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Teenage boy tells Yvette Cooper why she has no right to re-educate young men as feminists

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Last week Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper wrote in the Independent that boys should be taught in schools to “grow up as confident feminists”.

She said there should be compulsory education in schools to teach boys not to be abusers, in order to tackle what she described as widespread violence against women.

Her article is the latest in ongoing commentary and concern by leading political figures about a perceived culture of misogyny among Britain’s young men.

What has been missing from the discussion, however, is how boys themselves feel about being cast as potential abusers, who need to be re-educated about their masculinity.

We asked YouTube broadcaster Josh O’Brien, a 17-year-old sociology and politics student, to respond to Yvette Cooper’s statement.

‘Lad Culture’

The Shadow Home Secretary’s article, follows last year’s high-profile speech by Labour MP Diane Abbott in which she said Britain’s boys are growing up in a culture of “hyper-masculinity”, which she said is fuelling misogyny and homophobia.

Then in February 2014, following the banning of controversial pop song “Blurred Lines” by numerous student unions on the basis that it promoted “rape culture” on campus; the NUS held a summit calling for universities to tackle what it says is an endemic “lad culture” which normalises sexual assault of female students.

Meanwhile, the “Great Men Value Women” initiative has been launched as a pilot workshop for boys in London schools, to ensure that young men take an “active role in promoting gender equality”.

The workshops aim to “improve the experience of boys and girls at school and challenge negative gender stereotypes affect which a boys’ behavior, mental health and academic performance, as well as the ways in which they interact with young women”.

What do you think? Should schools be teaching boys to be “confident feminists”? Do you recognise a widespread culture of misogyny among Britain’s young men? What do you think is the impact on boys and young men of teaching them that they are potential abusers in need of re-education?

Josh O’Brien writes and makes youtube videos from an anti-feminist, pro MRM perspective. He has one novel currently released, Supercenaries, and is working on a gender issues book called “On Gynocentrism and Patriarchy” in his spare time. Watch his other videos on his channel and follow him on twitter @fruitbatob

Further reading:

 

  • Brian Hopgood

    A very well articulated point of view. Great video. I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly.

    • http://youtube.com/user/therealjoshobrien Josh O’Brien

      Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

  • Steven Rettig

    make boys nice a docile, so women can take over. I call it indoctrination, and to hell with it!

  • Alex

    Wisdom and argumenting skills beyond your age, great video. You may have to dumb it down a bit though lol or you might intimidate people.

    Don’t know if the tide is starting to turn, but when you have ultra-PC Canada running an article like this, it may: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/07/11/christie-blatchford-media-and-courts-treat-women-like-delicate-little-flowers-instead-of-full-human-beings/

    FWIW I’m with a gir whoml I love who is pressuring me toward marriage because of her culture and her family’s wishes. In our 3 years together, I have hit her zero times and she has hit me twice. She often accuses me of “bullying” but when I point out that she actually hit me, she brushes it off as unimportant.

    • Nigel

      Actually Josh the research done makes the same points. I commend you for your efforts in putting forward a view that is actually truthful. Not once does Yvette Cooper quote reputable sources. Rather is ideologues and bloggers. Yet the ONS and psychology depts that could actually contribute are not mentioned. It is an ideology. I would contend a secular religion. Young peolple, any people need to check this nonsense against their lived experience .

  • Holy Schmoly

    Josh, you are brilliant. Thanks for this video. You are just what the MRM has been waiting for. A regular and confident guy like you, eloquently articulating its arguments, could really change the world. I’m looking forward to hearing more. Keep it up. All the best to you.

  • http://www.backlash.com Rod Van Mechelen

    Well done.

  • Nigel

    Josh

    I hope you read this and you may find the reports below interesting as they actually cooroberate your experiences.

    .One key thing is that young men appear to have lower expectations about how they will be treated(this actually is shown by their tolerance of abusive behaviours towards them). Actually these low expectations are a problem as if the bar is set low for yourself you will be less likely to base your understanding of others on a higher expectation. If we expect people to understand they have to experience better treatment themselves as well as be taught.

