One of my favorite aspects of modern American culture is our ambition to improve others’ outcomes and find ways to make life fair for everyone. We may bicker about the methodology, but wanting fairness in our society is generally bipartisan.

Feminism, in its early days, was sold as a political and social tool to bring fairness to women by advocating for their ability to choose their destinies. Feminism helped shine a light on our blind spots and forced us to question our cultural attitudes surrounding women’s roles within our society.

Today, however, we are facing a different wave of feminism, one that no longer seems to strive for equality but favoritism. It is a feminism that on the strongest end is proudly misandric and takes no issue with being derogatory about the male sex. The wave of feminism we are dealing with is far past just wanting a seat at the table — it wants the table itself, and it wants men to sit on the floor.

The Southern Poverty Law Center last week released a poll with Tulchin Research in which they asked men of different age groups and party affiliations if they believe feminism has “done more harm than good.” Not surprisingly, of younger (under the age of 50) Republican men, 62% agreed. But of younger Democratic men, 46% agreed, 41% disagreed and 13% stated they didn’t know.

When asked if men should be represented and valued more in our society, a whopping 60% of younger Democratic men agreed, which was not far off from the 65% of younger Republican men.

Many people, including myself, were surprised because we associate feminism on a political level with the Democratic Party. Yet Democratic men appear to be becoming unsettled with the direction modern feminism is leading us culturally.

Obviously, there are differences in worldviews between men of the two political parties, but they share something in common where they see feminism is greatly affecting them: relationships.

The interpersonal-relationship dynamics between men and women today feel more combative than hopeful for long-term success. Many men find themselves in a position where they feel as if their partner is attempting to compete for a position of power, and if their partner’s path towards power is obstructed, the men are easily discarded. Because of this, many men feel as though their existence within relationships is treated as optional, rarely a necessity.

Feminism has muddied the waters of the relationship pool by convincing some women that relationships with men are a necessary struggle for power rather than a loving cooperative. They are instructed to seek control because they’re taught to fear men’s supposed natural tendency to terrorize even the people they care about.

The perceived feminist push toward relationship domination has in turn made many men afraid of long-term commitments. They may be scared to procreate in fear of a family-court system that could prevent a relationship with their children instead of fostering it. They’ve become pessimistically focused on a 50% divorce rate that is initiated by women 70% of the time. In the end, we have two sexes who are increasingly fearful of each other.  

Not everything wrong with modern relationships is the fault of feminism, and it would be dishonest to lay all blame upon it. Men and women are more indecisive, materialistic and pleasure-seeking than previous generations, and this surely contributes to our degrading relationships. But the feminist mentality resides in many women who often look at men with disgust while simultaneously attempting to bond with them.

The Democratic Party should be concerned if these younger Democratic men start to associate the negative feminist relationship rhetoric with a political party that’s been a catalyst for an ideology that has abandoned equality with men in favor of contempt for men.

Adam Coleman is the author of “Black Victim To Black Victor” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing.