On November 22, Jane Gilmore penned an opinion column for Daily Life: Did you forget International Men’s Day? Don’t worry - the men’s rights activists did too.
Gilmore’s entire op-ed aims to pull apart the Men’s Rights Activists “for acting against women rather than ‘for’ men”.
Which is a case of “the pot calling the kettle black” because Gilmore’s squad are just as culpable of applying an identical demonising ideology, but with the genders reversed.
It results in a hall-of-mirrors effect reflecting the very worst of Australia's identity politics conversation.
According to Gilmore, the only time International Men’s Day gets a mention is on the 8th of March each year, which is International Women’s Day.
“Google searches for ‘International Men’s Day’ skyrocket at the beginning of March. They're barely a blip in November, when the actual day rolls around,” Gilmore states.
International Men’s Day struggles because the narrative pushed by Australian feminists and the cultural elite dismisses systemic men’s issues. And the Australian mainstream media fails to promote International Men’s Day.
International Women’s Day however, receives national coverage -- not to mention hugs and kisses from the ABC.
I mean, where was the ‘ALL MALE’’ QANDA episode?
Celebrating men’s achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care whilst highlighting the discrimination against them?
To mark International Women’s Day back in March, QANDA dropped it’s blokes and got an all-female lineup.
Did someone mention EQUALITY?
The reason International Men’s Day rolls by unbeknown to most, is because men simply don’t revel in their own vulnerability. They hide it. Or try to get over it.
If they were to come forward and identify as victims — they would be vilified. It would become another shouting match. So they stay silent.
Let’s face it. The collective mainstream view is that men and boys don’t need their own day to solely focus on issues affecting their gender.
Issues such as the male suicide epidemic and bias against men in the family court.
“Skim over any men's rights activist website and almost every article you find is about domestic violence, soaked in fury that female victims are given more recognition and support than male victims”, states Gilmore.
Dear Ms. Gilmore. Skim over any feminist website and almost every article you find is about victimhood, toxic masculinity and relishing in the suffering of males.
Men obviously deserve to be heard but do themselves no favours with MRA. But on the other hand women also deserve to be heard but the likes of Gilmore, Ford and company don't do their cause much good either.
Both sides are equally toxic and all they end up doing is furthering the division and mistrust that already exists.
***
Vanessa de Largie is an actress, author, sex-columnist, journalist and blogger.