The worst part of being a man is having to accept that you’ll never be as free as a woman

I (21M) am a casual pothead, and I love my life. I have great friends, a great job, a great apartment, I volunteer often, I’m in a great relationship, I’m not in debt, and I’m fairly confident that my life is on the right track. Despite all my blessings, I have a gnawing sense of resentment and frustration. I feel trapped. And, I think that the root of this feeling is that I will never be as free as a woman. <br> <br>Why? Well, because of the draft. The second I turn 18, I am legally required to register for the draft. It’s not being drafted itself that’s the problem - it’s the fact that I have to register. What that means is that the federal government knows my address, it knows my name, it knows my family, it knows my friends and my relationships with them, it knows my employment status, it knows my history of travel, and it knows my social media activity. Because of this, I am never truly alone and I will never truly be myself, because all my relationships and interactions are overshadowed by the fact that I’m just a single phone call away from the nearest induction center. <br><br>Now, I’m aware that the draft hasn’t happened since the Vietnam War, and that I’m probably overreacting. But I don’t think I am. If there was ever a national emergency, a war, or a pandemic where I would be required to serve, I would not have a choice. I would be conscripted. And, as a man, I am expected to shut up, be thankful for the blessing of my own life, and accept that I am nothing more than cannon fodder. <br> <br><br>I don’t see this the same way for women. What I mean is that women, on the whole, have a deeper sense of self and autonomy than men do. They don’t have to worry about being drafted. They don’t have the dark cloud of conscription hanging over them. They don’t have to worry about being forced to take up arms and go to war. They don’t have to be afraid of their government. Men are often afraid to express their opinions because they are afraid of retribution. I’m afraid to post this because I’m afraid of being doxxed. Women don’t have to live with that same level of self-censorship and fear. Women don’t have to worry about being called cowards if they refuse induction, or worry about being labeled unmanly for not wanting to go to war. Women have a level of freedom that men will never have. We are not free. We are slaves. We are slaves to the whims of our government. But women are not, and never have been. I am jealous.