Who better to understand and explain what male privilege really looks like other than trans men who have experienced firsthand what it is like to be treated both as a man and a woman in our society?
That’s the concept behind a video from MTV Braless with Laci Green, and it should provide an eyeopening experience for anyone who still clings to the idea that being a man in America doesn’t carry certain advantages not shared by women.
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As trans people, they are still members of a minority group that faces increased discrimination. But a study published in 2013 suggests that being in both a privileged group and an underprivileged group can actually help you perceive the power imbalances in your life that much more clearly. And they have noticed quite a lot of benefits to their newly acquired male privilege.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
First they give their definitions of the phenomenon.
“Male privilege is the bullshit idea that men are better than anybody else.”
“Male privilege is the ability to move about the world in the way you want to.”
“It’s the experience of being left alone and free to be yourself.”
The ability to freely walk down the street without fear of being catcalled, leered at, followed or attacked is something they can now take for granted. It is something that women cannot.
Not being asked to smile, or asked where you’re going, or if you’re married, or a series of other none-of-your-damn-business personal questions is another key difference that one of the men points to in the video. Not to mention a much more pleasant subway experience.
It shows up online as well.
“The first time I ever experienced male privilege was on social media. I’ve always been the type to express myself and talk real crazy, and when I did it prior to transitioning it wasn’t okay. But the minute I transitioned and everybody saw me as that male figure, it was like, ‘Ah man, that’s hilarious!’ I’m like, ‘Hey, guy, I’ve been hilarious all this time. So what are you talking about?'” shares another.
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Watch the video below.
Brian
Oh, puh-lease, what a bunch of MTV bull!! Fact is, women have the privilege, not the men. How is it that women can wear either skirts or pants but men can’t wear skirts without being laughed at by women? How is it that women can fake their bisexuality and be hailed as “sex goddesses” but a man who did the same would be called “weird” and “icky”?
Double standards are the domain of women. MTV is promoting pure anti-male BS.
ErikO
Trans “men” are not actually male, a man, or the opposite sex at all despite how they believe that they are because they’ve taken hormones, and had a full mastectomy.
VampDC
Oh shut up. This is just a sign that you don’t know what its like to actually be man.
Male Privilege:
1. Having to sign up to be drafted at the age of 18 when i went to college when my female friends did not.
2. Not having a choice to stay home an raise a family. People PRAISE a working woman. But what if you’re a male who WANTED to stay home to raise their family. You don’t get that choice.
3. Having to pay…for everything. You’re looked upon as scum if you can’t pay for a date. Never the less there is no equivalent to a “ladies night” at a bar where I can get a half off drink for being a male.
4. Not being able to show emotion. Yes. Men have emotion. Yet from a very young age we’re told to hide it.
5. Less options. As a girl you have all the options in the world on how to dress, express yourself, hobbies, sports. As a male those options aren’t nearly as wide.
6. Fights. A TV series once reveled that people are less likely to help out a man being hurt by a woman than a woman being hurt by a man.
So while I support you trans-men. You clearly have NO idea what its like to actually be a man and the pros and cons that boys realize from a young age.?
And the above list is just a quick list…
Stilinski26
Lol they have been male for few years now they think they are an expert! let me give some examples of
Female privilege:
1)They can objectify, assault men all they want but won’t be called sexists. My a** has been pinched by women on several occasions when I am standing on the trains, bus by Women.
2)Favoritism in society. Men are expected to leave seats for women, buy them dinner on dates, gets free access to night clubs, gets free drinks!
3)Women only hours in gym in swimming pools.
4) More awareness focused on Breast cancer in compassion to Prostrate cancer.
5) Majority of the time mother always gets custody of her children and the father is expected to pay child support no matter how broke he is.
6) Domestic violence seen as a women issue. When men are abused by women, men gets laughed at, gets humiliated, tells them to man up, toughen up.
7)Stay home dads seen as unworthy, useless.
8)When women talk over men its “empowering” when men talks its “mensplaining”.
9) Men spreading is sexist
10) The message that women are beautiful in all shapes and sizes and men having preferences are sexist! but women having preferences is fine and men has to be tall with rip body otherwise he is not considered good looking or appealing
There you go Do I need to say more?
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
No a bunch of surgically mutilated hormonally hairy women are not men and never will be.
