Men want to prove so badly that it’s “not all men” so if you really want to show that it isn’t, here are some VERY BARE MINIMUM things you can do that’ll actually help more than you being upset in a woman’s replies:

1: Listen to women. Like actually listen. Don’t cut us off when we’re talking about oppression, don’t mansplain the patriarchy, actually listen to us.

2: Going off #1, stop hijacking conversations. When women are talking about abuse or assault they’ve faced from men, don’t come in to say “this happens to men too.” (1/2)

Because we know it does. Many men are victims too and women can be abusers. And we should talk about those things, but not when you’re only bringing it in to steer the conversation away. (2/2)

3: Hold other men accountable. Rapists and abusers are everywhere and it’s up to you to call them out and hold them responsible for their actions, even if it is your brother or best friend. (1/2)

Or even if not to that extent, call out men online who are misogynistic. Don’t laugh at their oppressive jokes, speak up against it. Supporting that only fuels misogynists further. (2/2)

4: Respect women. I don’t just mean your mother or your sister, but other women too. This doesn’t mean you have to like or get alone with every woman (or any person) but it’s not tough to have some simple respect even for those who aren’t family or who you aren’t attracted to.

5: Teach yourself the importance of consent. Respect other people’s bodies, please. Respect if a woman (or anyone for that matter) isn’t interested and move on. It’s not hard, I promise you.

The bar is literally in HELL with these tips. I know that. I cringed writing this all out, because it should be common sense. But still....please. Please start doing this shit and get out of my mentions every time my tweets about men bother you.

If you want a place to start where you can learn from women and read their perspectives, our entire goal over at @womensrepublic_ is to give women a platform so check out some of the work of our amazing contributors.