Sir: Feminism has always been out there waging war against society that rendered women as unequal counterpart of the male gender. But the war and the main objective of the movement has deviated far long ago in our society. Lately the word ‘feminism’ has reduced to merely a metaphor for degrading and demeaning society that apparently consists of men… and some more men. If the latest hash tag trends and bandwagons are to go by, ‘all men are trash’. While the statistics do not add up, considering these women relation and association with men in question, the condescending ideology is against the core believes of the movement that is to put the women on same pedestal as men when talking status and rights. The irony isn’t lost on the ‘rare species’ of men who are actually pro-feminist. What started as retaliation against misogyny and chauvinistic mentality has now itself turned into a sexist movement ironically led by educated and women in authority. In an era where there’s a new story of brutality and cruelty against society’s Zainabs and Asifas, only chanting slogans, being a keyboard warrior and starting twitter war and trends is not enough. We should not turn the meaningful movement into yet another materialistic and inconsequential seasonal fever. Feminism is a huge responsibility, a struggle for rights and an example of strength of women. Please do not mortify the aims by only calling men names. It’s degrading for both genders. Bring the authentic feminism back — the one that does not represent women as only victims, oppressed minority and depict being a female as a limitation and a disability but personifies women as the embodiment of strength and power that they are. SYED M ALI HAIDER Lahore Published in Daily Times, April 23rd 2018.