The message of the film is that everyone is worse off due to patriarchy. Not just women.
Men need to learn that meeting halfway is not a loss.
Women need to stand ground and also invite men into a changed world.
You’re still trying to make every night a girls night.
The film is about feminism reaching a state of maturity and your anger here is proving to us all that my concerns are on point. I think that there are many men and yes, many women too who are not ready.
I guess that’s one way to see it. It’s not the message of the movie though. The film chooses, like I do, to take a view that men have some catching up to do and that feminism itself can play a role in this by helping to carve out equitable roles.
I don’t claim to know everything about feminism. I’m just pointing out (as the film has too) that this is new territory for a lot of men. You can sit there and shout “Why haven’t you helped yourselves??!” …or you can help and try to build a progressive society together.
The fact that that’s what you took from my post kind of illustrates my point. Albeit ironically.
I agree with you and I think there is even more to evaluate in Ken’s search for meaning.
Remember that he’s ultimately lost even in the real (“mans”) world.
There are two things here:
Feminism left men behind. “Maybe every night didn’t have to be a girls night.” And we have a lot of catching up to do on both sides to bring parity to the situation.
Ken expresses his exhaustion at having to be in control of everything. Much of his anxiety is rooted in a patriarchal worldview that makes him responsible for everything due to the lie that men must control the world.
As a man, husband and father myself I can so identify with that journey. I was abused in my career by managers that wanted me to fight my friends for promotions and I’ve burned out several times due to unrealistic expectations that I had of myself which were ingrained in me by a patriarchal culture. It’s very tiring to be ‘the boss’ and I’ve learned that sharing the load does not weaken me, it makes me stronger,
I think that the film is actually very kind to men. It’s saying: ‘You don’t have to do everything alone.’
I honestly wonder if women are ready though. Like I said and like the movie illustrates: there is a lot to do on both sides. Equity has a cost and I know many women who still find sanctuary in the slipstream of the men in their lives because taking that step out of the shadow takes as much bravery as admitting that you can’t be in control of everything all the time.
I don’t understand why you need this to be a women only issue when clearly it has to do with all of society? That’s literally a direct example of feminism leaving men behind!
Despite your needlessly angry tone I’m still trying to understand you ok?
WRT mansplaining: did you actually watch the film? Because I’m just commenting on what was presented there. If the movie presented feminism as a women only issue then there would be no Ken arc, the film explicitly positions these issues as shared. It’s literally the point of the whole thing. Are you just flying off the handle assuming you know what the film is about without seeing it?
IMO asserting that men cannot comment on or take part in feminism is the antithesis of the message of the film and also just bloody minded sexism.