‘MAN is dag’ or for better use of grammar, ‘men are dogs’ is a trending phrase used amongst us young people today. Yes, I used the word ‘us’ because I am very much guilty of using the said phrase as well. This topic crossed my mind as I was reading articles and post that are related to International Men’s Day. This said day was observed Tuesday last and it was a day held to observe the contributions and sacrifices men have made throughout history to this very day.

Based on my research, there isn’t much to be said on the topic apart from memes made for humour and battle of the genders social media debates. I wanted to focus mainly on the perspectives of men on this topic. Some men may feel ridiculed because they find the statement to be very derogatory while some might join in for the laughs and there are others who just don’t seem to care. Controversial? Yes, indeed, it is but it should also be opened for discussion. Men should be able to defend themselves and we should be able to understand why such a phrase was even invented, to begin with. As a writer and at the same time, as a woman, I have realised that I cannot write on behalf of all men and their views. As such, I invited two men to give their perspective on this topic—as we always should.

First, Reuben Latcha is a fellow male colleague of mine. He had his ‘two cents’ to share on this topic by saying, “The notion is pretty simple these days, it’s easy for women to say it, believe it or not. For me, I always take it as a joke. I’ve been called a “dag” before but I guess once you’re aware and know that women should always be respected; you do right by them and it shouldn’t bother you. Where all of this gets sad is when some women start to believe it and at some point in time, I personally think it’s our fault as men. We just let down our women one too many times but that still doesn’t mean as a woman you should start believing that every man is a “dag”. Saying it as a joke is one thing but believing it is another something and personally, this stereotype will always be one thing to me; a joke.”

Patrick Huntley, the vice president of the University of Guyana Student’s Society and a well-known youth advocate. His thoughts are as follows: “Well the slang ‘MAN IS DAG’ (note not Dog) is simply the opinion of a FEW women who decided to label ALL men as the same all because of their one/two bad experiences. But they do not realise that we attract who we are, and if said women were women of standards they would have had quite a different experience with men. Good men are not appreciated enough or recognised for what they are. We generally tend to overlook the fact that men will treat you with respect if you so demand it.” Patrick continued by saying, “Women often times try to find various reasons to justify that statement ‘man is dag’, but I disagree with that as if there is one man who has done wrong there are three more willing to do right by them and most times women won’t even give those guys a chance. In the end the slang is used by women who have been hurt by 1 individual and then go on to label all individuals the same, this creates a cycle and this hinders the development of healthy, progressive relationships as a woman who harbours resentment to men will discourage other women from exploring and finding a significant other.”

Both Patrick and Reuben have great points but sadly their opinions cannot sum up all the perspectives of all the men out there. Nonetheless, the key point that I have noticed is that men believe that the statement, ‘man is dog’ is very much generalised. While there are men of questionable character, in this said case, one bad apple should NOT spoil the entire bunch. There is no doubt that men have contributed tremendously to our society. The observance of International Men’s day is truly deserving to the men of our society. Women may have their reasons as to why they use this statement but are we willing to throw all good and deserving men under the bus at the same time? I know my female colleagues will have a whole lot to add to this discussion. Hence, I will be continuing this discussion next week by inviting my female colleagues to the stand. I do hope this piece opens up a respectful dialogue on both sides. With that said, see you next week!