From time to time, something will happen on the Internet or in real life that I know I should write about for Man Boobz, but it’s so infuriating or depressing that I can’t bring myself to write about it. The recent bullshit on Reddit involving a young woman whose story of a sexual assault was met with angry disbelief until she provided video proof that her injuries were real is a perfect case in point.
Briefly, what happened is this:
A young woman posted about a sexual assault she’d endured a day or so earlier – a man had tried to rape her, pushing her to the ground and scraping her face on the pavement. In a separate topic she posted a picture of her injuries, most notably a giant scrape on her cheek. You can see it at right; click on the picture to see it full size.
Then another Redditor noticed that some time back, the same woman had posted a picture of herself in zombie makeup. This, he said, made him skeptical that her injuries were real — it was probably just a good makeup job.
That was all it took to send Reddit into a full internet lynch mob frenzy: obviously this woman was a liar and an attention whore and, even worse, possibly a feminist anti-rape activist! Redditors suddenly became both medical and makeup experts, and declared that the giant scrape on her face was obviously phony. (Not to me; I tried arguing with several of them to no avail.) It got ugly, very ugly, very quickly.
The woman at the heart of the storm asked if she needed to post an actual video of her cleaning the wound on her face to show that it was real; a redditor demanded that she do just that.
So she did. (Here it is.) Long story short: the scrape is real. The woman also posted a picture of the business card given to her by the police detective she’s spoken to when reporting the incident. It’s now pretty clear that there is no reason to doubt that her story is true. Even the Redditor who originally challenged her story realized that she was almost certainly telling the truth.
Here’s her post offering proof to back up her story.
At this point the lynch mob lost its steam; some people even apologized to her.
But the evidence of the ugliness remains in a host of different threads and different subforums on Reddit. I honestly don’t have the energy or the patience to sift through all of the ugliness; luckily, Jezebel has given a decent account of the whole spectacle; you can go there to get some more of the details.
You might also want to look in to the main thread where most of the ugliness occurred — though at this point many of the vile accusatory comments that got upvoted when everyone seemed to assume she was lying have been retroactively voted down. (The screenshot I posted above gives a better idea of what it looked like at the time; here’s another screenshot with some of the choicer comments.)
Naturally, Men’s Rightsers contributed to the ugliness – though most of the worst comments appeared outside of the Men’s Rights subreddit, and a surprising number of r/mr regulars refused to jump on the original “she’s a liar” bandwagon.
While many Men’s Rightsters are now apologetic, others still think she may be lying.
Here’s a good discussion of the whole thing in ShitRedditSays, and a followup.
Molly: Quiet! You’ll give away the secrets of the Evil Feminist Conspiracy(tm)!
Come one, ladies, the Protocols of the Fymynyst Elders of Wymyn’s Country are very specific. No revealing the Secret Plans ™ to anyone! I might have to report this violation to the Semi-Permanent Subcommittee on Keeping teh Menz in Line. You might get reprimanded!
“You might get reprimanded!”
DUN TAKE MY CATS AWAY!
Oh, wait, I don’t own any cats… *whew!*
Cats are only removed after three class c reprimands, contingent on the Political Correctness Committee meeting with the Animal Rights Subcommittee and coming to a consensus that takes into account all points of view and tries to reach an amicable solution. Assuming, of course, that the vegans and the vegetarians and the locovores can agree on what kind of organic fair trade coffee to serve at the pre-meeting baby doughnut brunch.
And if you’re wondering where I got this idea:
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
EMERGENCY!!! Cat deployment commencing.
Targeting Molly_Ren
T-minus 2 hours to kittenpocalypse.
EMERGENCY!!! Cat deployment commencing.
Targeting Molly_Ren
T-minus 2 hours to kittenpocalypse.
Perhaps MRAL has a spare keyboard he could loan DKM to mash the next time he gets his panties in a twist.
You’ve never had a cat, have you Mr. Meller?
The Pussy Cartel has him embargoed.
*is buried in cats*
re soft and prickly, He’s never encountered some of the more finely-spined cactus in the world, the teddy-bear cholla, or various of the Mammillaria
Mr. Meller, one reasonable way of describing my gender is, in fact, both male and female at the same time.
And he’s clearly never been acquainted with an African hedgehog. For shame, David K. Meller. For shame.
Pecunium–regarding post of 17 September 2011, 12:13pm
No, I haven’t ever encountered “Mammilaria” cactus! I have no plans to encouter them, still less pet, cuddle, or caress them either now or in the foreseeable future. I will gladly leave the interesting experience of petting one to you! I prefer to cuddle with soft, playful women, and even enjoy playing with the likes of the pretty kitties sometimes shown here on manboobz, along with playful puppydogs and fluffy bunnys. Admittedly, a preference for soft, feminine. fluffy things is my eccentricity. You obviously prefer harsh, prickly, scratchy things. “Whatever floats your boat”.
