Excellent! Very well written, easy to understand, read and absorb. You may be a bit of a lone male voice in a space where we need more men, able to articulate and communicate that which I sometimes, as a woman even find difficult to do so. The good thing is having written this well thought out and researched piece, it will stand the test of time. Because we still have to hope that one day we won’t be living defensively or in opposition to the (a) patriarchy. Because again we cant lose the hope, institutions that support it are dismantled, gone for good. That we can still hold hope that it is not ALL men or indeed, even some women. And that your voice will be a beacon of light for more men to follow.
Great essay. I think it’s interesting that feminist men have a need to find other feminist men to look to for answers, rather than just listen to women themselves. I certainly have made this mistake in the past.
Other people have made this point, but I think men (white in particular), are so used to seeing themselves in the protagonist role of all media, that they struggle to relate to anyone who doesn’t look exactly like them, while the rest of the world has adapted to a lack of representation, and are able to see themselves in people that don’t look like them. Representation is important, not just for unrepresented people to have, but also for the overly-represented white men to let go of. I try to relate to people that don’t look like me. It builds respect and humanizes people, because you see them as a person before a societally-constructed label.
It reminds me of the Alan Watts joke that the first astronaut returned from space, and when asked if they met God, said “Yes, and she’s Black”.
You make a fantastic point and I’m grateful for you dropping this comment. Would you be willing to allow me to quote you and expand on your point in a future piece?
Everyone discounts women, that’s what the patriarchy does to us. Even many women will credit feminist theory more from a man. It’s also that when a man admits that the patriarchy exists, he does so against his own “interests.”
I find the same thing when I talk to white women about racism. I get zero pushback, but my Indigenous friends have to bring receipts.
THANK YOU for this! Keeping a close eye on this story since 2023 has made me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Absolutely insane how Justin got the public to so successfully come for Blake’s throat while applauding HIM as the champion of women. And I could not agree more about how often this story illicits eye rolls - relegated to silly celebrity gossip. I wrote an article about it a year and a half ago which was shared widely but almost every single share felt the need to add the caveat “I don’t usually follow celebrity news… but this is a good article” Hmm do you know WHY we think talking about the lives of famous people is so very silly? (Rhymes with schmatriarchy) Because it’s filed under the realm of women and thus dismissed as unimportant and ridiculous.
There have always been men who abuse their power even in progressive spaces. Just look at Jim Jones, dude started a whole cult luring people in with dreams of equality but privately he was manipulating a crap ton if women, beating the children, and doing God knows what else. He just knew how to speak pretty words which is the one thing women need to learn. Words don't mean shit-all unless they're followed by actions. A man who preaches for women while cutting them off is not following with action, he's doing the exact opposite and letting you know who he is - someone whose not to be trusted.
Excellent! I agree with others. This is intelligent, the cadence is easy to read. The way details are laid out pinpoint the deeper issues inside this topic. That movie would have bombed on its own merit had the salacious value of the lawsuit not driven it onto the radar. That movie has Baldoni holding a child in a tense moment and being the voice of reason in that moment. That abuser saves his daughter from himself. What a work of fiction that could only be imagined by an unhinged man signaling to men like him.
Thank you for this, love all the context & history of massively dodgy behaviour by Baldoni, beyond what I had followed with this story. Looking forward to this series very much!
Excellent! Very well written, easy to understand, read and absorb. You may be a bit of a lone male voice in a space where we need more men, able to articulate and communicate that which I sometimes, as a woman even find difficult to do so. The good thing is having written this well thought out and researched piece, it will stand the test of time. Because we still have to hope that one day we won’t be living defensively or in opposition to the (a) patriarchy. Because again we cant lose the hope, institutions that support it are dismantled, gone for good. That we can still hold hope that it is not ALL men or indeed, even some women. And that your voice will be a beacon of light for more men to follow.
Great essay. I think it’s interesting that feminist men have a need to find other feminist men to look to for answers, rather than just listen to women themselves. I certainly have made this mistake in the past.
Other people have made this point, but I think men (white in particular), are so used to seeing themselves in the protagonist role of all media, that they struggle to relate to anyone who doesn’t look exactly like them, while the rest of the world has adapted to a lack of representation, and are able to see themselves in people that don’t look like them. Representation is important, not just for unrepresented people to have, but also for the overly-represented white men to let go of. I try to relate to people that don’t look like me. It builds respect and humanizes people, because you see them as a person before a societally-constructed label.
It reminds me of the Alan Watts joke that the first astronaut returned from space, and when asked if they met God, said “Yes, and she’s Black”.
You make a fantastic point and I’m grateful for you dropping this comment. Would you be willing to allow me to quote you and expand on your point in a future piece?
Go for it, I’m excited to read it! I appreciate the response
Everyone discounts women, that’s what the patriarchy does to us. Even many women will credit feminist theory more from a man. It’s also that when a man admits that the patriarchy exists, he does so against his own “interests.”
I find the same thing when I talk to white women about racism. I get zero pushback, but my Indigenous friends have to bring receipts.
THANK YOU for this! Keeping a close eye on this story since 2023 has made me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Absolutely insane how Justin got the public to so successfully come for Blake’s throat while applauding HIM as the champion of women. And I could not agree more about how often this story illicits eye rolls - relegated to silly celebrity gossip. I wrote an article about it a year and a half ago which was shared widely but almost every single share felt the need to add the caveat “I don’t usually follow celebrity news… but this is a good article” Hmm do you know WHY we think talking about the lives of famous people is so very silly? (Rhymes with schmatriarchy) Because it’s filed under the realm of women and thus dismissed as unimportant and ridiculous.
There have always been men who abuse their power even in progressive spaces. Just look at Jim Jones, dude started a whole cult luring people in with dreams of equality but privately he was manipulating a crap ton if women, beating the children, and doing God knows what else. He just knew how to speak pretty words which is the one thing women need to learn. Words don't mean shit-all unless they're followed by actions. A man who preaches for women while cutting them off is not following with action, he's doing the exact opposite and letting you know who he is - someone whose not to be trusted.
Excellent! I agree with others. This is intelligent, the cadence is easy to read. The way details are laid out pinpoint the deeper issues inside this topic. That movie would have bombed on its own merit had the salacious value of the lawsuit not driven it onto the radar. That movie has Baldoni holding a child in a tense moment and being the voice of reason in that moment. That abuser saves his daughter from himself. What a work of fiction that could only be imagined by an unhinged man signaling to men like him.
Excellent! Thank you so much!
Thank you for this, love all the context & history of massively dodgy behaviour by Baldoni, beyond what I had followed with this story. Looking forward to this series very much!
Thank you for writing this. 🙏🏻
Well done history and analysis! Excellent work! Good luck on your journey to a larger platform because we need your voice.
This is well examined by one of the few men capable enough to see the farce for what it is; another layer of machination for female subjugation.
This is very well said.