Why it’s not ok to say ‘Kill All Men’
[Editor’s note: all tweets referred to in this article have been verified by the editor]
In 1967 American radical feminist Valerie Jean Solanas self-published a book called ‘SCUM Manifesto’. It argued for eliminating the male sex, and ‘SCUM’ is said to be an acronym for ‘Society for Cutting Up Men’.Some people thought SCUM Manifesto was satire. They were wrong. In 1968 Solanas attempted to murder pop artist Andy Warhol by shooting him. She also shot art critic Mario Amaya, and attempted to shoot Warhol's manager, Fred Hughes. Some people think this attitude has gone away. They are wrong.
“Kill All Men”, “Men are Trash”, “Male Privilege”, “Manspreading”, “Mansplaining”, “Toxic Masculinity”, “Patriarchy”, , “Oppressors, not oppressed”, boys and men can’t turn a corner these days without hearing some phrase generalising males as privileged, abusive or scum.
Misandry is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against boys and men in general, and is often associated with the suffering of males being mocked, minimised, dismissed, encouraged and celebrated.
Whilst there are arguably various examples of misandry influencing behaviour and decisions taking place on local and national levels as well as on micro and macro levels, nowhere is misandry more noticeably prevalent on social media.
As of 18th November 2021, typing ‘Kill All Men’ into the Twitter search bar produced 87 profiles, whist typing ‘Kill All Women’ into the Twitter search bar produced 16 profiles. Typing ‘Proud Misandrist’ into the Twitter search bar produced 26 profiles, whist typing ‘Proud Misogynist’ into the Twitter search bar produced 4 profiles. Perhaps this shows how those with misandrist are more likely to publicly promote them than those with misogynist views.
Whilst it’s relatively easy to find posts highlighting the killing of all men, the termination of male babies, the declaration of being a misandrist, and the desire to see men going to war to die, it is perhaps even more concerning that this mindset has been displayed by a number of professionals who may be involved in influencing and supporting vulnerable boys.
‘I’m pregnant! Wondering if it’s a girl or an abortion’ – paraphrased post by multiple people on Twitter, names withheld
Kate Leth; a writer for animated series ‘High Guardian Spice’ and ‘Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!’ refused to apologise after posting various misandrist comments on social media that included ‘Kill All Men’ and ‘Men Are Trash’. In 2017 Deputy Editor of HuffPost Personal Emily McCombs posted the tweet below commenting on the killing of “all men”. Someone claiming to be a school girls hockey coach said they taught girls the logic of the “kill all men” idea.
“New Year’s resolutions: 1. Cultivate female friendships 2. Band together to kill all men” Emily McCombs, Huffington Post deputy editor
I have been contacted by a number of men enrolled on gender studies courses at various universities across the country, telling me how they often hear misandrist comments from fellow students. Some of these men tell me how they feel uncomfortable at the idea of challenging such misandry, despite such courses regularly preaching that misogyny is unacceptable.
Supporting this view of gender studies courses, there are examples on Twitter from someone with a PhD in Gender Studies including the hashtag ‘Kill All Men’, suggesting that “men deserve less”, and that men are “Useless”.
Perhaps it’s worth wondering how prevalent such attitudes are on gender studies, and how such attitudes may influence practice and behaviour that could subsequently adversely affect boys and men.
Universities are not the only educational establishments that display misandrists attitudes. Parents of boys attending Brauer College in Victoria, Australia were “outraged” after their sons were forced to apologise to girl students for the behaviours of their gender, in a whole school assembly. Let’s be honest; it’s hard to imagine schools forcing girls to apologise to boys for the behaviour of their gender. Whilst boys at Brauer College being forced to apologise to girls in this way received media attention, I am sure it is more than reasonable to say that girls being forced to apologise to boys for the behaviour of their gender would have received significantly more media attention.
Whilst some thoughtlessly say that misandry only hurts feelings and has no association with actual harm to boys and men, this is simply not true. At the mild end, boys are telling us that they are adversely affected by such misandrist comments. Tweets can be found that highlight how boys feel in regards to ‘Kill All Men’, with some saying that it makes them worry if they have done something wrong, and others feeling the need to apologise for being a man. Some say ‘Kill All Men’ affects their mental health, some say boys are being humiliated for being boys, and others expressing sadness and suicidal thoughts.
At the severe end, there are examples of misandry being associated with severe harm against men. For example, in 2018 one of one of Britain’s youngest killer’s Jolene Doherty murdered fellow teenager Conner Cowper only hours after meeting him. A 2019 article highlights how prison sources claim she has been bragging about the brutal killing, telling them she hates men, and that her hatred of men was the reason for the murder.
While some may say misandry is not real, they are wrong, and the information provided in this short blog proves it. Some may say misandry only hurts feelings, implying that the feelings of boys and men apparently do not matter. In an era where we are constantly telling boys and men to open up more, how can we reasonably expect them to do this when they are simultaneously getting the message, loud and clear, that their feelings don’t matter.
It’s time to recognise that misandry is real, and is as sick as any other prejudice. It’s time to call out those who show contempt for men, just as we would call out anyone for showing contempt to someone because of any other characteristic protected by the Equality Act (2010).
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Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, legal advice, or other professional opinion. Never disregard such advice because of this article or anything else you have read from the Centre for Male Psychology. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of, or are endorsed by, The Centre for Male Psychology, and we cannot be held responsible for these views. Read our full disclaimer here.
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Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell is a senior accredited counsellor and psychotherapist and trainer and has over 19 years’ experience specialising in working with boys and men who have experienced recent and/or historic abuse in all its forms. You can follow Phil on Twitter, visit his website and find his book here on Amazon.