females exclusively. This is because of their persecution-complex."



We haven't been disempowered, but there is a false empowerment movement that makes laws to "level the playing field" by giving unfair advantage to women.

That empowers no one. It treats women like they're incapable of doing things on their own & it violates equal protection clauses in the constitution.

Answer 2

I'm not sure that I believe that there is a direct relationship between the empowerment of one group and the disempowerment of another. I think that's only true if the empowered group has the agenda to disempower another group (as in your Hitler example). So, for example, does empowering the disabled disempower the abled? If a wheel chair ramp is installed at my office, does that disempower me somehow? I don't think so.

So, the question is, are there forces at work (e.g., feminism) designed to disempower men? Probably, but I think this may be more illusory than real. Certainly, men do not have the kind of power that used to be assigned to them purely on the basis of being a man. And so, without a doubt, there is a sense of losing power. But I think there is a lot more than feminism at work, here. And I think this would have occurred in one form or another, with or without feminism. So, you could argue that technology has allowed women to be less dependant on men and thus "empowered."

The main point of this, to me, is that men can no longer assume power based solely on their gender. It is up to us men to empower ourselves through use of our brains, our resolve, our courage, our belief in ourselves. Manliness should be our strength, not our burden.

Answer 3

Men have been very disempowered and there is proof in many objective, clear changes in our society, a few of the more glaring are:

1. the legal system- we have the highest prison population in the developed world and the vast majority are men. If a man is charged with a similar crime to a women, he is more likely convicted and receives much harsher sentencing.

2. Our humor has completely changed, comedians used to start with "take my wife, please", now most jokes either make fun of adult males directly, or in some indirect way shame men, for example when Jay Leno used to constantly make jokes about him and his side kick somehow looking gay.

3. In court, a child will be believed over an adult male, regardless of how much more wisdom, experience and education the man has. A PHD in physics can be thrown in jail if a child makes an accusation against him, even without any evidence in some cases.

4. Men's groups like the Elks club, YMCA, etc. have been either taken over by women and children, or disappeared completely. Men are "not allowed" I guess you could say to congregate without a woman or family as a sort of sponsor. Divorce laws favor the spouse who generates less money, usually the woman. High divorce rate has resulted in many boys being raised by women, and their influence on their sons has empowered women.

5.Most movie and tv plot lines portray men as dumb and irresponsible, and if they are hardworking all the spoils of their labor are suppose to go to the wife and kids and none to him.

6. activities like golf are frowned on because they take time and are mostly enjoyed by men. Many men are not allowed to leave the house for an afternoon. In addition, the public golf course in my town is at risk because they say there is not enough parkland for children, although there is plenty in adjacent cities. It's only a matter of time before people jealous of the men who play there succeed in turning it into a park or children's care center, even though the city will loose money.

7. Sexual assault laws are being changed so they are so hypersensitive a man can be convicted of a rape if the woman had too much to drink for example. In the "he said she said" cases she is generally believed by institutions like colleges and a man can be thrown out school without proof.

The causes of the above are the result of the confluence of multiple differently things, but the most prominent are money as advertisers and film makers want to cater to the person who controls the money, and in America today that is usually the wife. Also,, lawsuits that root to a sexual advance yielding money, and over coverage of child sexual abuse has decreased trust of adult males, and when you loose trust you loose power.

Even though the majority of child murders are perpetrated by women (most murdered kids are killed by a parent) the way the media covers things we see all men as a potential predator. Less than 100 child stranger abductions per year occur per year in our country, but the coverage by tv and radio would have u think a male pervert was lurking around every corner.

The majority of CEO's may be men, but the vast majority of people who experience truly horrid things in their life like suicide, prison, homelessness and premature DEATH are men. The group who has the most in misery is the least powerful in my book, and in America today that is men.

Answer 4

thrilling attitude- from the reaction i think of there are distinctive people who trust you. yet, evaluate this- fact which includes yours- and others above me has placed stress on poeple to no longer communicate up relating to the miracles that they witness. And to declare that is as a miracle in uncomplicated terms forged doubt on their sanity or at applicable their intelligence. are you able to truly say- with comprehensive self belief that there's no supernatural? What we call technological know-how is unquestionably a surprising factor- it has taken misunderstood physics and expalined it in the thank you to de-mystify it. that is massive - for who could decide to flow around and calim that a magnet is magical - or supernatural. yet to be so arrogant - or greater suitable - ignorant - to assert there's no "being" that is bigger than guy. i'm no longer indignant via others who element out that in the process the previous there have been scam artisits and schisters who tried to fool others - plenty as we've at present. yet to then throw out such miracle as bringing a individual lower back from the ineffective after 3 days- (even at present we can not) no longer make the dumb communicate - unles by means of some mechanical gadget. I warning you and others to evaluate the relm of possibilites accessible till now you uncomplicated scoff and push aside somethig you of course do no longer - can no longer understand. I do take my experinces heavily - and that i do no longer declare to appreciate them. yet do no longer make the errors of assuming that i'm a trifling fool or moron who blunders swamp gasoline for some dis-embodied spirit. according to threat it isn't the magic we've lost- however the religion.

