After The Women’s March, Newspapers Ask, ‘But What About The Men????????’

by Erika W. Smith

As you know, the Women’s March on Washington and its hundreds of sister marches took place around the world. Different news outlets are reporting different numbers, but it’s safe to say that a YUUUUGE number of people marched and made history.

But unfortunately, several major news organizations are missing the point entirely and asking, “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MEN?????????”

The New York Times published a piece called “How Vital Are Women? This Town Found Out As They Left To March” about how the men of Montclair, New Jersey found their lives turned upside-down when they had to parent their own children and make their own sandwiches for a single day:

Routines were radically altered, and many fathers tried to meet weekend demands alone for a change. By participating in the marches and highlighting the importance of women’s rights, the women also demonstrated, in towns like Montclair, their importance just by their absence.

If this had been a weekday, the absence of women would most visibly have affected the commuter trains, workplaces and schools. On a Saturday, however, there were other matters to navigate: children’s birthday parties, dance performances, swimming lessons, and lacrosse and indoor soccer practices. Growling stomachs required filling on a regular basis.

THIS MAN HAD TO MISS A BASKETBALL GAME WHAT A TRAGEDY:

Steve Politi, a sports columnist for The Star-Ledger of Newark, missed the Rutgers men’s basketball game on Saturday to stay home with his two children. He did the soccer-game thing, set up play dates (arguably, cheating a bit) and warmed up some leftover pizza for lunch. He also cleaned the refrigerator.

So even though Rutgers earned its first victory in Big Ten Conference play this season, Mr. Politi, a prolific writer, was not there to describe the win.

“I did have to laugh at the irony of my wife marching for equality in New York while I was missing the game and cleaning out the refrigerator,” Mr. Politi said.

WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE MEN??????

The Washington Post published a similarly cringeworthy piece titled “At the Women’s March, The Men Mattered, Too” —  tweeted out with the caption “At the Women’s March, it’s the men who mattered most. Here’s why.”

Instead of detailing the tragedies of men being forced to eat leftover pizza while their wives protested, this piece praised the men who joined the Women’s March as being the best activists ever. It begins:

Women everywhere. Pink hats, black hats, hard hats, no hats. A crushing polite crowd, well prepared with healthy snacks and tissues. A crowd so sprawling, it nearly covered the march route end-to-end. It was mighty and powerful.

Best of all, there were men there. Thousands of them. Some wore the pink pussyhats. Some were just there to condemn President Trump.

“I just hate him. I am totally against Donald Trump,” one guy told me, when I asked why he’d come to the Women’s March. “The women are fine, they’re strong.”

No worries, dude. We’ll take you. We’re all going in the same direction, anyhow. Come along.

Why is a dude saying “Women are fine” given so much praise??? “Fine” is pretty much the bare minimum, right? Don’t get me wrong, men were welcome to join the Women’s March and it’s good that they showed up, but:

IT’S. 

NOT. 

ABOUT. 

THE.

MEN.

FOR.

ONE.

SINGLE.

DAY.

The WaPo piece also spotlights — positively — a (cis) man who says he’s “a lesbian trapped in a man’s body” and numerous other dudes who say they support women’s rights but they’re not, like, FEMINISTS.

As Roxane Gay tweeted, “Women did something incredible today. Women, specifically.”

She soon got enough backlash that she added, “Plz stop telling me men were there, ladies. It’s just sad that you can’t revel in this without making them feel included. They’re fine.”

More from BUST

The Women’s March On Washington Spreads All Over The World

This Is Why I March

9 Necessary Tips For Necessary And Effective Protesting

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