Why Men Matter, Why You Should Care

Digging through some old online archives, I stumbled upon gem from 2010.  My husband was going to The Art Institute of Orange County, and I read this article in their school newspaper.  I was drawn to it, saved it, and even today, still feel like it deserves a larger spot light.  Men deserve it.

The author of this article, Lindsey Newman, is currently a copywriter in the Los Angeles area.  You can find out more about her at her website: lindseynewmanwrites.com.  Besides copywriter, she's also a blogger, designer, artist, photographer, and wannabe chef.  We also both live off of caffeine! Lindsey can be contacted via email at
hirelindseynewman@gmail.com.


Why Men Matter, Why You Should Care
by Lindsey Newman

For the past century we have been a nation focused on gender and race equality. Starting with women's suffrage in the early 1900s and 60s, to the feminist movement of the 60s and 70s (not to mention the current election of our first African-American president), we have made great strides in our development as a country. However, it seems that as of late we may be reversing our progress by ignoring the differences inherent to what we were originally created to be: men and women.


When was the last time you turned on the TV and saw an intelligent, good-looking, moral man--who is also a father? If you watch American media, the odds of finding one are slim to none. Think about it: the ABC sitcom "According to Jim" features Jim Belushi as the dimwitted husband with a hot wife, Courtney Thorne-Smith, who takes care of everything, including Jim; the Fox animated show "Family Guy" features Peter Griffin as the blubbering idiot who messes everything up while wife Lois stands patiently by his side, offering constant support and encouragement; the most recent commercials for cleaning products imply that husbands make all the mess; and a tupperware company has an ad for a container that's "husband-proof." But why is this? Why all the negativity towards men?

It seems that in the last decade or so we have moved so far away from feminism's original pro-female intent that the movement's message has now become staunchly anti-male. The focus is no longer on what is great about women, but rather on what is awful about men. We may think this is silly and a non-issue because "we know better" than to think every male is like that. The truth is even if we do, children don't, and this constant bombardment with negative images of male figures leads to desensitization, making them less likely to recognize that the image is wrong, no matter what they've been taught. To children, the image of men as idiots, bad guys, and losers seems right. It is no longer that one man is bad; its that all men are. With this perception constantly present in the media, young girls will grow up thinking it is okay to mistreat men, and young boys will grow up thinking it's okay to be mistreated by women.

Feminism was founded on the principle that men are men and women are women--with equal rights. But now it seems women are becoming men. Kathleen Parker discusses this in her book "Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care." Parker distinguishes between two types of women: "reasonable feminists," those who believe in fair pay, fair opportunity, and independence; and the "extremists," those who have assumed both roles, treating gender as interchangeable, excommunicating men from their lives and the lives of children. Parker discusses the scientific research in her book, much of which supports the fact that children of both genders who have both positive male and female influences grow up being much better off than children who are constantly forced to side with one or the other.

Parker also talks about the various waves of feminism and how they have affected our lives: "The first wave got women the vote; second wave got them jobs and divorce; third wave made them porn stars." Feminism is spinning out of control into a world where females are discarding our traditional image of men as strong, capable individuals. There is now a social and cultural degradation of men. If there is some trait of a man that stands out, women try to fix it. For example, primary school teachers are mostly female; therefore, their teaching style benefits mostly females. Many young boys are told by these teachers they have Attention Deficit Disorder simply because they do not pay attention. However, it is not because they have ADD that they aren't paying attention, its because they are bored. Boys don't want arts and crafts projects: they want to run around and build things. They want to knock things over, not make them pretty. These are genetic differences between males and females. It is in our DNA. Men were originally created to be hunters and bring home the food, while women produced and raised children, tended to the home, and rewarded the male with a prepared meal after a long day of hunting. Now obviously we are not in the Stone Age, but that does not mean that all fundamental differences between males and females have vanished into thin air.

We cannot try conquering one gender or the other because both need to be accepted and looked at as different. Take the Civil Rights Act of 1964: it did not eliminate races (or racism); it made races equal under the law. This is what feminism needs to do. We need to take a look at what is happening with gender and reverse it. Perhaps women should take a step back toward chivalry and practice being a bit more docile without becoming subservient. Or maybe we should take a look at men and see them as the human beings they are--alive with feelings, warmth and emotions. After all, there would be no mankind without men.



Soli Deo Gloria.