Recently Kloo2yoo, the founder and longtime moderator of Reddit’s Men’s Rights subreddit, stepped down. The remaining moderator, IgnatiusLoyola, has just announced his successor, a long-time commenter in the subreddit who calls himself AnnArchist. (Despite the female-sounding name, he’s a guy.)
This is an, er, interesting choice, as AnnArchist is a misogynist asshole who thinks that violence against women is hilarious. Indeed, he’s posted in the BeatingWomen subreddit, a thoroughly vile little forum devoted to posting pictures and videos of women being violently assaulted. He says he enjoys this particular subreddit because “I have a sense of humor so I can laugh at it.” Here’s one recent post of his, and another. I don’t know exactly what was in either video, since they’ve both been removed my YouTube, the first for violating the site’s rules against hate speech, the second for its “shocking and disgusting content.” If you look through the comments on these submissions, you may also note that the r/beatingwomen regulars, in addition to being misogynist assholes, are also racist as fuck.
“Welcome AnnArchist,” the_real_misogynist wrote in response to one of these postings, “with posts like that you’ll fit right in here.”
Needless to say, AnnArchist doesn’t find violence by women against men quite so risible.
AnnArchist has also advocated murder (many, many, many times), endorsed vigilantism against a specific young woman, and suggested that false rape accusers should be stoned and/or jailed with the word “liar” tattooed on their faces.
He refers to women as “whores” and “cum dumpsters.” He’s boasted about “persuading” girls to have sex with him after they’ve said “no.” (Meanwhile, he’s said that if he woke up next to a trans woman after being drunkenly “tricked” into sex he would violently assault her.)
Oh, and there’s this bit of wisdom:
If you hyphenate your child’s last name, well its just pathetic. It means the mother was an uncompromising shrew.
I’m sure there are many other vile comments in AnnArchist’s past; these are simply the ones I uncovered with a couple of Reddit searches and by going through his most controversial comments. Indeed, as he himself acknowledges, “there is no limit to the amount of screwed up shit that I’ve posted.”
So why exactly was he picked as a moderator? Is he truly the best that r/mensrights can offer?
Apparently a lot of the r/mensrights regulars think so; most of those who’ve commented so far have praised IgnatiusLoyola’s choice, and have dismissed the critics as “trolls.” (EDITED TO ADD: The tide seems to have turned; there are now more comments up critical of AnnArchist’s promotion to mod, and posts defending Iggy’s decision aee getting some downvotes.)
EDITED TO ADD: Just wanted to highlight one of his comments on the false accuser he was targeting:
I hope she was harassed. Fuck I hope her house was firebombed. Lets be clear, I really will applaud anyone who does anything to her, be it slash her tires or slash her throat.
Here’s the full quote in context. (EDIT: AnnArchist has edited this comment to remove the violent bits. Luckily, someone got a screenshot.)
And here is a comment of his on a specific female judge:
I hope someone kills her.
Also you asserted that there are many MRA sites that are reasonable and nonviolent.
You have not posted a link to one.
(mostly because there is not one)
Rettee
Right, as you said, I didn’t apologize for palmer,
And the only connection between him the mens movement, is the one you lying trolls are making.
See?
Its all lies and slander here, that’s all you do. You are the most idiotic site in the debate
Catalogue, I’d really love for you to look at my little syllogism up there and tell me if you believe:
-AnnArchist is not violent
-Violence is awesome
-Making AnnArchist a moderator doesn’t mean MRAs approve of him
Or what.
There is indeed a lying troll.
His name is catalog and his blog is full of lies and celebrations of male abusers.
Catalogue:
1: Do you think the MRM is possessed of a majority which eschews violence?
2: Can you link to them.
Pretty simple. Violence = saying people deserve to be hurt. It means saying that blowing up courthouses, and killing people will be justified if the MRM doesn’t get it’s way.
I’m not even asking for sites to condemn violence against women (rape, abuse, etc.), or to want to level the hiring/wage/promotion gaps, or the exclusion of women from things like STEM.
Nope… just sites that don’t say violence in pursuit of the MRM is wrong, full-stop.
And you can’t do it.
Projection over-ruled.
Pecunium, I’m sure (well, shit, I hope) that one nonviolent MRA site exists.
What I don’t see are anti-violent MRA sites, ones that actually criticize all the calls for violence.
