Debates between men and women about feminism can easily become emotional. Men often feel that feminism is primarily about restricting or stigmatizing male sexuality. Conversely, women often view feminism as an organized movement to challenge historical male dominance and rectify perceived wrongs.
Men may perceive feminist initiatives as attempts to limit their sexual opportunities. They often react emotionally because, relative to male sexual desire, many men already experience far fewer sexual opportunities than they wish for. Consequently, many men may be reluctant to let a sexual opportunity pass them by, even if the partner does not meet their ideal standards.
Women often perceive feminism as a pursuit of justice. However, from a purely theoretical or cynical perspective, appeals to justice can be viewed as a refined way of demanding that one's own interests be represented.
Neuroscience indicates that the physical reactions of fear (such as the fight-or-flight response, with increased heart rate, etc.) occur autonomously before we consciously feel afraid. Our conscious awareness of emotions, including fear, is often a delayed cognitive interpretation of physiological processes that are already underway.
A similar dynamic may apply to intellectual discourses about feminism: underlying gender-specific interests may predate any subsequent rationalization. In this view, reasoning is not inherently about objective justice; rather, it is an abstraction used to convince others to accommodate our desires.