Why do so many men want to be women and not the other way around? Is "gender dysphoria" asymmetric?
I have a cynical, uninformed view that some of the "excess" dysphoric men are escaping the traditional responsibilities assigned to males by the society. Maybe they got the impression that women have it easier during their childhood, while males are trashed if they are failed providers.
I'm sure this is proven wrong somewhere, but it makes so much sense to me!
It's possible that you're touching on some kennel of truth but I'd phrase it differently. Not because it's offensive but because the tone gives form.
Someone explained Hegel's master-slave dialectic to me some time ago, I think it sorta applies here.
What it comes down to is that the idea of the
self is not merely an intrinsic experience. For example, a slave will never stop feeling like a slave until he's recognized as a freeman by his former master. The idea of the self is both an internal and external experience. It has to be recognized by yourself and by others to feel real.
It's perfectly possible that some men aren't cut to operate according to the expectations that we've
constructed as a society of men. And it's important probably to really acknowledge that the relationships, expectations, characteristic, etc. are all really (mostly) constructed. For example, in Greek/Roman times being logical was typical of a knifing, calculating woman. Whereas being emotional was typical of a passionate, caring man. This has been completely reversed and reconstructed since.
Some men want to feel pretty or express themselves along feminine lines. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's much harder to dress pretty (typically female) as a guy than it is to dress cool (typically male) as a girl. That could be part of the explanation.
The really based position is just to be postgender, btw.
For the record, well-meaning but very white, young guys usually have kinda shallow understandings of progressive causes. Don't let them gaslight you. They can't engage with you in a meaningful way even if they tried.
