Visit Richard Herring's fundraiser to donate to Refuge.
Today is International Women's Day, and that is simply marvelous news. It gives an opportunity for us to, at the very least for one day during the year, to openly and unashamedly celebrate the triumphs of all women throughout human history. A day, whose simple existence shows, while full equality between the sexes may not have arrived yet, that there are many out there who are determined to see the arrival of such a day.
However, in perhaps the purest example of just how profoundly awful many people in the world are, each International Women's Day will see a slew of men take to Twitter to pose the question, 'Yeah, well when's International Men's Day?'. However, it is rare for this question to be posed without grievous errors in spelling or grammar. Let this indicate to you whatever you want it to about the people posing the question.
Some of these questioners leave the implication that men are somehow being overlooked or discriminated against by the simple existence of International Women's Day, unsaid. Others will go whole hog and append 'Sexist' or '#sexism' or some such to their message. Well, rather than smugly tweeting out this question, that 'liberals are simply too 'afraid' to ask', they could instead take several courses of action.
Firstly, rather than howling their idiocy into the void of social media, they could simply Google their question instead of tweeting it. If they did, they would be amazed to see that there is in fact an International Men's Day, and that it takes place on November 19 each year.
Secondly, even if they were reluctant to Google their simple question to check whether there is a satisfactory answer before sardonically posting it on Twitter, they could take a moment to consider the fact that the existence of International Women's Day in absolutely no conceivable way poses a threat to men anywhere. Indeed, they should consider what it means to feel 'threatened'. Feeling threatened inherently implies that you are afraid of losing something or having something taken from you. Thus, if they feel 'threatened' by a move toward greater gender equality it implies that the thing they are afraid of losing in such a move must necessarily be some perceived position, whether metaphysical or material, which currently involves some form of female oppression. Consequently, they should begin to wonder whether this part of them that feels 'threatened' is actually derived from an inherently misogynistic point of view. They should then realise that equality is a force for leveling and not undermining and try to embrace it.
Thirdly, they could just go ahead and send out their ill-advised and ill-considered tweet, go about their business and await for a ping from their phone. A ping alerting them to the fact that their tweet had received a reply from the comedian Richard Herring informing them that International Men's Day is on November 19 each year.
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Each year, on International Women's Day, Richard Herring takes it upon himself to personally respond to every, single tweet questioning the supposed non-existence of an International Men's Day. It is a task that is, for a comedian who produces two podcast series, among many others, about him playing games of snooker against himself and also narrating his attempts to remove every stone from a field near his house, suitably admirable and Sisyphean. Here are but a sample of his responses.
November 19th. Hi. Like your yoghurts https://t.co/ZzVZynQ9MQ
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
Why not? Why not indeed? You’d think some man would have come up with one, even if it was just to make a stupid point about equality that misunderstands what equality is. Amazing it’s never happened. Lucky you were here to clarify that. https://t.co/shp7dwtk2v
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
One day each not equal enough for you? Do you want another for men? https://t.co/Uf1bdnAXCP
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
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I appreciate that politeness. It’s like a snow drop growing from a field of rhinoceros dung and so I will answer your query as politely as I can - why yes, there is Tinam and it’s on November 19th every year. Please enjoy that special time. https://t.co/Pun0DPgPxQ
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. November 19th.November 19th. https://t.co/xttlleAlUQ
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
There is one. But no one knows where it is. Except a wizened old night who guards the secret chamber in which it is kept https://t.co/XZrthXySzU
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) March 8, 2019
As he has gained more attention for his attempts to inform those not willing to inform themselves about International Men's Day, he has begun to use the whole endeavour as an opportunity to raise money for charity. Last year he helped drive some £150,000 of donations to Refuge - a charity that helps victims of domestic abuse. Currently, this year's fundraising page has over £93,000 worth of donations. Visit the fundraiser page to donate.
