+
upworthy
More

A male feminist just torched a bunch of sexist trolls in the most delicious way.

Globally, women are demanding their voices be heard.

International Women's Day is March 8 annually, and it marks pretty much the only time all year when we officiallycelebrate all the "social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women" while also reflecting on the fact that all of us need to work toward "accelerating gender parity" on a global scale.

Because gender parity doesn’t exist — and that’s not just an opinion. It’s a fact that’s been researched and confirmed over and over.  


According to the World Economic Forum, for instance, the gender wage gap won’t close until 2133. That’s over 100 years from now.  ‌

International Women’s Day startedas a protest for better pay and the right to vote, but it has evolved into something much bigger — and with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements gathering more and more momentum, this day may be more important in 2018 than ever.

Of course, as if on cue, a number of men have been up in arms online because they feel this day is "sexist."

On Twitter, men (who have magically forgotten that Google will quickly provide the answer to any question in the world) are chiming in to ask "Why no International Men’s Day?" and smugly pointing out that the world would be up in arms if such a holiday was even suggested, much less celebrated.

Guess what, though: Despite the fact that International Men’s Day — like Heterosexual Pride Month and White History Month — are celebrated on a daily basis, International Men’s Day really does exist;it’s Nov. 19. There’s a website and everything. (If you need a head start, 2018’s theme is "Positive Male Role Models.")

[rebelmouse-image 19531788 dam="1" original_size="750x490" caption="Image via International Mens Day." expand=1]Image via International Mens Day.

Fortunately, for all the guys out there who didn’t know this, English comedian and playwright Richard Herring (you may have seen him on BBC) is doing the hard work of educating the outraged. And he’s raising money for the domestic violence charity Refuge at the same time. ‌‌

Herring’s been calling out Twitter dudes on International Women's Day for years. But in a viral Twitter thread March 8, he went above and beyond.

He started out early — just as soon as the thousands of men (and some women) who’ve come up with this very original question woke up and reached for their phones — and grew increasingly more incensed as the day progressed. Here are just a few examples of how he responded to the many, many dudes who asked "When's International Men's Day?"

Aside from raising money for charity, Herring is sending two important messages.

First, International Men’s Day (absurdly, if you ask me) does exist. So questions about its absence from the calendar are performative rather than genuine.

Second, the fact remains that apparently women can’t enjoy even one day of solidarity without men asking "What about us, though?" It's an important comment on how few people consider the history, context, and real-life implications of the movement.

It's a striking reminder of how far we have yet to go.

Women join a protest march on International Women's Day 2018 in Manila, Philippines. Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images.

The reality is that International Women’s Day isn’t sending the message that men don’t matter. It's that women matter, too.  

Nobody wants to take away from International Men’s Day. It’s on the calendar! And we are all free to celebrate when the time comes, I guess. Herring’s humorous tweets are pointed, but they’re not about shame.

Here's what they are about, though: Around the world, women are leading marches, protesting inequality with one-day "domestic" boycotts, and engaging in activism in the face of oppressive regimes. In Manila, The New York Times reports, women gathered to denounce President Rodrigo Duterte, who’s earned the reputation of being among "the worst violators of women’s rights in Asia." In India, women marched on parliament to demand an end to "domestic violence, sexual attacks, and discrimination in jobs and wages." And in Afghanistan, women marched for better education and protection from violence.

Of course, for those in positions of privilege, equality will feel like oppression. It’d do well for all of us to reflect on that as we work to dismantle systems of oppression and work toward fighting for equality among the genders.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less
Representative Image from Canva

Let's not curse any more children with bad names, shall we?

Some parents have no trouble giving their children perfectly unique, very meaningful names that won’t go on to ruin their adulthood. But others…well…they get an A for effort, but might want to consider hiring a baby name professional.

Things of course get even more complicated when one parent becomes attached to a name that they’re partner finds completely off-putting. It almost always leads to a squabble, because the more one parent is against the name, the more the other parent will go to bat for it.

This seemed to be the case for one soon-to-be mom on the Reddit AITA forum recently. Apparently, she was second-guessing her vehement reaction to her husband’s, ahem, avant garde baby name for their daughter, which she called “the worst name ever.”

But honestly, when you hear this name, I think you’ll agree she was totally in the right.

Keep ReadingShow less

A woman looking at her phone while sitting on the toilet.


One of the most popular health trends over the last few years has been staying as hydrated as possible, evidenced by the massive popularity of 40-oz Stanely Quencher cups. The theory among those who obsess over hydration is that, when you pee clear, you’ve removed all the waste in your body and are enjoying the incredible benefits of being 100% hydrated. Congratulations.

However, according to Dr. Sermed Mezher, an NHS doctor in the UK, peeing clear isn’t always a sign of being healthy.

Keep ReadingShow less

A beautiful cruise ship crossing the seas.

Going on a cruise can be an incredible getaway from the stresses of life on the mainland. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an element of danger when living on a ship 200-plus feet high, traveling up to 35 miles per hour and subject to the whims of the sea.

An average of about 19 people go overboard every year, and only around 28% survive. Cruise ship lawyer Spencer Aronfeld explained the phenomenon in a viral TikTok video, in which he also revealed the secret code the crew uses when tragedy happens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Kudos to the heroes who had 90 seconds to save lives in the Key Bridge collapse

The loss of 6 lives is tragic, but the dispatch recording shows it could have been so much worse.

Representative image by Gustavo Fring/Pexels

The workers who responded to the Dali's mayday call saved lives with their quick response.

As more details of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore emerge, it's becoming more apparent how much worse this catastrophe could have been.

Just minutes before 1:30am on March 26, shortly after leaving port in Baltimore Harbor, a cargo ship named Dali lost power and control of its steering, sending it careening into a structural pillar on Key Bridge. The crew of the Dali issued a mayday call at 1:26am to alert authorities of the power failure, giving responders crucial moments to prepare for a potential collision. Just 90 seconds later, the ship hit a pylon, triggering a total collapse of the 1.6-mile bridge into the Patapsco River.

Dispatch audio of those moments shows the calm professionalism and quick actions that limited the loss of life in an unexpected situation where every second counted.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Yale's pep band had to miss the NCAA tournament. University of Idaho said, 'We got you.'

In an act of true sportsmanship, the Vandal band learned Yale's fight song, wore their gear and cheered them on.

Courtesy of University of Idaho

The Idaho Vandals answered the call when Yale needed a pep band.

Yale University and the University of Idaho could not be more different. Ivy League vs. state school. East Coast vs. Pacific Northwest. City vs. farm town. But in the first two rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament, extenuating circumstances brought them together as one, with the Bulldogs and the Vandals becoming the "Vandogs" for a weekend.

When Yale made it to the March Madness tournament, members of the school's pep band had already committed to other travel plans during spring break. They couldn't gather enough members to make the trek across the country to Spokane, Washington, so the Yale Bulldogs were left without their fight song unless other arrangements could be made.

When University of Idaho athletic band director Spencer Martin got wind of the need less than a week before Yale's game against Auburn, he sent out a message to his band members asking if anyone would be interested in stepping in. The response was a wave of immediate yeses, so Martin got to work arranging instruments and the students dedicated themselves to learning Yale's fight song and other traditional Yale pep songs.

Keep ReadingShow less