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This is awesome! Thank you @marcel__za for this tweet that highlights the issue that so many of us are trying to explain regarding #MenAreTrash... 
The issue? That too many men are either too sexist, too callous, too toxic, too disinterested, too invested in the way things currently are, or too offended by a hashtag to even understand what women in this country endure.
How does this tweet do that?
It shows that, rather than try to understand the issue, you will present a straw man argument to validate your position that there is no gender-based violence problem in this country.
It shows that, rather than try to understand the issue, you will present a straw man argument to validate your position that there is no gender-based violence problem in this country.
To explain, a straw man argument is when a piece of evidence that is either false or unrelated is presented to support an argument.
Please note that I am not saying that these stats are fake... So how is this a straw man argument?
Please note that I am not saying that these stats are fake... So how is this a straw man argument?
Let’s analyse your position. You present statistics that show that in 2017/18, 16,421 men were murdered, compared to 2,930 women.
You use these stats to contend that femicide, therefore, is not a real problem.
I mean, dude! More of our bros were murdered than chicks! Case closed.
You use these stats to contend that femicide, therefore, is not a real problem.
I mean, dude! More of our bros were murdered than chicks! Case closed.
But what is femicide?
Femicide is defined as the killing of a woman or girl on account of her gender.
Please read that again.
It’s a term that refers to the motive of a murder as being gender-related.
It’s when the only reason a woman or girl is murdered is BECAUSE SHE IS FEMALE.
Femicide is defined as the killing of a woman or girl on account of her gender.
Please read that again.
It’s a term that refers to the motive of a murder as being gender-related.
It’s when the only reason a woman or girl is murdered is BECAUSE SHE IS FEMALE.
I know you like screen grabs, @marcel__za so here is one for you.
What’s particularly interesting is that there is no antonym (opposite) of femicide.
Gender-based violence against males is such a non-issue, we don’t even have a word for it!!!
But I digress...
What’s particularly interesting is that there is no antonym (opposite) of femicide.
Gender-based violence against males is such a non-issue, we don’t even have a word for it!!!
But I digress...
The main issue with your use of stats, is that these stats are not relevant to your argument.
These stats are not related to the core issue of femicide - motive.
These stats are not related to the core issue of femicide - motive.
The murder of 16,421 men - while unacceptably high and tragic - will in, most instances, come down to motives of robbery, retribution, gangsterism, escalated fights, political disputes, taxi violence, criminal turf wars, personal feuds, etc.
Murdered simply because of their gender? Out of hate for men? To satisfy some dude’s sexual or power-assertion needs? Nope.
I’d wager that if you were to present stats relating to motive, they’d look something like this:
Murder victims in SA by sex (2017/18) that were gender- or sexually-related:
Men - 0
Women - 2,000+
Murder victims in SA by sex (2017/18) that were gender- or sexually-related:
Men - 0
Women - 2,000+
And that is what #MenAreTrash is about. It’s about highlighting the fact that so many women are harassed, abused, assaulted, raped, and murdered simply because they are female.
PS: Something that just occurred to me thanks to @roshOPC... If you want to share this, feel free to copy and paste it. It’s not about me. It’s not about recognition or credit. It’s about fixing a problem. So take the words, make them your own, and spread the message.
