Myself and BQ (maybe a few others) recently sent MH editor an email regarding the new and "wonderful" feminist blog on the Mens Health Website.
I never got a response so recent my previous email and also sent it here.
[email protected]He responded pretty fast and I was hopeful until I read his email. I will post my email first then his:
"It seems you recently launched a "feminist blog" on your website menshealth.com and too me this is a little offensive. Feminism in my experiance has nothing to do with equality and instead constantly bashes men. The most recent feminist post
"Happy super bowl! Not just any Roethlisberger rant" being the perfect example. Also if you read the comments (minus the ones from the girls coming over from there feminist websites to comment about how "wonderful" it is that mens health has a fem blog) most of the comments dont seem to like the idea of a feminist blog on a mens health website either.
NOW (largest feminist org in america) posts "action alerts" against shared parenting bills that would give fathers equal custody rights.
http://www.glennsacks.com/enewsletters/enews_11_28_06.htm The AAUW (another feminist org) back in 2008 actually tried to use the "wage gap" as justification for ignoring boys troubles in school (they represent only 43% of college attendance now).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peg-tyre/who-says-the-boy-crisis-i_b_104172.html So I do continue to visit menshealth.com but I find it pretty offensive that you would have a feminist blog on a mens health website, but if you have a feminist blog on your website then the least you can do is have a mens rights blog as well as I'm sure I can find someone who would be willing to work it.
Hope you respond soon
Ryan
His reply
"Hey Ryan,
Thanks for writing. I'm a senior editor here at the magazine, and have sent your note along to the writer of our feminism blog. But I wanted to add my own two cents in here as well.
I understand where you're coming from, but would encourage you to take a quick peek into the history of feminism. Yes, the word means a lot of different things, and the movement has come in rather distinct "waves," and, as you point out in those links, some organizations that label themselves feminist can certainly do things that seem or are one-sided and aggressive.
But commonly, in today's understanding of the word "feminism" (and as I've always thought of it), we're really just talking about equality--an equal consideration of all needs and points of view. When we give relationship advice in the magazine, you could pretty reasonably, I think, argue that it's feminist advice just as much as it is masculine advice, because it's all about finding equal ground and understanding each other. Nothing wrong with that.
As for your suggestion of a men's rights blog: It's a good one, but we'd hope that the entire magazine, and everything we publish, is a strong promoter of men's rights.
So thanks for reading us, and caring enough to reach out on this issue. There's nothing saying you have to read our feminist blog--we publish a ton more, on all issues--but we're happy to be giving voice to lots of perspectives here, regardless of whether anyone can agree on what "feminist" really means. To me, at least, it's a word worth embracing, but you're free to disagree.
Best,
Jason."