Christian Feminists an oxymoron
How the matriarchy oppresses men
by John Robson, Senior Writer and Deputy Editiorial Pages Editor, Ottawa Citizen
Monday's Citizen noted chirpily that "According to Health Canada statistics,
suicide in younger men has risen dramatically over the past 40 years, but
there has been little if any research to find out why." There's a big surprise.
The story went on to note that "About 80 percent of suicides in
Canada each year are male." Yawn.
If women were killing themselves in huge and growing numbers, there'd be an
outcry. The Minister responsible for the Status of Women would vow an action
plan. So where's the Minister responsible for the Status of Men? Oh, that's
right. There isn't one. The matriarchy doesn't care about men.
You doubt me? Well, what do you suppose would happen if men were living
five-and-a-half years longer than women and accounting for two-thirds of all
hospital stays and visits to doctors? There'd be a clamour for more spending
on women's health, led by the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.
But since women live five-and-a-half years longer than men and account
for two-thirds of those medical services ... [sic] there's a clamour for more
spending on women's health. And the National Action Committee on the Status of
Men? Oh, that's right. There isn't one.
It's not just the welfare state (although women get on average $2.56 out of
the CPP for every dollar they put in, men only $1.36). It's systemic. Men are
twice as likely as women to be victims of violent crime, and make up about 97
percent of federal prison inmates.
The real problem, as any gender analyst can tell you, is a hegemonic discourse
that privileges certain points of view. Report that women are beaten and abused
and the newspapers will run banner headlines no matter how absurd your
numbers are. (Or invent a statistic about Super Bowl Sunday.)
Never mind the August 1993 Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women report
that 98 percent of women have experienced sexual violence. Just look at
StatsCan's claim three months later that it was 51 percent. Macleans sneered
that "Predictably, some critics were quick to quibble with the numbers." Yes,
Ian Hunter quibbled last year in the National Post that it counted not only an
unsolicited goodnight kiss, but also disappointment at not getting one. As to
female violence, "At the time it was decided that since violence against women
was more prevalent, we would only keep track of that," said a StatsCan
spokeswoman. How do you know it's more prevalent? Well, we did this survey ...
[sic]
B.C. Minister of Women's Equality Sue Hammell wrote openly to the Post that
"to say that women and men are equally violent with each other ignores the
reality of power imbalances and gender inequality." It's hard to keep that in
mind when you've just had your skull cracked by a frying pan, but do try to
pay attention. And the hegemonic discourse rolls on. Jean Chretien can say
"women work harder and talk less" than men and everyone chuckles. If he'd said
men work harder and women gabble too much, all he'd be saying in public now is
"Fore".
And the organizer of a women-only cancer fundraiser in Nanaimo
cancelled a
band found to harbour men, saying "What is the problem? Men have their functions
- why can't we?" And what would those be? The Boy Socuts? No, it
went co-ed. Unlike the Girl Scouts. Big Brothers? No, it went co-ed. Unlike
Big Sisters. Sports? No. Girls can play on boys' teams, but not the reverse.
Female reporters can walk in on naked male athletes, but not the reverse. (Oh,
and in 1993 our Supreme Court ruled 7-0 that female prison guards can frisk
male inmates and see them naked, but not the reverse.)
Change is unlikely, since education is so sytsemically biased. By now 21 percent
of Canadian women age 20 to 29 have university degrees but only 16
percent of men. Women are now 55 percent of undergraduates, and at least half
of masters', law and medical students. Boys, meanwhile, are a disease: 10
percent of boys in Alberta are on Ritalin, and about 80 per cent of those on
such drugs in B.C. are male. By a remarkable coincidence, at SFU 79 percent of
education students are women, as at UBC. (So are 80 per cent of
Ontario's
social workers.)
Since virtually all those school shooters were on such drugs, the government
should forget gun manufacturers and sue educators. Instead, it's seeking women
professors as role models, though in 1997, 99,616 women got university degrees
and only 72,120 men, and nearly 40 per cent of new faculty in the 1990s were
women. But hey, if men want role models, they can just look at the end of a
rope. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among men aged 10 to 49.
True, women attempt suicide three times as often as men, but use less lethal
methods and have one-ninth the success rate. They're trying to get noticed. As
for men, they hardly get noticed even when they succeed.
This made page A14 of the March 31, 2000
print version, but is absent from the
online version(?). There's a feedback form available at
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/frontpage.html.
Neil Reynolds is the
Citizen's
editor (nreynolds@thecitizen.southam.ca). It's important that we show
support
for this kind of journalism.
