[s_baby]

>Just because people with axes to grind can use gender as a smear (an inept one, in this case) to paint someone as a sexist, doesn't make it right to imply we as males are somehow being attacked or victimized, or could be in the future. And no, being made uncomfortable of your position in society isn't an attack, it's a reminder.

What position do "we" possess? As a user of ycombinator you are likely in a position of privilege. Extrapolating your experience onto the general male populace is an ad-hom attack on all marginalized men when done systematically.

Because you are the figurehead of "men", gay and transgendered men have no where to go when they are kicked out of their fundamentalist household. After all, why would you build shelters for the privileged?

Because you are the figurehead of "men", minority boys are falling through the cracks. Have you seen the difference in employment rates of african-american men and women? Have you seen the difference in incarceration rates?

Yes, some men like you experience disproportionate mobility towards the top. But even more experience mobility towards the very bottom.

[synth]

I speak for myself alone, and the "we" was obviously rhetorical. The parent comment spoke of males in monolithic terms like "masculine identity", and I seized on that. I also never extrapolated my own personal experience onto anyone else, just the totality of my experience, which is all anyone can offer really. So there's really no need for you to project any sort of messianic arrogance on me.

If you have a problem with people speaking in broad terms (this is not what ad hominem means), you might want to reconsider the comment space of a news aggregation website as the avenue for any deep, precise insight into unbelievably complex social issues.