"Men's Rights"- My take on Scott Adams' post

I mentioned the Dilbert Blog's post on "Men's rights" (since deleted for "too much attention") and my relevant observations previously. So here ya go...

He posts a laundry list of supposed "unfair treatment" of men:

...examples of unfair treatment of men include many elements of the legal system, the military draft in some cases, the lower life expectancies of men, the higher suicide rates for men, circumcision, and the growing number of government agencies that are primarily for women.

• The inequality in the legal system is a real problem, and in fact goes a long ways toward demonstrating that the legal system is entirely illegitimate. Get rid of the government's monopoly on the "legal system" and this ceases to be a real problem.

• The military draft is slavery. It is wrong no matter who is enslaved by whom. Make sure no one can ever again enslave another without facing the consequences and this isn't an issue.

• No one has a "right" to have the same life expectancy as anyone else. That's just biology and chance. Your own behavior can also impact your life expectancy, and that is neither "fair" nor "unfair". It's just reality. Which brings us to the related matter of suicide. Suicide is a choice and isn't forced on anyone. While societal pressures may contribute to a higher rate for men, the blame ultimately lies with the person who kills himself.

• Circumcision is barbaric, yet until parents, including the fathers, realize that genital mutilation is wrong, it will still happen. Guys are probably close to 50% of the problem here- we can't lay it all on anyone else.

• Government agencies set up "primarily for women" are no different than any other government agencies. The agencies are the problem; not who they are supposedly set up to benefit. The only real beneficiary is the government. Creating dependency doesn't help the women that are targeted.

Then there are the "social aspects" that he mentions. "Manners" and the fact that "society discourages male behavior whereas female behavior is celebrated. Exceptions are the fields of sports, humor, and war. Men are allowed to do what they want in those areas".

Sure, there may be some costs associated with going along, but in most cases you only impose these costs on yourself to avoid the costs of refusing. Maybe the supposed higher pay of men compared to women (something that has never happened in my favor, though) is partial compensation for men having to put up with some of this feminization of society.

In the end, civilization will be the real loser if men's natural strengths keep being suppressed. The women who steered civilization over this particular cliff (and the men who helped them do it) won't escape the consequences even while they try to blame men.