First you said it was feminism's fault for stoking fear, and then you said that you weren't going to argue whether the fear is justified or appropriate. 🙄
If you don't understand that mainstream masculine socialization is THE core problem, not just in women's lives, but in men's as well, then you are also contributing to the problem. In addition, it doesn't matter what percentage of men actually harm women - nearly all women have been harmed by men - ongoingly - since they were young children. And the rest of you mostly sit by and let it happen without challenging the individual instances of this nor the culture that perpetuates it. I'm sorry, but give me a fucking break.... Feminism doesn't create fear - men create and allow fear to be a regular part of nearly every woman’s core set of experiences.
If you haven't already, do watch the clip of the woman just trying to walk around NYC, although unless you are in a mix and mingle environment, it’s probably more about not wanting to be bothered by a stranger than about being afraid of you in a public place. The fact that you want to scapegoat women and feminism for this is a big part of the problem. It’s points to entitlement and to not having basic empathy.
As already noted, the world at large is not a dating ATM. Participate in life and in activities and get to know women as people while doing that. Then you can start to ascertain if there is any mutual interest or possibility for flirtation, etc.
The main thrust of the subsequent research is that traditional masculinity—marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression—is, on the whole, harmful. Men socialized in this way are less likely to engage in healthy behaviors.
Getting that message out to men — that they’re adaptable, emotional and capable of engaging fully outside of rigid norms — is what the new guidelines are designed to do. And if psychologists can focus on supporting men in breaking free of masculinity rules that don’t help them, the effects could spread beyond just mental health for men, McDermott says. “If we can change men,” he says, “we can change the world.”
