Mysandry

Alexander Hillmer-McGee ** Mysandry ** Throughout history, there has been a clash not only between men and women but between men different men themselves. The //Oxford English Dictionary// describes Mysandry as being, “the hatred of men (i.e. the male sex specifically)” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2011).
 * Description**

On the topic of mysandry, Robin Morgan, the editor of //Ms. Magazine//, said, “I feel that ‘man-hating’ is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them” (Anti Misandry, 2011). Over the centuries, men have forced women into the role of serving as the vessel to serve their every need including: housework, yard work, childbearing, and childrearing just to name a few. Why do women feel the need to be forced into just doing activities, chores, and careers from these areas? The answer is a feeling of inferiority to men. Paula Rothenberg discussed this in her book, //Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: an Integrated Study//, “With the exception of child care and other domestic work and a few paid occupations related to it, women in almost every field of adult endeavor must labor under the presumption that they are inferior to men, that they are interlopers from the margins of society who must justify their participation. Men may have such experiences because of their race, ethnicity, or other minority standing, but rarely if ever because they’re men” (Rothenberg, 2006). Basically, the difference between the feelings of oppression of men and women is due to difference in their sex. Women are oppressed by men because of their gender and male feelings of oppression are based on life experiences and social structures. The acts of men shunning women into doing remedial jobs, suppressing women’s pay, or forcing them to do domestic duties has created great resentment against men. Women wonder why men do not help out more at home and why they continually oppose equality, such as the Equal Rights Amendment. Many women hold deep hatred of men for how they have helped suppressed them financially and socially for their entire lives. This type of shunning and oppression based on the woman’s sex has led to many women hating men because of it, helping to give rise to the feminist movement that is still continuing today.
 * Men Suppressing Women**

Another reason women hate men is due to the emergence of the male driven rape culture in the United States. Rape culture is described in the book //Transforming a Rape Culture// as, “…a complex of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women….a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violence…[that] condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm” (Buchwald, 2005). Rape culture is basically the acceptance of sexual aggression of men against women as being a normal part of society. Rape culture takes place through sexual harassment in the workplace, through advertisements on television, and through objectifying language men use against women. Naturally, women are going to feel a sense of hate, resentment, and fear of men when they are being subjected to rape culture. In the book, //Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence//, it describes the elements of rape culture being, “…//objectification, dehumanization, disempowerment, and isolation//…” (Ochoa, 2007). For example, a woman is going to have hatred towards her male peer if he sexually harasses her in the following manner. In 1996, Lt. General Claudia Kennedy, who was the United States Army’s highest ranking female officer at the time, filed a report alleging one of her fellow male officers, “…fondled her in her office…” (Reaves, 2000). This example of sexual harassment gained national attention when the officer who was accused of fondling Lt. General Kennedy was, “…either promoted or given a much-coveted posting” (Reaves, 2000). In the context of rape culture, this example fits each element because it made Lt. General Kennedy the officer’s personal sex object and dehumanized her. Additionally, the act of sexually harassing her in this manner took away her power over her own body and isolated her from her other army officers. However, the part of this case that caused national outrage by women was the fact the Army fully condoned the accused officer’s actions by giving him a promotion. Few situations are going to make women hate men more than to see men who sexually assault women get away with it. This situation was a great example of men promoting a rape culture where fondling women against their will is perfectly acceptable. Women knowing men can have this kind of power over them is going to promote female hatred of men.
 * Rape Culture**

However, mysandry is not just limited to women hating men. Mysandry can also go a different way with men hating other men for different reasons such as competition for women, and the questioning of another man’s manhood. On the topic of competition for women, apparently men fighting other men for the right to mate with women is not a recent phenomena. On an excavation led by researchers from Durham University, the team found evidence of men and children being killed, with the women being spared (Durham University, 2008). Lead author of the excavation’s study, Dr. Alex Bentley of Durham University’s Anthropology Department, said, “It seems this community was specifically targeted, as could happen in a cycle of revenge between rival groups. Although resources and population were undoubtedly factors in central Europe around that time, women appear to be the immediate reason for the attack… Our analysis points to the local women being regarded as somehow special and were therefore kept alive” (Durham University, 2008). The findings of this excavation show significant evidence that males in ancient times would go as far as to kill other males in order to have a female to mate. Even though killing over women is not as common now, men fighting over women is still a significant source for hatred between men.
 * Competition for Women**

Additionally, another source of mysogeny is for heterosexual men to question the masculinity of homosexual men. Overall, society has decided that certain qualities have been assigned to make up what we have come to know as masculinity. These qualities are, “…toughness, strength, high levels of sexual desire, and a capacity for violence” (Crowe, 2009). In the eyes of many heterosexual men, they feel that homosexual men cannot truly be masculine because of their sexual orientation. In the instance of Private First Class Barry Winchell, he lost his life, “In July 1999, Pfc Barry Winchell, an openly gay soldier who had been harassed by members of his U.S. Army company, was murdered by one of them, an eighteen-year-old private who beat him to death with a baseball bat while he slept” (Fone,2000). This violence took place because one male soldier did not think that Pfc Winchell fit the typical profile of being masculine. He overlooked all of the possible masculine qualities he likely had and focused solely on the fact that his sexual orientation was different. This focus on sexual orientation versus the possible presence of the aforementioned masculine characteristics is another root of mysogeny.
 * Homophobia**

Anti Misandry. (2011). Feminist quotes. //Anti Misandry//. Retrieved from http://antimisandry.com/feminist-misandry/feminist-quotes-20106.html
 * References**

Buchwald, E., Fletcher, P., & Roth, M. (2005). //Transforming a rape culture//. Minneapolis: Milkweek Editions.

Crowe. F., Hill, E., & Hollingum, B. (eds.). (2009). //Sex and society: volume 2//. Terrytown: Marshall Cavendish Reference

Durham University. (2008). Prehistoric man killed over woman. //Durham University//. Retrieved from http://www.dur.ac.uk/news/newsitem/?itemno=6585

Fone, B. (2000). //Homophobia: a history//. New York: Picador

Freeman, M. (Reporter). (2009). //1st woman U.S. army three-star general to discuss ‘breaking barriers’ at UCF// [Press Release]. Retrieved on April 9, 2011, from: http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=002400413702bfed0124310819fb 006703&subject_id=0024004102975ad83011b2b83251c0c35

Mills, K. (Blogger). (2008). //Dads aren’t slacking, are getting some// [Blog Post]. Retrieved on April 9, 2011 from: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/02/14/even-more-on-sex-and-chores-and-chore-sex.aspx

Ochoa, M. and Ige, B. (2007). //Shout out: women of color respond to violence//. Emeryville: Seal Press.

Oxford English Dictionary. (2011). Misandry. //Oxford English Dictionary//. Retrieved from http://english.oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0523870#m_en_gb0523870

Reaves, J. (2000). Latest army scandal is a three-star embarrassment. //CNN//. Retrieved from http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/03/31/general3_31.a.tm/

Rothenberg, P. (2006). //Race, class, and gender in the United States: an integrated study//. New York: Worth Publishers.