Another elevator joke for you all:
So Pierce Harlan of the False Rape Society blog gets into an elevator ….
Well, OK, not a joke. In his latest post, Harlan offers a reaction, of sorts, to the whole atheist elevator incident –- by relating an anecdote of a recent elevator experience of his own.
EDITED TO ADD: Harlan has now deleted the post in question. It can still be seen, at least for now, in Google’s cache of the original page, which you can find here. Grab screenshots! Back to the story:
Seems he was riding a hotel elevator with a sweet old lady. Neither one said anything to the other (Harlan apparently hates talking to sweet old ladies) but when he got off the elevator – well, let’s let him explain:
I glanced back at her and saw that … she was immobilized with fear. In fact, she was practically cowering in the corner. Her eyes couldn’t have been wider if I had whipped out my dick and lathered it up with Grey Poupon. Hers was the face of utter, unbridled fear, and she was watching me like the scardest of scared deer. She said not a word but her demeanor practically pleaded, “Please don’t rape me, sir!”
Now, Harlan seems to have what you might call a taste for overstatement. He describes feminists as “screeching banshees” and “extremist loons allied with the sexual grievance industry.” I doubt he could describe a chicken-salad sandwich without resorting to angry hyperbole. (That was a little bit of overstatement on my part.) But let’s just assume that there is at least a kernel of truth here: this woman was creeped out by Harlan.
So what was Harlan’s response to this woman’s obvious discomfort?
[N]o one has more empathy for his fellow human beings than I do. The first thought that came to my mind in response to the obvious fear on the face of this pathetic, sweet looking, older woman — who probably never hurt anyone in her entire life — was fuck you!
Obviously we are supposed to ask just what it was that drove Harlan – the self-described world’s most empathetic man – to say something so seemingly callous? Well, as is usually the case with those we write about here, it all comes back to man-hating ladies and their male allies, with their evil insistence on sexual assault education (sorry, “indoctrination”) and their callous demands to “’take back the night,’ although the night has always been theirs.”(I don’t quite know what that means, but it sure sounds selfish of these women to want a whole extra night just for themselves.)
Ours is, Harlan says, “a culture marked by crass, hysterical fear-mongering about male sexual predation and violence.” (Evidently some guys haven’t gotten the memo on this.)
But all this evil misandry seems to have left poor Mr. Harlan in an uncharitable mood towards, well, almost everyone — though he directs his worst opprobrium at sweet old ladies.
Fuck them all. The paranoia of the woman in the elevator is her problem, not mine. Ironically, the elevator, the hotel itself, the car she rode in and the roads she rode on to get to the hotel were all undoubtedly conceived, designed, and built by men — men she’d fear just as much as me if they were standing in that elevator with her. I felt no guilt or shame or bewilderment over the fact that she fears me because of my birth class. Let her fear me. I can’t change it, and I have too much to do to worry about it.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s good that some people fear us. Maybe we should exult in the power we wield by reason of their paranoia. One thing I know: I will never do anything to alleviate their paranoia. In fact, I’m just fine with it, thank you very much. If someday, my riding the elevator causes some old woman to have a heart attack, that, too, is not my problem. Blame it on a culture that I don’t approve of. Blame on sweet looking, older women who give in to the paranoia.
Truly the world’s most empathetic man.
Harlan goes on to talk briefly about the Rebecca Watson elevator incident. Needless to say, he adds nothing interesting to the discussion.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s good that some people fear us. Maybe we should exult in the power we wield by reason of their paranoia. One thing I know: I will never do anything to alleviate their paranoia. In fact, I’m just fine with it, thank you very much.
Shit, I could never define “rape culture” so succinctly if I tried.
Maybe, just maybe, she has been raped before, maybe in an elevator, and she has PTSD and has actual reason to be scared. Or maybe Harlan looks threatening. I don’t know.
Yes, Harlan, you’re just chock-full of empathy. (Understanding how one comes across to other people involves empathy, and it’s likely that Harlan doesn’t understand that he radiates “danger” when he’s around vulnerable people. Or maybe he knows, and doesn’t care. Either way…)
I fin dit endlessly fascinating that these pathetic cowards constantly denounce women are too emotional, irrational, yadda yadda yadda.
And yet, when one woman says, don’t do that, they FREAK THE FUCK OUT.
Suddenly, armies of femnazis are roving the streets castrating every male they see, are trying to outlaw sex and end the human race!!!!!
