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The Men’s and Women’s March
You mean you haven’t heard of the Men’s and Women’s March? You must have been living in a cave! Or you suddenly realize that no one has ever thought to organize such an exciting and significant event. And that it’s long overdue.
One notable freedom we have in this country is the freedom of assembly, which includes marches and protests. We have many of them, large and small, sometimes one-time events, sometimes annual demonstrations. To get a sampling, go here. We tend to see mostly Leftist demonstrations (notably the Right to Life is an exception), whose values mostly conflict with the values of the Right. So I propose it’s time to have a march that speaks to the men and women of this country, their traditional views and values.
The goals of this march would be multi-faceted:
- To celebrate that men and women are different: physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
- To honor relationships that are not equal, but are equitable, giving men and women the opportunity to act in those areas where they are gifted and can and want to contribute.
- To have a sense of humor about how men and women often don’t understand each other, but appreciate that those mysteries are intriguing and part of the human condition.
- To acknowledge that men and women love each other, support each other, grow with each other, honor each other, and celebrate each other with all their foibles and strengths.
- To stress the importance of appreciating differences, and not locking men or women into stereotypes that prevent them from learning and growing.
- To unite in condemning forces that create hostility and barriers between men and women.
- To embrace the paradox that we will have moments where we want to throttle each other and hug each other. (Well, okay, this might not be part of the formal platform.)
- To tell not just citizens of the United States but the world how intolerant we are—intolerant of those who try to divide men and women instead of bringing them together.
- To declare that those who insist on condemning these foundations are not supporting the improvement of the world, but its destruction.
- To encourage men and women to speak of each other honorably, speak to each other with love, curiosity, and empathy, and speak for each other publicly as a united, powerful force for commitment and marriage.
Wouldn’t you love to see this Men’s and Women’s March? Don’t you think it would be a force for hope, goodness, and unity?
Published in Culture
What?! And undermine the research on asexual reproduction?!
It’s a nice idea, but it smacks of All Lives Matter — and I think it would be met with similar hostility.
So we should back off because others won’t like it!? Like we always do. Sigh.
I might go if my wife lets me . . .
People who espouse these goals are demonstrating them every day and are too busy doing so to bother traveling to a central location to say what they do every day.
Good point. I’d be making the statement to those who don’t know the beauty of living a life of love and integrity, instead of anger and hate.
No, I’m just suggesting that that’s how it would be seen.
I don’t know what to make of the xyz march paradigm in general. The pro-life march is a good one, though broadly ignored by the media. It’s addressing a very specific issue, a rare one in that it’s defending something — someone — without those who are marching being themselves victims. I think that gives it a lot of moral strength, and a lot of dignity.
It’s hard for almost any other kind of march to do that, because marches seem typically (I could be wrong about this) to be people who are claiming a grievance of some sort, some kind of victim status. And that isn’t what you’re talking about.
I love the points you brought up. I think they’re sane, conservative, natural, right, and appropriate. They’re also useful — they’re the points of the kind of discussion that should go on in the public sphere, to respond to some of the nuttiness that achieves the status of popular wisdom.
It just seems so… normal. And normal people don’t march on D.C. They’re busy being… normal.
How would it be received? I think the media would never get past point #1: Men and Women are Different.
Even though it is obviously, deeply, fundamentally, incontrovertibly true.
Hank, I vehemently disagree. (Well, vehemently might be a little strong. ;-) ) To you and @fullsizetabby, I’ll address your points this way:
I don’t know what to make of the xyz march paradigm in general. The pro-life march is a good one, though broadly ignored by the media. It’s addressing a very specific issue, a rare one in that it’s defending something — someone — without those who are marching being themselves victims. I think that gives it a lot of moral strength, and a lot of dignity.
Precisely! We are not victims, or are we? (see below) and we have something very important to defend: traditional relationships. We rejoice in them and honor them, and that is something to tell the world. We men and women also come from moral strength and dignity. Maybe someday the media will pay attention, but for now, we should be shouting it to the rooftops!
I love the points you brought up. I think they’re sane, conservative, natural, right, and appropriate. They’re also useful — they’re the points of the kind of discussion that should go on in the public sphere, to respond to some of the nuttiness that achieves the status of popular wisdom.
Thank you! But if we keep saying that no one will pay attention, what is our motivation for trying to discuss traditional relationships between men and women? Will the other side start the discussion. Not likely.
It just seems so… normal. And normal people don’t march on D.C. They’re busy being… normal.
How would it be received? I think the media would never get past point #1: Men and Women are Different.
Even though it is obviously, deeply, fundamentally, incontrovertibly true.
This comment is not directed to you specifically, Hank, but I think there are a lot of people on the Left who crave normality, resent us for having great lives, and since they are so neurotic, think that they are the ones who should remake the world. I love normality! My biggest gripe is that unlike your point, I think that to a certain degrees, conservatives and Republicans are whiners: this won’t work, that won’t work, they won’t listen to us, nobody cares, we don’t do that sort of thing. We have agreed to simply cave in and let them run all over us. Can’t we be wildly creative and celebrate those things they don’t understand in a way that can’t be ignored, that will get their attention?! I’m worn out from all the people who refuse to take risks and try something new. We’re just as bad as our inept representatives and senators in the swamp.
My dear, maybe you can be. I’m an old stick-in-the-mud.
I figure that’s the secret to my charm. ;)
And you do have a boatload of that!
