I'm sorry but nothing makes me want to launch my computer into the sea like the crusade of men's rights activists who don't exactly seem to understand what they're campaigning for. In some cases — according to a recent Vice piece — they want to defend men against domestic violence. (Valid.) In others, they want fathers to have rights . . . ? (Okay, I mean, we're not going to get into the logistics of things right this second, but . . . yeah, we're just going to leave this one.) And in the case of Fathers4Justice, they want Kate Winslet to change the arrangement the actress has with her ex-husbands because it isn't fair to them, they say.
What.
As reported by Vogue UK, Winslet is now suing Fathers4Justice after they launched a "misleading and seriously defamatory" campaign against the actress. How, you ask? Easy: they posted a photo of Winslet alongside the caption, "Kate, every child deserves their father for Christmas."
Oh boy. Are you screaming yet? Do you also want to toss your computer into the sea? Valid. And where did all of this come from? An interview she gave with Vogue a few months back.
"My kids don't go back and forth," she had said. "None of this 50/50 time with the mums and dads. My children live with me; that is it."
But here's the thing: not even Kate Winslet's ex-husband (and father of her son) is behind Fathers4Justice. Even he — a father (one of the father this organization is claiming to bring justice to) — thinks this is ridiculous.
"It is inappropriate for this organization to involve my family and I when they know nothing of our personal circumstances," he said. "Whilst I fully support fathers' rights, I can happily state this has never been a concern for me or my son."
Naturally, the organization was very, very receptive and apologized right away. JUST KIDDING, they did the opposite.
"We believe the content of the advert is accurate, balanced, and reflective of her comments," said spokesperson Nadine O'Connor. "Fathers4Justice has not made any comment in our advert about the personal arrangements of Kate Winslet and the fathers of her children."
Oh, but you KIIIIIIIIINDA did. I mean, Kate Winslet may have said her kids don't live with their fathers, but she didn't say "And they don't see them for Christmas! Ha ha!" For all we know, she's hanging out with Ned and the new baby this December 25th, and the other kids are kicking around elsewhere. WHO KNOWS. Not Fathers4Justice, that's for damn sure. So maybe we dial it down and mind our own business, men's rights crusaders. Or maybe instead of targeting a celebrity, look into actual right violations going on in local communities. Because hostility towards women breeds anger and violence towards women — or, maybe I should say, breeds exactly the same social climate we're trying to change currently.