Yeah, way to show the ladiez how rational, sensible and cool you are. I’m sure they totally want you now.
Dipshits.
Harlan is and always was a coward.
Maybe the little old lady was mugged, maybe she was just scared because you know, she is a little old lady and he is not a little old man?
What matters is that you, Mr. Harlan, have no desire to treat a fellow human with the same compassion you demand we treat victims of false accusations. That makes you a pathetic excuse for a person.
I do enjoy the rantings, exaggerations, and inane musings of far leftist loons, David. But I didn’t say it out loud.
You read almost as poorly as you write. Almost.
Your friend,
Pierce
It does take quite a bit of empathy to figure out what someone else is thinking, for them. Or hubris. I get those two mixed up sometimes.
I do enjoy the rantings, exaggerations, and inane musings of far leftist loons, David. But I didn’t say it out loud.
Cool, so you only screamed at an old lady who neither said or did anything to you inside in brain. Really coming out a winner on this one, champ.
Are we back to the who made what for whom thing again? o_O
Abled ppl made stairs, so disabled ppl should be damned lucky if we make ANY ramps for them at all, and they should not fear or care about discrimination cuz.. for FFS, that sidewalk you’re using? Abled ppl paved it!
just by %s most bathrooms were prolly built by cis ppl… I should be lucky that they even let me use it, and how dare I fear harassment or violence? >_>
I wonder if they never wear clothes made or designed by women o_O Or made in other countries… they should be lucky PoCs let them wear clothes at all!
This could get ugly…
” Ironically, the elevator, the hotel itself, the car she rode in and the roads she rode on to get to the hotel were all undoubtedly conceived, designed, and built by men”
Here we go with this tired shit again. Next he’ll propose a toll on it for non-male users.
” I felt no guilt or shame or bewilderment over the fact that she fears me because of my birth class. Let her fear me. I can’t change it, and I have too much to do to worry about it.”
The thing is, you could change it. You could start actively speaking out against men being stereotyped as innately violent beings with uncontrollable sex drives. I mean, I can say that I don’t think all men are raping murder machines until I’m blue in the face, but i’m just a lady, and I’m going to catch a lot of flak for trying to turn men into women or some shit.
Also, hasn’t this guy specifically called for violence a number of times, too?
The first thought that came to my mind wouldn’t be “fuck you”, but I agree with the gist of the piece- it’s not my problem. You want to be scared of men, or me, or any class of people, for no reason? Fine. I don’t give a fuck. You’re nothing to me. I will not hide in my house so the entitled Her Holy Highnesses will not have to gaze upon my hideous male visage and be discomforted by my presence. Fuck that. I have just as much right to walk around outside, to enjoy myself, to go in elevators, as any female, and not be shamed into changing my behavior for no reason other than gender. I will exercise that right, and if you have a problem with that, that’s TOO FUCKING BAD.
I always wonder about such over-the-top stories I read on MRA blogs, like the Christopher in Oregon ones that sometimes show up on MarkyMark’s blog. What really happened, I bet, is that this dude got on an elevator with an old woman, who maybe took a step or two away from him. And then the rest, the crippling fear and overt paranoia that Harlan describes is just a product of his imagination. He wants to be feared, and so he dreams up a situation where he is feared, and then posts it as true facts, though it is pure fiction.
Misogynists who routinely list things supposedly invented by men for use by ungrateful women shoot themselves in the foot. If men are defined as the sex that builds and invents things, then a man who hasn’t invented or built anything of importance is not a real man. How many hotels, roads, elevators or cars has Pierce Harlan conceived or designed? None, I think. All he can do, is pretend to be a rapist and intimidate old ladies.
You’re probably right, Victoria. I retract the whole thing.
And David is a great writer.
Yep.
Look, I will be honest. I am kind of scared of random men. Not all men, just men I don’t know. Why? Because at the age of 14, I have been constantly harassed whenever I walk alone. If I was alone in an elevator, and a man entered, I would probably lower my eyes, lean away, and try not to get his attention. If he tried something, I would be defenseless due to my size and age, as the old woman ranted against was. I’m not saying that men have no right to walk near me, or get near me in an elevator, but it is my damn right to not smile happily and make conversation.
She was probably scared of the big bulging forehead vein he must have if he can get that angry about something so petty.
