Do men who dislike modern feminism have respect for feminists from previous decades?
I have immense respect for older forms of feminism and for more moderate elements within the contemporary movement. If more feminists were like the self-described “Old feminist”, Susan Haack, I would unhesitatingly call myself “feminist”. Fundamentally, it’s about two things. One is emphasizing our humanity and that we, as men and women, are far more like one another than like anything else and we should build on our shared humanity. And two is about the value of individuality and difference. People shouldn’t be constrained to set roles but should be allowed to flourish according to their own aptitudes, values, and temperament. I also think it’s preposterous to say women have too many rights. If particular laws are discriminatory one way or the other, that needs to be addressed – and in a few cases, MRAs seem to have legitimate complaints – but the phrase “too many rights” is inherently offensive to me.
