To wonder if Mumsnet is full of men who are a waste of space

[DownToTheSeaAgain]

...or most men are a waste of space so Mumsnet just reflects the real world.

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.'

Who's responsible for the intial violence that needs the rough men to stand ready?

@KayKayWat

Because they don't need to fight for the basics of life so it is their moral duty.

The basics of life are only in place because of men.

Whose empties the rubbish, builds houses, catches the criminals? Mainly men.

Who makes up the vast majority of our military (and pretty much all frontline infantry)?

As the saying goes: 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.'

This is a hilarious joke post yes?

I imagine you'd be very quick to call for a man's assistance in the right situation.

@KayKayWat

I imagine you'd be very quick to call for a man's assistance in the right situation.

What sort of situation do you imagine could only be managed by a man?

@KayKayWat

I imagine you'd be very quick to call for a man's assistance in the right situation.

Are one of thise weird men who are always fantasising violence and want women to be afraid?

@KayKayWat

I imagine you'd be very quick to call for a man's assistance in the right situation.

Completely not sure what that has to do with anything at all but is your thesis this: 'societal conditioning and a millennia of the patriarchy means that men frequently perform traditional man roles (often physical or technical) so we should be jolly grateful to them. Their ability to do this absolves them of any need to rebalance the structural inequalities in the society in which they reside '

First feminist bingo. I must be a man. 😂

Isn't society just full of them in general? 😂

@KayKayWat

First feminist bingo. I must be a man. 😂

Do you have a penis? This is usually a good indicator

@KayKayWat

First feminist bingo. I must be a man. 😂

I don’t know what this means.

But I’ve come across with men who talk like you did.
Fantasising about war and violence and dominating women, women begging for mercy and the men feeling powerfull and almighty.

Men are bizarre.
Just checking if you were one of these.

Well you do read about some shockers on here, quite consistently.
My mum is married to a very nice man. One of my best friends has lived with a nice man for over 20 years.
Never managed to find one myself like, but they exist. It would seem.

What is "the patriarchy"? I don't live in a patriarchy. I am equal to men under the law and free to make my own choices. Yes there are some problems still to solve and women do get a rough deal in some areas of life. But to demand men stand up and "crush" some imaginary construct called "the patriarchy" is just ridiculous.

There are some societies which are patriarchal. The UK is not one of them. Men do not hold all the power here, by any stretch of the imagination. It's kind of insulting to Iranian women, for example, to suggest an equivalence between our societies, when we have so many freedoms and opportunities they are denied on the basis of their sex, because they live in an actual patriarchy.

I wish we would stop teaching girls that they live in a patriarchy and that they are victims of this. I grew up knowing that I could make any choice I wanted to in life, and did not have to restrict myself to sex stereotypes. If anyone tried to tell me I was unequal to men or that men could tell me what to do, I would have had something to say about it! In fact, I always railed against those messages. Now it seems like feminism has taken over the job of trying to make girls and women feel shit about themselves.

My DH just made me a roast beef, garlic mash and green beans followed by clementines in whiskey and honey sauce and vanilla ice cream! He cooks everything everyday and does all the washing. Before you think I'm too spoiled I've spent the entire day editing his course document for university revalidation! He is a very nice man though!

It reflects the real world in so far as people talk more about their problems than what's going well. They don't generally go round saying how happy their relationship is, that they are financially comfortable, that their family and friends are great and nobody in their life is a cheeky fucker. On here anyone who does is accused of boasting or stealth boasting or being insensitive to people who are struggling.

@KayKayWat

Because they don't need to fight for the basics of life so it is their moral duty.

The basics of life are only in place because of men.

Whose empties the rubbish, builds houses, catches the criminals? Mainly men.

Who makes up the vast majority of our military (and pretty much all frontline infantry)?

As the saying goes: 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.'

If ALL men were a waste of space we wouldn't be posting here because a man wouldn't have invented the internet.

People post for advice or to complain, so of course it makes everything seem worse. I’m ill in bed with awful morning sickness atm, and DH is being wonderful, I’m not going to start a thread saying “my DH is great”.
If you just judged by Mumsnet threads you’d think everyone found breastfeeding hell, every pregnancy is for of morning sickness, every baby doesn’t sleep etc. Of course those things are true for some people, but the people who breastfed no problem, breezed through pregnancy and had a baby sleeping through the night at 2 minutes old don’t post to rant or ask for help.

What sort of situation do you imagine could only be managed by a man?

Fighting off another man would be the first thing that springs to mind.

But there are also lots of jobs we rely upon men to do. Women can do them, but most don't want to. Most women choose not to go into physically demanding jobs such as scaffolding. Most women aren't interested in becoming mechanics. The armed forces are another example. Also dirty and dangerous jobs tend to attract males rather than females.

Of course women can and do perform all these jobs, but most of us would just rather not. We are really quite different from men in lots of ways. Plus we don't have the same physical strength, and that's obviously pretty fundamental.

@Journeyofthedragons

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.'

Who's responsible for the intial violence that needs the rough men to stand ready?

Some men, more often than not.

How many millions of men died fighting against Hitler and fascism? It'd be insulting to call them all a waste of space, dying for the freedoms we take for granted.

@beastlyslumber

What sort of situation do you imagine could only be managed by a man?

Fighting off another man would be the first thing that springs to mind.

But there are also lots of jobs we rely upon men to do. Women can do them, but most don't want to. Most women choose not to go into physically demanding jobs such as scaffolding. Most women aren't interested in becoming mechanics. The armed forces are another example. Also dirty and dangerous jobs tend to attract males rather than females.

Of course women can and do perform all these jobs, but most of us would just rather not. We are really quite different from men in lots of ways. Plus we don't have the same physical strength, and that's obviously pretty fundamental.

So men do men jobs. Women don't want men jobs because they are dirty/ violent and that means men are ok to behave like total knobs? I'm really trying to understand the logic but it's just not happening.

Fighting off another man would be the first thing that springs to mind.

What job involves is that?

So men do men jobs. Women don't want men jobs because they are dirty/ violent and that means men are ok to behave like total knobs? I'm really trying to understand the logic but it's just not happening.

Where did I say it's okay for men to behave like total knobs?

You literally just made that up.

@PurpleDaisies

Fighting off another man would be the first thing that springs to mind.

What job involves is that?

Police? Armed forces?

Police? Armed forces?

Women do both those jobs.

@DownToTheSeaAgain

Men are half of the human population, a lot of humans are knobs, it's not exactly difficult to work out, is it?

@beastlyslumber

So men do men jobs. Women don't want men jobs because they are dirty/ violent and that means men are ok to behave like total knobs? I'm really trying to understand the logic but it's just not happening.

Where did I say it's okay for men to behave like total knobs?

You literally just made that up.

No you didn't. But this is a discussion about men being 'good' or not and the logical inference from your statement about them doing jobs that women apparently don't want to do is that this gives them the upper hand in some way.

If I've misinterpreted this I apologise but if I have then I am not sure of the relevance of your comments in the context of this thread.