You want to be scared of men, or me, or any class of people, for no reason? Fine. I don’t give a fuck. You’re nothing to me. I will not hide in my house so the entitled Her Holy Highnesses will not have to gaze upon my hideous male visage and be discomforted by my presence. Fuck that. I have just as much right to walk around outside, to enjoy myself, to go in elevators, as any female, and not be shamed into changing my behavior for no reason other than gender. I will exercise that right, and if you have a problem with that, that’s TOO FUCKING BAD.
Nobody is saying you can’t MRAL xD You can do w/e you want o_O You don’t have to change your behaviour at all… and ppl don’t have to change theirs xD It just might have consequences… not LEGAL ones, I just mean… if you don’t care if you scare women, some women may be scared… and then they’ll be less responsive to them if you talk to them… and if that’s fine to you, as you said, it’s your life xD I mean, I might have made some ppl uncomfortable by going to the washroom in the past (I dun think NOW, but I dun mind read) and there’s been times I’ve been in subways and ppl have stared, and moved away from me. It’s up to me if I care (I only careb/c I’m afraid of being beaten up, but if it’s that they just feel uncomfortable around me… well too bad). There are situations where I DO care… not using certain language that makes ppl uncomfortable, etc :] And there are situations where I’m just like you “if you don’t like it, if it scares you… too bad”. xD Nobody is telling you what you can and can’t do.
As long as that’s clear. I think a lot of feminists imply that men should be going out of their way to make the super special women comfortable.
Amused said: “Misogynists who routinely list things supposedly invented by men for use by ungrateful women shoot themselves in the foot.”
Thanks for the conclusory assertion. Maybe someday you’ll stumble upon an argument that actually leads to it. FYI: I merely pointed out that she would have been afraid of the men who did those things, not that I did all of them. (I designed the hotel but did none of the other things I mentioned.)
And Sharculese, if I wanted to get angry about something really petty, I’d focus on you. But, see, I didn’t.
My oh my, so much outrage over women supposedly believing all men to be rapists! Of course, this outrage will last only until some woman is raped in an elevator, at which point Pierce Harlans of the world will do a complete about-face and claim it was her own damn fault for being in an elevator with a strange man. Moral of the story for us girls: Assume all men are rapists, but don’t assume all men are rapists. Easy as pie.
The only way her fear was totally unjustified would be if men never assault women in elevators or hotel hallways. Since this sometimes happens, she had reason to be nervous. If she had done something–if she had attacked him or accused him of something, even spoken to him rudely–she’d be in the wrong, but she didn’t. She just looked nervous.
(Also, not to play into the same game we played with the last elevator story, but do we even know she was afraid of him? She could have been completely spaced out, or upset about something unrelated.)
Yeah I was wondering about that o_O She didn’t say or do nething. This time, we dun even have her on a vlog saying she was creeped out, so we have no idea her thoughts. Maybe she was tired, or thinking about something else o_O
“Thanks for the conclusory assertion. Maybe someday you’ll stumble upon an argument that actually leads to it. “
It’s okay, “Pierce”, I only have to look as far as your ravings for opportunities.
“I merely pointed out that she would have been afraid of the men who did those things, not that I did all of them.”
Which is a complete non-sequitur. Essentially, your argument is that because a man supposedly designed the elevator this old woman rode in, and you are also a man, this old woman should not have assumed you were a threat. (That’s assuming she assumed that at all and this incident actually happened, which I frankly doubt.) There can be many reasons why a woman in a particular situation should not believe that a man next to her is a rapist — but the fact that he has the same genitalia as some other, hypothetical guy who supposedly had something with the design of a space that they are in isn’t one of them.
“I designed the hotel but did none of the other things I mentioned.”
You designed the hotel and she DIDN’T immediately drop to her knees to worship you? What an ungrateful bitch!
Men’s Rights Activist Lieutenant | July 18, 2011 at 4:19 pm
As long as that’s clear. I think a lot of feminists imply that men should be going out of their way to make the super special women comfortable.
I think some feminists give advice. But I dun think it’s nething more than “if you want women to be comfortable around you, don’t do this” advice online…
But nobody is saying you HAVE to do nething xD They’re mostly saying (and I’m assuming, I know, I dunno which feminists you’re specifically referring to or what they’ve specifically said) that women will think XYZ if you do ZYX in YXZ situations… and if you CARE, dun do it xD And if you dun care, then … well, again it’s your life xD
“I am a man! Fear my penis! Rawr!” Lol. You’re such a knob Harlan.
The old woman probably feels vulnerable 24/7, you know, being old and all. A kind smile instead of a “fuck you” would have been more gentlemanly.