I think you're right about at least some of the deflection.

In some cases, old-fashioned guilt keeps men from delving in too deeply. They are ashamed of their own behavior and would rather not be reminded of it. Some men avert their eyes because they are afraid of what they might learn, not only about themselves but about men around them: their brothers and friends. Finally, many men participate—in peer cultures and as consumers—in what feminists have described as a “rape and battering culture.” They laugh at sexist jokes, go out with the guys to strip clubs, and consume misogynistic pornography. So even though most men are not perpetrators, they nonetheless contribute to—and derive pleasure from—a sexist cultural climate where women are put down and sexually degraded. Thus they have little motivation to examine it critically and a lot of incentive to look away.

Katz, Jackson. The Macho Paradox (p. 25). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.