I think it is depressing that this research shows how few young people value feminism, and I think this is another aspect of the damage the trans narrative has done ie making feminism a hate crime.
So after saying how "progressive" young people are on trans issue the report says:
... Yet young people have less positive attitudes of feminists, and many young men reject feminism as an ideology that displaces men.
Only around half (49%) of young people, including 39% of young men and 59% of young women, think that it is a more dangerous time to be a woman than a man in Britain today. Almost one in five young men (18%) hold negative views about feminists and 14% see anti-abortion activists positively. And more young people agree (36%) than disagree (35%) that feminism has gone too far and makes it harder for men to succeed. Among young men, 50% agree while only 21% disagree.
The majority of the reactionary conservative tribe (75%) feel that feminism is holding men back, while just 3% of the leftist activist group feel the same way.
Misogyny and anti-feminism are critical areas where the far-right have spread out beyond their traditional remit, with areas within the organised men’s rights movement (MRA), pick-up artists and the so-called ‘manosphere’24 acting as slip roads to more extreme parts of the far-right. While the far-right has always had a problem with misogyny, these tactics and connections are new.
The organised men’s rights movement acts to reassert men’s status and power at the expense of equality for others. Misogynistic resentment of women’s quest for equal rights as a threat to men’s power can easily move towards racist resentments among white men – and women – towards minorities and women, concerning what they see as a displacement of status and dominance.
Cloaked as protecting ‘free speech’ against liberal elites, MRAs promote the idea that feminism is an authoritative, controlling ideology to create room for sexism and misogyny to be legitimised through the undermining of feminist reform. In this way, feminists become linked directly to the idea of an out of touch ‘liberal elite’, one that has ‘gone too far’ and become repressive towards men, caught up in identity politics and political correctness.
A widespread rejection of feminism among young men reflects the potential power of these messages to penetrate into the mainstream with greater force than the far-right’s traditional message. These narratives speak to broader resentments about a lack of opportunity, the availability and quality of work, and issues that affect everyday life, like education and housing. They reassert a hierarchy, where white men remain at the top, and offer a scapegoat in the form of those attempting to disrupt this order.
Our polling finds that young people who feel strongly that feminism is supressing men are much more likely to agree that you cannot be proud of your national identity these days without being called racist. They are around twice as likely to think that making a joke based on someone’s race or religion is acceptable, and more than twice as likely to think that discrimination against white people has become as big a problem as discrimination against non-white people.
They are overwhelmingly male (78%), less likely to be optimistic about the future, but more likely to feel disappointed by their life so far and that their of their control. A majority support political violence. Many are conspiracy theorists and they are far more likely to have watched, listened to or read something by far right and alt right figures like Paul Joseph Watson or Tommy Robinson and more likely to have watched, listened or read something from pick up artists.
The overlay between male supremacy and white supremacy, and its pervasiveness among young people should come as a great concern. Moreover, many young women are feeling the effects of misogyny in their daily lives. ...
And some of their recommendations are (but schools and universities know this and still do nothing):
- More must be done to challenge racism and misogyny in schools, colleges and universities, and more broadly to address the overlay of male supremacy and white supremacy
- We support calls for the long overdue addition of Black history to the curriculum, so that topics like migration and empire are an integral part of learning in schools and colleges, and teachers are supported to deliver this
- The Department for Education must urgently make tackling sexism and sexual harassment in schools a policy priority. They must offer schools guidance, ensure that there is adequate support and teacher training so that staff are able to deliver this, and ensure that the curriculum for relationships and sex education, across all key stages, is designed to promote consent, positive relationships and prevent sexism and sexual harassment
- Schools, colleges and universities must do more to address sexism and misogyny, taking a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and adequately supporting staff to identify problematic behaviour and to adhere to these policies and procedures. They must ensure a survivor-centred approach so that young women are adequately supported.
- Policy makers must better understand how misogyny and racism intersect, as part of a wider pushback against an equality agenda and a furthering of white male supremacist power through frustrated entitlement. This includes ensuring greater support, including specialist services, for women of colour who are most likely to be on the receiving end of this hatred. ...
And given social media I think the rise of Incel communities will grow.