APRIL 22 ― Meninists ― men who are against feminism and supposedly fight for men’s “rights”, although they appear to be more like a self-centred bunch who fear strong women ― have come out of the woodwork.

Some of my Facebook friends recently shared an album of posters from the Mother of Sarcasm Facebook page with the hashtag #DontMancriminate.

It shows pictures of several white men ― two of whom look like Brad Pitt and Jude Law ― with their mouths “taped”, featuring complaints about how men are discriminated against by having to hold the door open and having to give up their seats, or how they don’t get free drinks, and how short and ugly men don’t get to wear heels or makeup.

Yes, they actually consider such things acts of discrimination ― whining about not getting free drinks and not being able to don stilettoes or to slap on layers of foundation.

Nothing is stopping men from donning heels. If these meninists did their research, they would know that men used to wear high heels in 17th Century Europe, as European shoe fashion was influenced by the Persians who wore heels on horseback. Women then adopted the heel to look more masculine, but men eventually abandoned high heels after the Enlightenment in favour of more practical dress.

The meninists got it wrong about makeup too. Just look at the array of men’s beauty products, essentially the same as women’s, but promoted as “grooming” lest they sound too feminine. Evidently, the meninists did not read or watch American Psycho, in which Patrick Bateman obsesses over his daily beautification routine. Were they sleeping through the age of the metrosexual?

Men shouldn’t complain about not getting free drinks too. They should be happy that they earn more than women for doing the same jobs (RM2,260 monthly on average for men, compared to RM2,071 for women). For an extra RM189, you can buy your own darn drink.

In the #DontMancriminate album, meninists also think it’s unfair that they’re considered as having “anger issues” when they slap a woman, but a woman’s not in the wrong if she slaps a man.

Violence is wrong, whether it’s against men or women, but wife battering happens precisely because of the patriarchal system that makes women subservient to men. Some boys and men think it’s okay to hit a woman if she doesn’t obey her husband, like this case of a 12-year-old boy who said his mother deserved to be slapped by his father because she was “not being co-operative.” Society doesn’t tell men to obey or respect their wives.

The meninists also complain about losing half their assets in a divorce when they blame the wife for ending the marriage. In Malaysia, women don’t get their fair share in a divorce if they don’t earn as much as their husband, even if they give up their career to be homemakers to raise children.

Meninists have the audacity to complain about women supposedly making fun of their penis size. They conveniently ignore labels against women's genitals and men’s sense of entitlement to sex with their “friendzoning” complaints. They judge women who have too few (prude) or too many (slut) sexual partners.

Men bitching about a woman who refuses to give sex is the least of our worries. Some women have been killed for rejecting sexual requests.

Elliot Rodgers, who complained that he was a virgin, allegedly shot dead in 2014 six people and injured seven more in his quest for “retribution” against women whom he said didn’t pay attention to him. The 22-year-old American was allegedly involved with the online men’s rights movement.

I don’t expect men to buy me drinks or to hold the door open for me. Maybe some women expect that from men, but that is in no way even near the level of sexism, misogyny and discrimination that women face.

Men’s rights is an oxymoron. Men already enjoy their rights (and more) ― they have privilege.

Meninists aren’t really fighting for men’s interests. They just hate feminists because they feel emasculated by gender equality.

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.