Analyzing Kirbow's Letter: Credibility and the #MeToo Movement Essay

This essay analyzes John Kirbow's letter, focusing on his credibility and arguments regarding the #MeToo movement. The assignment requires an examination of Kirbow's statement in paragraph 22, where he acknowledges his limited experience with the issues women face, and evaluates w...Read More

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1. In paragraph 22, Kirbow admits, “I am a man, far removed from the experience’s
women face, so I don’t claim by any means to be the most worthy voice to speak
about this. However, this is my attempt to do so, for other men to read and honestly
reflect on.” Do you think this statement adds to or detracts from his credibility? Why?
This statement adds to his credibility. His statement clearly defines how women should get the
opportunity to be heard. Women do not demand attention that makes them superior to men, their
need is to gain the respect they deserve. Feminism is not about gender superiority; it is about
gender neutrality. Upliftment of the female gender in the society does not imply downplaying of
the issues men face in their daily lives. “Groups and identity matter because people matter”
(Kirszner and Mandell 257-261), this statement speaks about the importance of individual
identities. The sheer sense of empathy and above all humanity follows the principle of
considering everyone equally and if tomorrow, a man is exposed to similar experiences of
humiliation, disrespect or disregard then as a human being we should fight for his rights. No
human being should be made to suffer from a situation that makes his dignity questionable. All
human beings’ matter and compassion come with humanity. If we cannot project our secularism
here, where else would we? (Kirszner and Mandell 257-261). Oppression against specific groups
of society is a commonly observed scenario, which makes it essential for us to address it. His
statement, “In general, some groups and identities are oppressed far more than others” strongly
supports how apart from women many other groups face humiliation as well. He describes how

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being a man is completely unaware of the experiences women face, so it is not worthwhile for
him to speak on this issue, however from the little bit he knows, he aims to help other men
understand the severity of these experiences and reflect on their actions. He implies open-
mindedness through his words and aims to nullify the differences between gender roles.
Regardless, of the gender, if any human being is subjected to question his respect, then we all
need to stand up for him. Ultimately, all lives matter, the black ones, the white ones and
everything else in between. And so, this man proves his wise actions of considering that women
do not need to be respected for their superiority, the need to be respected for their equality and
that is what gender neutrality is all about. Conceding cluster repression and distinctive
consideration to susceptible clusters does not need to weaken the privileges and worth of others.
Not one bit. It just entails that some clusters necessitate a noteworthy voice, and are inexplicably
beleaguered.
2. Starting in paragraph 23, Kirbow presents his points in a numbered list. Do you
find this list convincing? What other information could Kirbow have provided to support
his case?
In paragraph 23, the list provided talks about secularism and equal rights for all the
women and men, however about the #metoo movement, there is barely anything
mentioned about women and what they face in the current scenario (Kirszner and
Mandell 257-261). Here the attempt to conviction made by Kirbow focuses on
humanitarian views and gender equality. There could have been an addition to the kind of
issues women are presented with when it comes to disregard and loss of dignity. There is
no mention of the reasons why women stepped on to take an action like going ahead with

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the movement. The very reason this movement was to raise their voices because they
have never been allowed to speak up. This has been an attempt to lift men, especially
those who suffer from oppression, however where is the attempt to address why women
are undermined? Kirbow could have included references for the worst-case scenarios that
took place to provoke women to start with such a movement. also, the extent of the
frequency at which such issues come up could be more supportive. Conclusively, the
#metoo movement was focused around women, then why is there hardly any mention of
women, but lots of evidence to suggest that men face oppression too. There seems to be
an internal bias in the presentation of the views that lack the support women need, to
sustain in society without fear, hate and hesitation (Kirszner and Mandell 257-261).

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References
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues And
Ideas. 10th ed. Drexel University, 2017. Print.