Opening Up Men's Studies Through Masterpieces / Fuchu Hake-shita Notes / Book Review / Emi Kobayashi

The #MeToo movement gained momentum around 2017, and I welcomed it wholeheartedly. I welcomed the fact that various structural discriminations against women—who have lived being treated as 'women'—were pointed out, that individual cases were pursued (even if they didn't always lead to a resolution), and that society began to change.
Men were the ones being held accountable.

While the 'Not all men' stance (i.e., 'not all men are perpetrators, so I am not a perpetrator and therefore it has nothing to do with me') is questionable, it is also true that not all men are responsible for every individual act of harm.
Furthermore, there are hierarchies and differences within the attribute of being a man, and they do not necessarily all share the same characteristics or circumstances.
Just as we think about the gender of women, we need detailed analysis and corresponding real-world responses regarding the gender of men.
Thus (though there are various theories), Men's Studies is being researched (even while its definition remains fluid).

So, have you ever encountered 'Men's Studies'?
In this book, four experts who conduct research and criticism on 'masculinity/men's studies' in Japan introduce masterpieces of men's studies while commenting on and engaging in dialogue about the current state of men in Japan and the world.

We still know far too little about gender.
Because of the society that existed before, we accept and internalize it to some extent, but even for those who have studied it well, what they know about its substance and social structure is only a small fraction.
Therefore, we must continue to learn and think.
The authors of this book also have their own respective works and present the problems of 'men'.
But if we look back at it again, this book gives us an opportunity to start from these 'masterpieces' and think for ourselves once more.

The dualism of man/woman will likely be summarized as a classic in the future.
However, in a world where the structure of that framework still remains, we must look across the spectrum of gender from our respective positions and eliminate each and every problem.
At the book launch event held at Marginalia Bookstore, Shunsuke Sugita mentioned toward the end that 'eliminating discriminatory structures will likely lower the happiness level of (current) men, but even so, having a decent society as a whole' will in turn lead to the happiness of men as well.
I do not believe that the overall happiness level of men will decrease. While some privileged individuals might lose the 'happiness of self-satisfaction derived from the tolerance of power-based tyranny,' I do not think that 'self-satisfaction' can be considered happiness when surrounded by the cold gazes of others. Just as we do not say that feeling euphoria from drugs with strong side effects and dependency is 'happiness' in modern society, there might be suffering (like withdrawal symptoms from drugs) from the loss of 'self-satisfactory happiness,' but I believe that by being 'decent,' happiness will actually increase. I don't mean to nitpick Mr. Sugita's spoken words—though I have pointed it out in detail—but if we take it to mean '(even if) men's happiness levels were to drop, I want a decent society,' then I agree with his statement, and that is the direction we should head.
Some might argue that this is only because I am a woman and can take away the benefits of men, but even if there is that aspect regarding the attribute of gender/men and women, I belong to the majority who are physically healthy, and globally speaking (though I am in a very low-income bracket within Japan), I am a resident of a rich society where I can freely use water, electricity, and gas. I think those things must also be re-examined in the same way.

I have digressed a little, but I do not intend to force those who have experienced the trauma of being harmed by the attribute of 'men' to 'learn about men' as well. The room for acceptance varies from person to person.
However, if there is anyone who has the capacity to be interested in 'gender as a whole,' regardless of your current attributes, I would like you to turn your eyes to 'Men's Studies,' and as an introduction to that, I recommend taking an interest in this book, the masterpieces it mentions, and the books by each of the authors.
And, it goes without saying, I would also like you to turn your eyes to feminism, as well as LGBTQ issues and the diverse genders that we occupy across various spectrums.
By looking and thinking from various perspectives in this way, our view of the world will become even more vivid, and as society becomes 'decent,' the happiness level of 'all of us' will likely rise.