Book Summary of In Defense of Men
This book addresses the subjects of:
Anti-male discrimination
Advice for men and fathers
Child Custody and Support
Divorce, divorce courts, laws, lawyers, and statistics
Divorce effects on children
Feminism, and Rebuttal of Radical Feminism.
Gender discrimination and bias
Gender roles, and differences
Men’s and Father’s rights
Men’s defense
Men’s image and health
The title, captures the essence of this book. There is a great “to do” about the alleged problems women encounter by virtue of their gender. The problems of men, especially fathers, receive very little attention. In the last several generations of our feminized, lawyered-up society, the position of men has deteriorated significantly. The male of the species is under increasing attack legally, politically, economically and culturally.
That famous phrase from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” is apropos. To say that gender bias is present is to state the obvious; the dogs in the street know it. Dual discrimination, pro-female and anti-male, is pervasive. This bias, a near universal Zeitgeist, is so institutionalized it is taken for granted. There are few expectations of women, and many of men. Oversimplified, the cause of men’s sorry situation is a combination of misplaced chivalry and misandry. This and the metastasizing of Feminism have severely damaged society.
A large part of this tome is devoted to domestic relations (divorce) because that is where males and society are most harmed. Therein lie vast social engineering schemes and prejudices working to the detriment of traditional men and traditional families. Bad as it is, divorce is but one facet of a general pattern of discrimination, a double standard that extends into nearly all areas of law and society, in domestic relations, crime punishment, employment, and in men’s very image.
Listen to the experts: Esther Vilar, in her best seller, The Manipulated Man, calls the American male “the most exploited, the most suppressed, the most manipulated man on the face of the earth;” Linda Bowles said “It isn’t even close, the most abused, vilified, and sexually harassed Americans are white, heterosexual males. I don’t know why they put up with it — and I wish they wouldn’t;” Blackstone said “Woman is the favorite of the law.”
Luther once compared humanity to a drunkard who, after falling off his horse on the right, remounts and falls off again on the left. That’s an excellent analogy to sexism. In the past, many prejudices favored men over women. Today, that situation is reversed. In The War Against Fathers, Dr Richard Hise explains that men have been so preoccupied with work and family that they haven’t noticed the incremental losses of their liberties and the increasing amounts of disrespect toward our sex. He compared it to a frog not noticing the slowly increasing temperature of the water he is in before he is boiled to death.
Paul Craig Roberts puts it thusly, “The war against men is real. It requires men to exercise care in choosing an occupation and in choosing a woman. The risk-reward ratios have deteriorated both for marriage and for working for a corporation. A bad choice can leave a man wounded, maimed, bereft of property and children, and in prison on trumped-up charges.”
Many political agendas and players are involved in this “rape of the male.” Speaking truth to power, Save The Males exposes them and their sophistic arguments.
It is time, beyond time actually, to apply garage logic to these issues, to speak out, especially for the common man – the guy working on a farm, in a factory, in a garage, driving a truck, or laying bricks - men without the time, talent, or inclination to sit behind desks manipulating facts and statistics favorable to our cause, as our more glib detractors do.
Save The Males is a very small candle lit in a very dark night. It makes the case that restoration of men’s rights is the best route back to a civilized society. The book is the result of decades of research, divorce counseling and reform organizational work. The author, Richard Doyle, formed several men’s/fathers’ movement coalitions; he edited and published The Liberator, international newsmagazine of that movement for over 35 years.
Save The Males is a defensive action in the battle of the sexes, a warning to anyone who will listen of the dire consequences of anti-male attitudes. It is not intended to drag women down to the level of treatment accorded men, but to bring men up to that accorded women. The purpose is to rescue men, not to denigrate women. The book explores the realities of life, resurrects the old-fashioned concepts of right and wrong, and examines their eternal conflict in law and behavior. Law degrees, black robes or Roman collars aren’t needed to perceive these realities. In fact, such trappings are often detrimental. The Appendix lists other books helpful to men battling for justice in divorce employment, criminal matters, and image in general.
Save The Male’s other-side of-the-coin arguments will outrage chivalrous instincts, but such instincts are largely responsible for society’s problems. This is plain talk; no sophistry or trendy jargon. It is logic – cold, cruel, inexorable, undeniable – with all the subtlety of a Panzer division. As Barry Goldwater said, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Like hitting a beehive with a stick, this book will be offensive to some, but how else can one deal with offensive subjects? It is not meant to be light-hearted entertainment. One cannot be humorous about the annual ruin of thousands of men, children, and families.
The whole question of men’s rights and of divorce is one that society would rather sweep under the rug. To most people it is inconvenient, embarrassing, politically incorrect or confusing. Certain subjects are offensive to many who would prefer not to face them, but their airing might prevent consequences far worse than ruffled feelings. The very idea of men’s rights is unpopular, and shocking. The anti-slavery cause was unpopular and shocking 140 years ago, as were earlier moral voices crying in the wilderness. Attacking popular misconceptions enrages elements in all social strata, as Galileo, Darwin, Freud, even Jesus Christ can attest.
Men are not better than women or always in the right; but women have the entire legal establishment oriented to help them, so this book is not overly concerned with women’s problems, however legitimate, just as the NAACP is not overly concerned with white people’s problems. Admittedly, there are evil men and good, competent women, and some traces of discrimination against women may remain. Save The Males makes the case that that which exists against men is vastly greater.
It is only common sense that gender justice will benefit women as well as men. Decent women, though they may read this with one eyebrow raised, do not want sons, brothers, and loved ones to suffer injustice, or the institution of marriage to disappear. Children deserve a family — father and mother, an environment free from prejudice — ethnic and sexual, and a country safe for marriage.