I’d pay to got to an All Lives Matter march. What’s wrong with that? Someone said that politics is downhill from culture. No one every really knows where they stand until others open up their mouths. I think that this is just the kind of open counter to cultural terraforming that the rest of the country needs. Right?
I like it. A lot. This will be tongue in cheek, but not mocking or sarcastic; sometimes good ideas grow out of outlandish suggestions.
Everybody loves a parade. Have floats. Make it start?, end?, start and end? at the Mall. Invite all the Harley clubs riding ahead and rear guard, flying American flags. Follow them with floats of all the American actors who have trouble getting jobs because they’re conservatives, a marching band playing God Bless America and Battle Hymn of the republic, an AMA float all in white lab coats (just like 0bama had at the White House signing of 0bamacare), followed by the Meatpackers of America, and the American Cosmetologists’ Association, maybe some MMA fighters, and in between each float tens of thousands of those who agree, who are married, maybe with kids, and their dogs.
CNN will be covering it just to mock it. But normal people will see it and agree and know that they have a voice to now.
There are lots, of normal people in America. I think it would be great.
Men and Women Do March Together, you know.
@flicker, this is brilliant!! You have made my week! You were able to deal with the subject playfully and creatively! Rather than listen to Republicans and conservatives make the same old excuses, I’d rather to listen to ideas like yours any day. Thank you for germinating an idea that I think has tremendous potential in the real world. IF our side would get off their duffs!
I’m laughing a little as I write this because I was really kind of serious. :) I think you have a great idea. And it will help a lot of people point to left-leaning friends as say, “See? That’s who we are.”
If I could give a couple pieces of advice? Follow a great story, a great image, a great message of your own, not a blueprint of the million man march — because then the message was all about the numbers, and nowadays these things have almost become a ratings event rather than a social event with meaning — look at Trump’s inauguration.
Make it something other than a “march” if you can — we’re inundated with marches over every grievance — make it a celebration.
Not necessarily an arena — unless Trump shows up — he’s go the lock on that. :)
And if I may also suggest, make it an even in which every picture gives the message of men and women in happy unity — smiles, children, cotton candy — when The Press shows film reels (I can’t believe I just typed that) let them mock the giant balloons of Adam and Eve, or of the idiotic smiles on all the people’s faces, or hypocritical use of children as symbols, or the carnival atmosphere, let the viewer be left with the happy images, something they would like to have been at themselves. It’s not wrong to be heterosexual, but sometimes I believe they want us to feel that it’s bad in some way. Show the good side.
I hope this helps a bit. But it’s your idea, you’ll do best by doing your way.
I look forward to it.
Excellent follow-up suggestions, @flicker. But I can’t imagine spearheading this idea. I sure would be glad to support someone and participate, but I wouldn’t know where to start. Is this bait and switch?
Is it? :) I am not disinclined, but I am not logistically able at this time. And I lack the networking capabilities to do more than help. You can still present the idea to anyone who’l listen and may be able to help. Maybe ask someone to start a GoFundMe campaign just to get the word out? Maybe someone will come along.
Maybe there’s some way we can go forward with this idea.
Hostility = intolerance
Seems to me some “woke” need waking. Raise some consciences.
Anyone that is hostile to All Lives Matter need to be woke to the fact that their values are discriminatory and in line with every genocidal regime in history. And, of course, many of those identity politics curricula.
Completely agree, @sisyphus. Thanks.
And Dixie.
The Men’s and Women’s march is long overdue. It’s an excellent idea.
Henry, I continue to get the idea that you seem to think we’ll win the culture wars by being silent and invisible.
Susan, here is some inspiration for you on what Righties can learn from Lefties about how to Organize.
It goes on from there . . .
I thought after reading that is was something on the books for 2019, but nothing scheduled – it took place in the past, when men were just men and women were just women. It is a superb idea and needed now more than ever – the points you made say it all.
Then you aren’t paying attention, as I’ve said, again and again, that we have to speak up and be the very opposite of silent and invisible.
But I’m more interested in conversations than performance art. Sure, have a march, if you think that will persuade anyone. I just don’t think that’s how you change minds. I think we change minds at the local level, one on one and in small groups, in our families and workplaces and communities.
The press is our cultural enemy: it will portray a march as a hate event if it covers it at all, emphasizing hostility and asserting bigotry, and ignoring the ideas behind it. If it makes people feel good to participate, strengthens their solidarity and resolve, then that’s fine.
But we are losing the culture from the top down; win win back the culture from the bottom up. In my opinion.
I love the way this guy thinks, @drewinwisconsin. It’s long overdue!
A march is just one way to win hearts and minds. The reason I love it is that people come together, something that @drewinwisconsin points out doesn’t happen much on the right. I’m not big on big groups. But lots of people love the idea of coming together; just look at Trump’s rallies. I think having multi-faceted ways of engaging people has real merit.
Also, I think we have to stop pulling back because of the what the Leftist media will say. By being public and persistent, we may have a chance, here and there, of breaking through their dominance.
And you and Drew could well be right. I’m probably a poor one to comment about group action, because I have so little interest in it. I think that we have a lot of ways of communicating, of not being silent, and I’m interested in the more day-to-day ones. I should be a little more sensitive to the idea that other people see use in the rally format.
You are a very sensitive man, and we all appreciate that! I know how you feel about a march, as I said, I don’t like crowds. But I think we must try to expand our opportunities to engage people in many different ways. Thanks for your generous response to my comment!