An MP took to parliament yesterday to question why we don't have a Minister for Men - and, honestly, it's like some people don't understand equality at all.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday in honour of International Men's Day, Conservative member of parliament for Mansfield, Ben Bradley, said: "Can we ensure equality means just that, rather than positive discrimination at the expense of certain groups?"
Our eyes couldn't be rolling any further back into our heads, RN.
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You can watch a clip of his speech below:
During the address, the MP said: "Why have a minister for women but not one for men?
"Why single out one characteristic for special mention?"
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As a clip from the debate was shared by BBC Politics, it's fair to say Bradley got annihilated on social media.
People were quick to remind the minister that promoting the rights of women doesn't damage the rights of men, and to give him a lesson in the patriarchal structures that inherently disadvantage women every day.
One person laid out our thoughts rather perfectly, as they wrote: "Maybe start paying women the same as men first, and then we'll talk about it".
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As another asked: "The Minister for Women and Equalities is responsible for ensuring that everyone who isn't a white man is able to get to positions in life typically held by white men... What would a Minister for Men do?"
"Because equality means positive discrimination against men. To dismantle patriarchal systems, power has to be redistributed and that means it must be taken away from men and given to women. It's pretty f*cking simple mate," a third Twitter user concurred.
Meanwhile, former Labour shadow Home Secretary Jacqui Smith replied: "Dear Ben. The men I know & love recognise institutional sexism and patriarchy and want its debilitating effect on women tackled. They also believe women AND men would benefit from a more equal society. They're not sure you're quite as committed to that as they are!"
You tell him, Jacqui.
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The scathing responses didn't stop there, either. Skincare blogger Caroline Hirons laid out the situation pretty plainly.
"Because you already own/have/control literally everything in the world you gammon lol," she wrote.
Referencing his constituency of Mansfield, another disgruntled Twitter user teased: "Petition to rename it Womansfield and ruin his little manly life".
On top of the rather controversial ask, the Tory MP also spoke about the legitimate need for the government to consider male suicide, and create a long-term plan regarding the services available to help alcohol addiction.
He also pushed for reforms to the child maintenance service and pushed for support for what he called 'left behind' boys in education.
This isn't the first time Ben Bradley has faced criticism for his comments.
In 2018, he was forced to apologise after it emerged he had called for vasectomies for the unemployed six years prior on his personal blog, when discussing benefit claimants.
Plus, he also recently agreed with a statement suggesting free school meals would be going to "crack dens and brothels".
Replying to a post in which another Twitter user described the free school meals initiative as '£20 cash direct to a crack den and a brothel', he wrote: "That's what FSM vouchers in the summer effectively did..."
Deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner said of his comments: "A Conservative MP has said that free school meals are effectively a direct payment to brothels and drug dealers.
"Notwithstanding the fact that the vouchers in summer could only be used to purchase food, this stigmatisation of working class families is disgraceful and disgusting".
Whatever your political beliefs, this is sure to merit a great big sigh.
Featured Image Credit: BBC PoliticsTopics: Life News, News, Politics