Paco
I wouldn’t mind receiving some obvious sexual advances from men while walking down the street. In addition to being an ego booster, it would also be better than trying to guess if the silent eye contact meant they had a sexual interest or not. Some don’t realize how lucky they are.
inbama
To paraphrase the first sentence:
“Who better to understand and explain what WHITE privilege really looks like other than RACHEL DOLEZAL who has experienced firsthand what it is like to be treated both as a BLACK and a WHITE woman in our society?”
robho3
Blah blah blah
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
This crude overly-simplistic tumblr-level bullshit makes me crazy.
mujerado
I’m very much afraid most of my fellow males posting in this thread have given evidence that the article is exactly right. I’m aware of my male privilege; I think down deep, under the displayed anger and the loud protests, they know it too.
Chris2016
You see Queerty, this is what happens when you step outside of the social media bubble and have contact with normal people: No one actually believes the nonsense you’re peddling.
I’m an ethnic Jew and not “white passing”: I can’t think of a single way that white people, in the year 2016, are more privileged than me.
I’m Gay: Aside from civil rights/protections, there are very few ways straight people are more privileged than me. I live in Canada, nothing is stopping me as a Gay person from achieving everything straight people can/do.
And as a man, if anything, women are more “privileged” than I am. Women today are the most coddled and overprotected group around. You can’t even tweet women in certain ways without having a mob sent after you. Take some responsibility, grow some balls, and lose the doom and gloom attitude.
“with Laci Green”
Oh ok, that explains it.
tardis
Oh, man, this video is cringe-worthy. Now we’re going after men for having a male privilege? This is pure MTV garbage.
dwes09
” Fact is, women have the privilege, not the men. How is it that women can wear either skirts or pants but men can’t wear skirts without being laughed at by women?”
It seems insane to me that thinking something as trivial as the above trumps the wage gaps, the different levels of sexual assault ans spousal abuse, the differential treatment by the medical profession, and all the other well documented ways in which men reap benefits by dint of their sex. Dos the man who posted this ever leave his basement or interact with real people?
dwes09
“I’m an ethnic Jew and not “white passing”: I can’t think of a single way that white people, in the year 2016, are more privileged than me.”
Obviously you have never had people talk about “kikes” to you, or express other antisemitic sentiments to you, assuming you were another Christian. It is not as prevalent as it was when I was younger, but I assure you it still happens. And lets not forget that people are still murdered for being Jews, and not just by islamist radicals.
You pose a bad example, just as so many of the others have posted trivial complaints in an effort to deny the reality male privilege.
Xzamilio
Bitch, bye. B.Y.E. If you think having a dick gives you protection from getting assaulted at night, you’re an idiot or a third wave feminists. I can tell you right now, I get just as nervous walking alone at night. Honestly, I don’t believe a single one of these trans men, and I think they are just reciting the usual Tumblr feminist talking points. Like all of a sudden, having a beard, and pronounce clitori makes people suddenly take you seriously? I mean, really?? What 1920’s movie do these people live in? And statistically, men are more likely to be the victims of assault, with the exception of sexual assault. And even then, men underreport sexual assaults.
What the fuck happened to MTV, giving regressives like Laci Green and Chescaleigh a platform to lie through their teeth and set us back
Xzamilio
I also would have loved for them to go more in depth about how their wages changed… you know since now they’re men, they make more money than women, right? Gender pay gap?
Masc Pride
Sorry, but I highly doubt many of these transmen were getting a lot of catcalls as women. Since some of them aren’t even that passable, I also highly doubt they’re experiencing a ton of male privilege now. This video seems to generally be more about the concept of male privilege than any male privilege they have actually experienced. Basically, they could’ve stayed women and the video would have about the same impact.
Captain Obvious
How to “win” any argument in 2016: Hurl the word privilege like a grenade and wait.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Of course there’s *some* truth in it (and in other parts SWJ “progressive” agenda) BUT there’s a lot — an awful lot — of really bad dodgy ideology and “politics” smuggled in alongside it. SWJ is as good as a Trojan Horse for the Alt Right
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
^
*SJW
#dyslexic #opressed
ddh
Anyone who thinks that women aren’t privileged really need to give their head a shake. Men are more likely to be the victims of violence then women. Men are less likely to be given custody of children and more likely to pay child support because women are considered better caregivers. Women are more likely to get a job over a man even if he has more qualifications. Men who are abused or raped by women are looked at as weak, while women who are raped are suppose to be automatically believed even even when there is no evidence or the evidence proves the man innocent. The gender pay gap is a myth. Studies don’t take into account women’s choices. First, when women go to college they are not interested in the high paying job in the sciences. Second, the myth doesn’t take into account that men generally do more overtime than woman and take less time off then women. Third, because there are more women going to college now, a woman actually makes more money than a man until about age 30. This is around the time they start having children so their earning potential goes down while raising children. I could go on but I think I’ve made my point.