Gender has always been a controversial topic anywhere in the world. For generations women have fought for equality in society and have been tested throughout their political movement. They had to fight against oppression from both men and women, racism, and the stereotype that women are unable to do anything without a man to help. Thus, feminism was born- a political movement created to give equal rights to women, that has gained millions of activists worldwide.
They’ve grown but there are some feminists that blame everything on men. Which is ironic since men are being oppressed too. At least that is what The Red Pill, a documentary created by Cassie Jayne and “Why gender equality is good for everyone — men included,” a Ted Talk by Michael Kimmel seems to convey.
In Jayne’s documentary, The Red Pill, she sets out on a journey to understand the Men’s Rights Movement- a movement perceived as misogynistic and against the progression of women’s rights (The Red Pill Movie). In “Why gender equality is good for everyone — men included,” Kimmel, a sociologist and pre-eminent scholar of men and masculinity, he addresses that “[gender] equality [is] a win-win [situation] that will result in more opportunity and more happiness for everybody” (Ted). Both use different types of rhetorical appeals- pathos, logos, or ethos- to convey their message but it is Jayne that makes the more appealing argument.
In Cassie Jayne’s film, she undergoes a journey in order to “document the mysterious and polarizing world of the Men’s Rights Movement” a misogynist hate-group aiming to turn back the clock on women’s rights” (Red Pill). The movie was released October 7, 2016, and produced by Jaye Birds Productions- which was founded by Cassie Jaye. The movie is directed to the general public but mostly geared towards men and the more radical feminist in group. Her purpose for creating this film was to “educate audiences on the issues that face men and boys in our society today and analyze why the current gender discussion is not fully inclusive“ (Red Pill). In her documentary, Jaye proposed that men have equal disadvantage, just like women, and that society refuses to acknowledge it. Which is why she decided to create this movie in the first place and named it “The Red Pill” after a scene in The Matrix, where Neo is give a choice by Morpheus- to either take the blue pill, therefore ending the story where it is, or, to take the red pill and continue onwards towards the “rabbit hole.”
In the Ted Talk “Why gender equality is good for everyone — men included,” by Michael Kimmel, he suggests that society’s progression is only possible if there is gender equality in both present in the workplace and at home and how it is beneficial to both genders. This talk was hosted at TEDWomen, May 2015. The audience was directed towards the people at said talk but could also be geared to people with jobs, those in marriages and relationships, and for people that are able to influence and make changes to the the work environment. Kimmel’s reason for this lecture was to “recruit [and engage] men to support gender equality” (Ted), which he does a fantastic job by stating some of the benefits of gender equality.
In Jayne’s documentary there are many rhetorical appeals at play but the most prominent one being pathos. Pathos is a rhetorical appeal that preys on people’s emotions and Jayne does a wonderful demonstration of this through her choice of music, which consist of melodic piano instrumentals. Another rhetorical appeal she uses is logos. Logos is an appeal that sways people with facts. Jayne incorporates logos into her documentary by using men’s stats in death, health, and longevity.
The third rhetorical appeal is ethos, which is used to establish a person’s credibility. Both of these videos use it in different ways. In the Red Pill, Jayne establishes her credibility by telling the viewer about her life and why she became a feminist. She further develops it by including her video diaries, which show her thoughts and how the were tested and changed while filming the documentary.
