Ukraine’s disposable men: exposing the latest feminist hypocrisy

Warren Farrell, in The Myth of Male Power, mentions an article in Parade magazine about the 40 million Russian/Soviet men who were killed between 1914 and 1945. The article was entitled, "Short End of the Stick", referring not to the men dying but to the women stuck with factory and street-cleaner positions due to the loss of so many men.

As the horrific Ukraine situation unfolds, social media is running hot with messages talking about the plight of women, often barely mentioning men. Here's a Guardian article which describes the uncertain future faced by "the women, children, and others who are being evacuated." OTHERS? Presumably that includes pesky, unmentionable men – like men too old to fight.

But the main theme is a celebration of women's courage:

Take a look at this one, urging men to fight hard - echoes of the White Feather that women used to hand to young men in WWI, shaming them into doing their duty to protect women. There's a video of Ukrainian men being arrested trying to leave the country and being handed tulips, presumably a similar insult to their manhood.

A fascinating article has just been published in The Conversation, from a Newcastle law professor claiming that banning men leaving Ukraine violates their human rights. Astonishingly, there's not one word in the entire article about the discriminatory treatment of men, even though the author raises LGBTQI+ people's fears that they might face discrimination if captured by Russians.

There's also been news stories claiming trans women in the Ukraine are trapped. They can't leave the country because their passports say they are male. Naturally there's not one word about the fact that their bodies are actually male – and hence their leaders have naturally decided they are expendable.

I've never got over the truth behind the coverage of the kidnapping of the 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist group. Remember all the glitterati lining up to protest this event? How come we were never told that two months earlier, Boko Haram set fire to a school dormitory killing 59 sleeping boys– the third tragedy of its kind in just eight months. And why weren't we informed when the attacks on boys continued? Why no ABC coverage when over 330 boys were kidnapped just over a year ago?

Boys' lives are worth less. Or pretty worthless in the eyes of Western media. In the Ukraine most of the media is turning a blind eye to the fact that boys are being taught to use assault weapons - in violation of human rights law. The International Criminal Court defines the use of "child soldiers" (children below the age of 15) as a war crime.

One of the few feminist contributions to this discussion that I have come across was an article from Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell, talking about this image of a Ukrainian father Serhii cradling the body of his dead 15-year-old son.

She writes: "In our demand for equality here in Britain, we women have for decades tried to emasculate men, to stamp out the warrior and demand they get in touch with their feminine side. Yet we have been so, so misguided.

"What arrogance for us feminists to insist they should emote more. Try telling that to poor Serhii as he cradles his dead son. Let's hope that one good to come from this terrible war will be that in the West we finally embrace the goodness, inherent decency and courage in men."

A rare and touching insight midst the blinkered coverage of men's role in this dreadful unfolding tragedy. And I couldn't resist a wry smile at this very telling meme. Doesn't that say it all?