The Thing About Men hashtag prompts Twitter fight

@ThingsInSixty/Twitter

‘The Thing About Men’ Twitter hashtag is full of sarcasm and misogyny

It seems that the hashtag's original intention was to praise men.

 

Siobhan Ball

Internet Culture

Posted on Feb 24, 2020   Updated on Feb 24, 2020, 7:36 pm CST

On Monday, Twitter account “Things In Sixty Tags” started a hashtag game–a social media phenomenon where an account creates a prompt, and everyone who responds helps it go viral. Today’s choice of phrase? The Thing About Men.

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It seems that the hashtag’s original intention was to praise men. (Attached to the original tweet was the slightly condescending phrase, “Where would we be without men?”.) And indeed, some of the tweets followed that line of thought.

“#TheThingAboutMen is they are sexy and nice to cuddle with and their necks smell yummy,” Twitter user @kammiekayne wrote.

https://twitter.com/kammiekayne/status/1231987990664118272
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https://twitter.com/DorsetQuarryGal/status/1231995626256240640
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There was also some self-deprecating and even dry humour, with one brave soul joking that men mansplain only because they care.

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And there were also some pretty good memes. Everybody loves a good men-in-tights reference.

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https://twitter.com/Josephine_KK/status/1232036855291535361
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Some chose to use the tag to draw attention to problems that men face. Twitter user @rawbeancoal reminded everyone that men have feelings too, and the expectation that they “man up” and repress emotions is damaging.

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https://twitter.com/ZarrarSalahPTI/status/1231993902405750785
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https://twitter.com/fivefortweeting/status/1231991480601858048

And Twitter user @KMGFromChicago used the hashtag to highlight how men’s tendency to avoid seeking medical care and failure to take care of their health causes immense health problems. (Go to the doctor, guys. Your life matters.)

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Quite a few Twitter users spotted this hashtag for the trap that it was, commenting only to say how they were staying clear from the “game.”

https://twitter.com/Kittycisms/status/1231987538656624642
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Predictably, the hashtag also inspired a lot of, sometimes nonsensical, misogyny.

“#TheThingAboutMen is we die sooner…because of woman,” Twitter user @TheRealMrNixon wrote.

https://twitter.com/TheRealMrNixon/status/1231989229510676486
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https://twitter.com/21pinch/status/1231990966216732673
https://twitter.com/SteveOs62013513/status/1231989211525472257
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https://twitter.com/The_Iron_6iant/status/1232043658486124546

These tweets were, of course, accompanied by the accusation that the hashtag itself is an example of misandry, or a “prejudice against men.”

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https://twitter.com/RuleonC/status/1232038556996001792
https://twitter.com/sidewinder2180/status/1232018125983342592
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Women, and some men, pushed back on the accusations, pointing out how unfair some of the tweets against women were and venting about negative things that men do.

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https://twitter.com/accolonica/status/1232012983481425920
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https://twitter.com/SaltyHeau/status/1232011870820659201
https://twitter.com/Jgarcia6471/status/1232013251657052161
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At time of press, the fighting rages on, which is almost certainly what the hashtag’s authors wanted.

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*First Published: Feb 24, 2020, 7:27 pm CST
 
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