So help me learn
Seems like some of the younger males, from America, are expressing rage at the continued
feminist movement
Calavera and al are both from Australia? Right?
I wonder, does religion play a large role in how your country governs itself?
Religion is not a big thing here. Our prime Minister is an Atheist. No one really gives a shit she is (in fact everyone gave her big ups for admitting it).
As stated above, I think what both me and Calavera are saying is that Feminism is good and women's rights are important. Women are and should be considered equal to men. There are countries not so enlightened in gender equality and women's rights and pointing out this lacking is fair. Trying to make a case for that in Western countries like Australia is probably not that relevant, this goes double for introducing the fact that rape still exists in Australia or that gender differences exist in pay (though with this I think that stats would be dodgy). If the law protects both, it is enforceable, it is enforced and there is no cultural bias against it....what further improvements to be made. (No the "well they are heading in the right direction but they still have a way to go". If there is no more to be done they have no way left to go. Game over. Next issue) It is the same as chauvinism or misogyny. If or when it exists then yes it is not a culturally supported position but a personal position.
There are definitely some ongoing battles Feminists are fighting and the more enlightened in society that are worthy and worth discussing. There are some social aspects like the ones I mentioned which should be tackled hard. Rape and Gender discrimination in matters like pay that are protected by law....not so much.
I agree with your overall view here. Now if there are battles that feminists still have to fight because the state is still not recognizing their rights in some aspects that are granted to men by default, that is fine. I don't have a problem in such a regard especially since we're no longer living in a world where traditional gender roles are embraced (at least not as much as before) and independence is the expected norm for men AND women. You have a daughter, and I have a sister (and if things go well in the future, possibly a future wife), and if any of them are to live happy independent lives, they would not just require protection but also all the privileges they need. My sister's rights would certainly benefit me (and she could help me and my brothers with certain financial issues currently going on in the family), so I have nothing to fear from women being equal and a lot to gain from them.
My personal beef with modern feminism
as is commonly expressed in the Western world is not the goals they're after (regardless of whether or not they've already been achieved) but the approach they take in reaching those goals. There is what I consider a poisonous attitude among many feminists in which they consider men to be part of the problem and need to compensate for the problems that men themselves have caused women, even though many men go out of their way to support them and many systems provide services and opportunities and bonuses and scholarships for women only to boost their economic/financial statuses and further their education and such.
Also, there is some lack of critical thinking in some of the reasoning they embrace, along with assumptions that don't match up with reality well. I assume the statistics are accurate enough (concerning gender pay), but many feminists tend to assert that the unknown factors behind, say, 40% of the difference is definitely gender discrimination and such when they are just assumptions and the unknown is considered unknown for a reason. Not to mention the rape issues and abortion laws and so on (neither rape nor issues with abortion is something that is solved by blaming the patriarchical system and doing away with it).
And no, I couldn't care less if the patriarchy system eventually goes away, but I just hope that I would never be disadvantaged later on because of whatever system would replace it nor have freedom of speech taken away from me just so I may respect the wishes of radical feminists who despise any criticism of feminism. I already have experienced enough condemnation from feminists just for disagreeing with some of their points (arguing I'm a misogynist or bigot or whatever). If the system is going to be like that in the future (if it ever happens), I will not embrace it and I'm sure many other men wouldn't either.