I saw some of the cacti (along with their pleasing looking flowers) in the visual you thoughtfully provided. Why not REALLY enjoy yourself and take some ‘mammilaria’ to bed with you? You are assured a memorable, if NOT an enjoyable experience!
Ozymandias42– re: post of September 17, 2011 @12:48pm
Among hermaphoditic species, like seahorses, perhaps. You are, it seems, in the wrong species! I prefer REAL 100% women–cute, playful, attentive, good sense of humor, charming…However, if you prefer bigendered lifeforms, like I suggested to your webmate Pecunium with his eager interest in prickly cactus, then have fun! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody!
Bee–re: post of September 17,2011@ 2:09pm
As I told the other two (eccentrics) here, have fun! I have never heard of the African hedgehog, I don’t want to hear of the African (or any other) hedgehog, and as far as softness, fluffiness, or cuddliness is concerned, again, I give it freely to YOU, both in and out of bed! I prefer the 100% feminine! Enjoy yourself with him–or them–especially since it may be the only love that you, Bee, will ever receive!
I stand by my statement that a surface may NOT be soft and fluffy, and harsh and prickly at the same areas at same time. I’ll also take the 100% soft and fluffys every time–one reason I prefer women to feminists–and you all can have the other kind! Enjoy!!
The only time I get nasty, here or elsewhere, is when I see feminists trying to deprive me–and other men–of really soft, feminine, and adorable women! They feel an irresistible NEED to spread their infection to everyone else, especially in colleges and universities (pace my complaints about “overeducated women”). If they remain where they belong, with each other, I have no opinion, and even wish them the best–well, live and let live–anyhow!
PEACE AND FREEDOM!!
David K. Meller
“The only time I get nasty, here or elsewhere, is when I see feminists trying to deprive me–and other men–of really soft, feminine, and adorable women!”
I am so tired of Meller thinking “feminist” = “man” I can’t even think of a good retort.
DKM, I don’t think the absence of “really soft, feminine, and adorable women” in your life is the fault of feminism.
He’s never encountered some of the more finely-spined cactus in the world, the teddy-bear cholla, or various of the Mammillaria.
my god, it’s…adorable…
No, Viop, I never have. I leave that pleasure to you, and your fellow manboobzers! I prefer soft ‘n’cuddly, thank you! As I told the others, YOU on the other hand, are welcome to have fun with cactus, hedgehogs, porcupines, or poisoned spine sea urchins for all I could care less! Try and find the soft part. Your secret is safe with me!
Think of something good to explain your nasty scratches and loss of blood to the Emergency room M.D.s and nurses, They WILL have to file a report for insurance purposes!
*sigh*, you got us DKM. The entire reason of feminism was secretly to deny you and those of your ilk “…soft, feminine, and adorable women.” The advancement of gender equality, the ideas that people should be treated as human beings despite the body parts they have or the gender they identify by, just an elaborate smokescreen. We’ll have to have an emergency meeting in the feminist underground fortress and hope Gloria Steinem can forgive us for letting our grand conspiracy to deny a very specific set of men the types of women they desire through ideological warfare.
(Just to make absolutely sure we are clear DKM, this entire comment was sarcasm. In fact, it has so much sarcasm that every letter of that paragraph should be me rolling my eyes. if you genuinely think that feminism’s sole and ultimate goal was to deny you the type of women you desire; then you have severe issues with hubris and delusions of grandeur).
Learn something new every day! I googled “teddybear cholla” and found some interesting news that suggests that , despite its appealing name, it is the last thing in the world, other than peraps amadajane5, Bee, Molly Ren, or Nobinayamu, that any man would want to cuddle with!
No, I am not going into details. Suffice it to say, that it is NASTY, even for the spined cacti Pecunium seems to be interested in.
PEACE AND FREEDOM!!
David K. Meller
…letting our grand conspiracy to deny a very specific set of men the types of women they desire through ideological warfare get exposed by one MRA representing troll here on manboobz*
(wow, I’m more tired then I thought if I forgot to put in all that)
Wait, I take that back. Meller thinks we’re all cacti. XD
<blockquote.No, Viop, I never have. I leave that pleasure to you, and your fellow manboobzers! I prefer soft ‘n’cuddly, thank you! As I told the others, YOU on the other hand, are welcome to have fun with cactus, hedgehogs, porcupines, or poisoned spine sea urchins for all I could care less! Try and find the soft part. Your secret is safe with me! Think of something good to explain your nasty scratches and loss of blood to the Emergency room M.D.s and nurses…
I just asked you if you owned a cat. You’re the one who’s spinning off the road with weird sex fantasies.