    Another important theme of the research is both sexes apply this differential. So young women simply expect young men to “take it” and the young men expect to “take it”. The good news is that the message about young women has got through and both sexes generally accord them greater respect. As a consequence the same behaviours appear to be more emotionally troubling for the young women than the young men. However that isn’t to say the young men are not affected or they may under report their upset as part of the general “suck it up” culture. This s of course concerning as the result at some point may well be frustrated young men whose anger may well be frightenening and dangerous.

    The large scale reports I refer to are below. I find it particularly poor that despte these being available they are not often cited for policy. For instance a Bristol University research paper is often cited but it was subsequent to the much larger report (the one below done with the NSPCC). The smaller report was on young people in the care of councils and so a very small and specific population of young people.

    If one looks at the data and tables it is clear that a there is a more complex picture than a “predatary male” model. Both in terms of violence and controling behaviours but also in feeling forced or coerced into sexual behaviours. It is this sort of information that should drive education rather than a specifically political “cherry picking” ideology. Young People’s Attitudes Towards Gendered Violence. August 2005. Michelle Burman and Fred Cartmel. University of Glasgow. Published by NHS Health Scotland.

    Partner Exploitation and Violence in Teenage Intimate Relationships. Christine Barter,Malanie McCarry,David Berridge,Katy Evans. October 2009 . Bristol University Published by NSPCC

    Attitudes of Young People Towards Domestic Violence. 2007. Department of Health,Social Services and Public Safety. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

    Domstic Violence in Adolescent Relationships. Nina Shutt July 2006. Safer Southwark Partnership.

  • Chris T

    I agree with schools not indoctrinating children into any particular ideology, but where did you get the idea that Yvettee is a vile misandrist from? Asking young men to support a cause she believes in is hardly a hate crime. I don’t think attacking (or misrepresenting) feminism helps anyone, though careful and respectful critique does. You make several good points in your video but the way you end it by attacking Ms Cooper undermines the entire video.

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  • http://postgradpsych.wordpress.com/ Debbie

    This was interesting, and I agree with some points, but not all.

    As a 24 year old, I am 7 years older than you, but I remember being at school quite well. For me, it was a case of all genders against each other. Boys used to dekeg boys AND girls (I was once one of those girls unfortunately). Boys would try to pressure girls into sexual acts way before the age of 16. Girls would lash out more and be more violent. Girls would start more fights with girls than the boys ever did with each other.

    I don’t agree with your stance that just because you’ve never personally witnessed these happening, means that they don’t, and the passing comment of ‘I’m not saying it doesn’t happen’ is negated by how many times you say that you’ve never seen it among your friends. I’ve been there when boys have been passing phones around of pictures they’ve taken of girls , some not always with permission, i.e. up skirts, that it got to the point where no females at my school wore skirts.

    I am a feminist, as I believe that all genders deserve the same rights. I am a masculinity psychologist too because I realised that there isn’t that much male research out there.

    From my own research online, there IS a growing feeling of misogyny among young men and older men, which I’m not surprised about with the level of advertising that perpetuates that. But there is also a growing feeling of mistrust and unfortunately misrepresentation. Men ARE different, and it’s awful that they’re all being labelled as misogynists, so I thank you for stepping up and voicing your concerns.

    Violence towards any gender is wrong in my eyes, as is discrimination.

    And try not to hate on Yvette Cooper too much, there are worse politicians out there with far worse ideas that need a good bashing from you!

    • Inside MAN

      Hi Debbie,

      Thanks for responding to Josh’s video — not sure of this is the same Debbie who commented on the Dad blog post — in any case, thanks for taking the time to look around the site and engage with the discussion.

      Great to hear your alternative perspective.

      Dan
      Editor, insidMAN

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  • Dave

    Very intelligent ,well thought out arguments . A wise head on young shoulders .
    You are talking more common sense at 17 , than I have heard many talk in their 40’s / 50’s .
    Looking forward to reading more .
    Have you got a twitter feed ?

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