I don't get "man-hating" at all in the deck. I get that men want to characterize it that way, but I don't get that for myself, no matter how hard I look. The Hierophant with boobs is a depiction of the patriarchal system coming into being and there being an effort to appeal to women, just like when the Christians incorporated elements of paganism into Christianity to win followers away from pagan beliefs. Easter being the god having risen, which was pagan, and many other things like that.
Just because the deck is created stressing the matriarchal spiritual beliefs doesn't mean men are hated. After all, without men, humans would quickly become extinct.
Feminizing men? Well, tarotbear, my dear, I've seen you in your kilt, don't forget.
The Shaman of Wands is wearing what looks like a skirt, but clothing doesn't obscure or obliterate that a man is a man is a man. The 2 of Cups depicts a mer-man and a mer-woman sealing their bond to each other. The Fool is a man and so is the Hierophant. There are babies depicted, so there are obviously men involved sexually. In the 6 of Discs a woman is lovingly touching a man and giving him a massage. The Ace of Cups seems to be a man. The 9 of Swords depicts men. The Shaman of Cups is a man. A feminist deck is no more man-hating than a gay man's deck is female-hating.
The Motherpeace deck is a deck that simply celebrates woman-hood and respects that. It's pointing back in history to the matriarchal systems that pre-date the patriarchal system. There's nothing wrong with that.
This deck was created back when there were no laws to protect women from abuse by their spouses. It was almost accepted that beating your wife and kids was a man's duty, almost. (Ask me---I grew up then) Only in the 80's did shelters for women come about and domestic abuse become a real crime. This deck came into being during that time when women not only were seen as a man's property, but they had no real legal recourse to escape abuse. The Motherpeace Tarot deck is a reflection of that time when the tide was turning in favor of women and kids having some protection from abuse and some self-esteem restored and another step was made toward equality in all areas. There's nothing man-hating about that.
Sometimes I wonder if people who call Motherpeace a "man hater" deck aren't bordering on being woman-haters. Honestly.
And it's true that men are more physically aggressive by nature than women are, and are more prone to fight than women are. The saying that men are inclined to war and women to peace isn't a man-hating statement. It's a simple fact. It's a generalization, granted, but it's well-deserved if you look at the history of the world and its wars.
Coming back to add that, in 1976 when I divorced my first husband, the person seeking the divorce had to prove to the judge that they should be granted the divorce. If not, then the judge would say, "Sorry, go kiss and make up and make the best of it." Women were expected to produce proof---and I mean up in your face proof like catching the guy in bed and standing by the bed taking a picture of it to show to the judge---in order to be granted the divorce. He beats me held no weight as long as the guy was bringing home the bacon and behaving like a man otherwise. A woman couldn't leave a man or he'd petition the court that he'd been abandoned. And if there were kids involved, that meant a woman gave them up to him because she "deserted" them. In those days, women who worked outside the home or got divorced were looked on as "loose women". If a woman got a divorce she was fair game to every guy looking for a fling because she was "used goods".
I'll leave it at that. I don't mind who likes Motherpeace and who doesn't. I like some parts and don't like other parts as well, but I think it's an important deck.
