MORE SIGN OF A BACKLASH AGAINST THE NEW ORDER? - AT 9:59 P.M. ET:  A few days ago we reported an article by John Judis in the liberal New Republic that pointed out that tough economic times often bring a return to traditional values.  We noted that recent polls on abortion and gun control signalled a possible shift to the right.  Now comes something else.  We must caution that this is one incident.  A group for men's rights is being formed at the generally liberal University of Chicago (my alma mater).  It coincides with other expressions of concern over the deteriorating condition of men in some sectors of American society.  The Chicago Tribune:

A group of University of Chicago students think it's time the campus focused more on its men.

A third-year student from Lake Bluff has formed Men in Power, a student organization that promises to help men get ahead professionally. But the group's emergence has been controversial, with some critics charging that its premise is misogynistic.

Others say it's about time men are championed, noting that recent job losses hit men harder and that women earn far more bachelor's and master's degrees than do men.

"It's an enormous disparity now," said Warren Farrell, author of "The Myth of Male Power" and former board member of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women. He noted, among other things, an imbalance in government and private initiatives that advance the interests of women and girls.

I'm all for equality and women's rights - I have two daughters - but there's no question that men have had some serious setbacks in recent years, and that's unhealthy for the society.  There may still be some radical feminists who don't care what happens to boys and men, but they are few in number.  Half the mothers in America, after all, are mothers of boys, and they care what happens to their sons.

Another report from American Thinker:

Over the Memorial Day weekend, many college administrators attended a conference about the absence of men on today's college campuses and expressed concern about the negative experiences and unprecedented challenges facing college men today.

The "2nd Conference on College Men" at the University of Pennsylvania featured sessions examining the implications of negative comments about men that are prevalent on college campuses and the sexist campus activism of participants in the nation's 500 college gender studies departments. The conference program, attended by about 100 professors and student affairs personnel, exposed some unpleasant facts: men are "overrepresented" in drug and alcohol abuse, violations of campus regulations, and acts of violence and sexual assault, and they are "underrepresented" in academic programs and campus leadership activities.

Great article.  Stories started years ago about how boys are demeaned in the current educational culture.  In some schools, any books that appeal to boys are taken off library shelves.  Radical feminism has become a staple at teachers' colleges.  Now the backlash.

May 28, 2009