Answer 5

No, men still hold most of the positions of power, in general, throughout out our corporations and government. How have men become dis-empowered when it is glaringly obvious that men still hold MOST OF THE POWER? Because women have gained SOME power, you assume that YOUR power is being slowly eroded. As a black man, you do realize that was the same attitude of many white supremacists in America when black people began gaining their rights, don't you?

EDIT--I'm not stating that men in power disenfranchise women. My point is that the vast majority of those in power are men...so how can they be "dis-empowered?"

Answer 6

'Feminist' and 'normal' are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Also, you assume that gains made by feminism are detrimental to the interests of men and 'normal' (whatever that means) women, when that is not always the case. There are feminist goals that correspond to the goals of men and other females, i.e. society as a whole (childcare and maternity leave, equal pay (which benefits male children of single moms), etc).

In the case of Nazis and Jews, their interests were mutually exclusive - that is not necessarily the case with fems and non-fems. It just depends on what specific issues you are talking about (you can't just make blanket statements).

Answer 7

Celtish, keep in mind there are inner powers and there are outer powers. A good example of an inner power is what is inside you. No matter how strong the outer power is, nothing and I do mean nothing can touch that inner power. Now what means is that when a person who grabs on to his/her inner power nothing, though they may be alone, can never touch them.
Perhaps you know what I am talking about.

Answer 8

Please read history, take a course - anything - to enlighten yourself in some manner. As in the case of any political dictatorship, Nazi Germany was supported by the the police, and the military. Without ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER THE INSTRUMENTS OF POWER no such totalitarian regime can materialise. Totalitarian regimes are not grassroots organisations - they rule with an iron fist from the TOP DOWN. It is no mere coincidence that they are ALWAYS RUN BY MEN.

Du-uh. Please grow up. Please try to show a modicum of decorum and class. You are making jokes at the expense of the victims of these regimes. People died horribly, and you find this a subject for humor.

'totalitarianism'

(ttl´´târ´nzm) (KEY) , a modern autocratic government in which the state involves itself in all facets of society, including the daily life of its citizens. A totalitarian government seeks to control not only all economic and political matters but the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its population, erasing the distinction between state and society. The citizen’s duty to the state becomes the primary concern of the community, and the goal of the state is the replacement of existing society with a perfect society.
Various totalitarian systems, however, have different ideological goals. For example, of the states most commonly described as totalitarian—the Soviet Union under Stalin, Nazi Germany, and the People’s Republic of China under Mao—the Communist regimes of the Soviet Union and China sought the universal fulfillment of humankind through the establishment of a classless society (see communism); German National Socialism, on the other hand, attempted to establish the superiority of the so-called Aryan race.

Characteristics
Despite the many differences among totalitarian states, they have several characteristics in common, of which the two most important are: the existence of an ideology that addresses all aspects of life and outlines means to attain the final goal, and a single mass party through which the people are mobilized to muster energy and support. The party is generally led by a dictator and, typically, participation in politics, especially voting, is compulsory. The party leadership maintains monopoly control over the governmental system, which includes the police, military, communications, and economic and education systems. Dissent is systematically suppressed and people terrorized by a secret police. "
http://www.bartleby.com/65/to/totalita.html

Your post is so riddled with fallacious arguments I have only got time to post the first one I came accross:

"Argument From Adverse Consequences (Appeal To Fear, Scare Tactics):
saying an opponent must be wrong, because if he is right, then bad things would ensue. For example: God must exist, because a godless society would be lawless and dangerous. Or: the defendant in a murder trial must be found guilty, because otherwise husbands will be encouraged to murder their wives."

I have no time to post all the many others.

Answer 9

I agree with Mutterha. They don't have anywhere near the power you think and they wished they had. Someone just shoves a microphone in front of their big mouths every once in a while and they rant.

Answer 10

Feminists aim to give more choices to women by giving responsibilities to men.

Carrie:

Define "power." Political power?
- Women vote more than men.

Economic power?
- Women spend 80% of the money.