I also don’t see anyone talking about how the particular MRA named in the post is wildly violent and nobody (except “trolls”) will admit to having a fucking problem with that.
So, let’s summarize Hengist’s argument: When women fantasize about violence towards men or commit violence against men, it’s because they are evil bitches. When men fantasize about violence towards women or commit violence against women, it’s because evil bitches drove them to it. Because never ever ever in a million years would a man advocate smashing women’s skulls “without a reason”. Got it, Hengist! Typical abuser position: “I didn’t abuse you! You MADE me wipe the floor with you.”
Catalogue: You really need to get a grip. Take a deep breath, compose yourself (maybe a nice cup of tea). It might make you feel better to mis-type people’s names, but it doesn’t help your cause.
The little red squiggle, it will tell you when a word is wrong. I know that’s not perfect with names, but really; if the MRM is this bastion of propriety you are claiming, the effort to get names right, it can’t be that much.
Can it?
I mean it’s not as if we don’t get the angry man in here doing that often enough that whatever sting it might have hasn’t long ago worn off.
But hey, if that’s what makes you feel important, and powerful; if that’s what makes it seem you are in control of your destiny, rather than impotent against fate, I understand. In that case, I recommend clever. It’s much more empowering to be witty in the insults than to just mash the keys into some vaguely identifiable simulacrum of a name (because you need to be sure the right person benefits from your wisdom, yes?).
In that case, carry on.
Fucking peasants! How do they work?
I think Catalogue has flounced, having done enough speaking in generalities about “MRAs are goodness and feminists are badness, do not say MRAs are badness because that is a lie! [rinse, repeat]” for the day.
If he stayed around long enough, God forbid he’d have to face the fact that AnnArchist, at least, is not any kind of a nice fuzzywarm person, and the MRA community seems to have no problem at all with this.
Holly
The most up-voted comments in the thread were ones disagreeing with the choice, its patently obvious that many disagree with the choice.
Also, feminism is openly acting as an abusers lobby and feminists have been known to openly celebrate violence against men. So you are not on the high ground.
No link provided either.
I don’t care (at the moment, to simplify things) if I have “the high ground.” I’m just amused by how you don’t mind being just as low as you think we are.
Is “well, we’re not worse than our super violent and dishonest enemies” really the most a movement can aspire to?
I think a lot of those upvotes are from users the MRAs call “the downvote brigade,” but anyway–do you, personally, think AnnArchist was a bad choice? Are you upset that such a violent person was given a position of importance in your nonviolent movement?
Holly
given that all feminist areas minimize female on male rape, female on male domestic abuse and female on child abuse by misinforming activists, feminists and the public and activly discriminate againt male victims, you are in no position to throw stones.
Feminism has opposed abuse multiple times.
opposing abuse of male children
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/09/holy-see-full-of-holy-shit.html
Holly Im not arguing that “we are no worst”. I saying that feminism is a lot worst, and as policy protects abusers and has violence in its history, which the mrm does not.
You just attach misandrist tropes to us, thinking that its going to work, when in reality it just confirms feminism’s worst stereotypes – misandry. false accusations and sexist double standards.
Edit, worse not worst!
female on male rape in popular culture
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/07/19/true-blood-season-four-and-female-on-male-rape/
a post opposing the framing of female on male rape
Holly: Point taken. I’m not sure there are any MRA sites which don’t, tacitly, condone violence by allowing/encouraging it in comments, but you are right about there probably being at least one.
Which isn’t, mind you, the position Catalogue is taking vis-a-vis feminist sites. They have to be lily-pure, not so much as a link to anyplace that might be less than perfectly ideologically sound on the subject of women and violence (per the unpublished, “Catalogue Standard” not defined above).
Opposing male on male rape in the military
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2011/04/today-in-rape-culture_06.html
Another post on a feminist site regarding female on male rape and the seriousness of it.
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/07/this-is-not-right-type-of-equality.html
Let’s not even talk about feminism. Let’s pretend that feminism is a super evil hate group that kills babies and eats toads.
Appointing a violent person as moderator STILL suggests that MRAs have no problem with violence.
Do you think AnnArchist is nonviolent?
Do you think violence is okay?
Or do you think MRAs aren’t like AnnArchist and it’s totally wrong that he got selected?
PICK ONE, cause I don’t see a lot of other options.
Any MRA posts opposing male on female rape? Any at all? Any opposing male abusers?