Great article. I especially like this quote: “change requires buy-in from those who have the power, not just the people being discriminated against.” Can’t agree enough. As with any social movement, you count on allies. But the crucial part is how many fence-sitters you can reach to add potential new allies. And, a movement collectively creates a stand against those who are ideologically opposed (in this case, sexist, mysoginist, MRAs).

So, the lines are drawn. How can we reach males who have empathy for women’s causes, but are oblivious to male privilege? A complex question with many right and wrong answers.

For me, securing allies is all about making them feel welcome from the get-go. There are some oppressed folks who have a strong tendency to lash out at those closest to them. For example, an FB friend of mine devoted to BLM causes spends more of his time chiding his lower income liberal White friends about complicity with institutional racism than the rich, White males more integral to the oppression he faces. His approach is not going to stop me from being an ally for Civil Rights causes. But it doesn’t help as far as morale goes.

A welcoming approach will persuade even more males to take a closer look at their own privilege. As a devoted ally, I believe it is my moral obligation to check my privilege. Equally so, I know we’ll get more of the fence-sitters if marginalized groups focus their rhetorical fire on opponents of the cause, not potential allies.