Feminism. The word that spurs men into a defensive frenzy. This should not be the case. Feminism began with the Woman’s suffrage movement which made its first public appearance at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Women have come a long way since 1848, gaining the right to vote. It is a proud movement with many women and men behind it. Feminists cannot discriminate against the opposite gender.

Men who have not said anything against the feminist movement are being lashed out by women everywhere. Men who raise their daughters to be feminists are the victims of badly worded bumper stickers and comical t-shirts, but when men make a joke about women, it is somehow all over the news. There should not be offensive jokes made by either gender. It is a fight for equality, not a battle of the sexes.

Non-violent protests are indicative of United States citizens’ freedom and right to stand up for what he or she believes in. Non-violent means both physical and emotional. Some comments made by American feminists may not have the same effect as physical abuse, but it damages the reputation of American men. According to the washingtonpost.com, six out of ten women and one third of men call themselves a feminist. There may not be as many men involved in the feminist movement as there are women, but that still does not mean women need to hurl insults at the other gender.

Many people see the feminist movement as an angry one and the same amount may say that the movement unfairly blames women’s struggles on men. Even if the movement unfairly blames men for women’s challenges in life, it does not mean that women can verbally insult men. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that instead of placing blame, could just fight peacefully for equal rights. Speakers at the first Feminist convention made a list of things that need to be changed in the coming years. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote The Women’s Bible. She also advocated for liberal divorce laws which helped make her a strong voice for woman to stand behind. Cady Stanton did not believe in discriminating against men. As she once said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.”