As “activists,” Men’s Rights Activists seem to be good at only two things: harassing people, and flooding comment sections of websites with their endlessly repeated half-dozen talking points. On Reddit, for example, the local MRAs have been quite the little imperialists, invading a number of gender-related subreddits (like r/equality and r/egalitarian) and turning them essentially into r/mensrights-lite, which has effectively meant killing them. (The recently started r/masculism – an attempt to do Men’s Rights on Reddit without all the misogyny – doesn’t have a chance.)
Well, now the MRA invaders on Reddit seem to have set their sights on a much bigger target: the TwoXChromosomes subreddit. Yep, they’re trying to turn Reddit’s central hangout for the ladies into a boys club.
2XC– an explicitly female-oriented forum on a site (Reddit) heavily dominated by dudes — has always been a strange place. Though I am myself, obviously, a dude, I used to read it fairly regularly, finding it a welcome respite from all the “sammich” jokes and other idiot misogyny so pervasive elsewhere on Reddit. At the time, 2XC had a (completely unwarranted) reputation amongst the Reddit crowd as an evil place full of feminazi man-haters.
Then something started happening to 2XC. That thing was dudes. And not just any dudes – MRA dudes. Regulars on r/mensrights started linking to threads in 2XC and invading en masse, downvoting anything vaguely feminist and spewing forth their standard litanies of complaint. Some of these invaders decided to stay. And so, these sporadic raiding parties turned into a sort of occupation.
No, 2XC – despite the growing number of MRA residents, including a few female MRAs – has not turned into another r/mensrights. But at times, especially when the discussion turns to some MRA pet issue, the place looks a lot like dude central.
Case in point: this 2XC thread, expertly dissected by NauticalLittleNet in ShitRedditSays. The story: a woman posts a picture of her Halloween costume on Reddit and is bugged by a rude, creepy comment referring to her breasts (something that happens approximately ten zillion times a day on Reddit). So she posts the pic again to 2XC, hoping for sympathy. Instead, she’s treated to a barrage of comments mocking her for her alleged “persecution complex.” As NauticalLittleNet shows, the overwhelming majority of the obnoxious comments (all of which garnered numerous upvotes) were from dudes, many of them MRAs.
Naturally, this sort of thing – which happens pretty regularly on 2XC – has totally changed the dynamic of the subreddit from something that was sort of a haven for Reddit women to just another subreddit overflowing with obnoxious dudery.
As a Redditor called emmster noted recently in r/feminist, some women in 2XC have basically stopped posting anything vaguely feminist for fear of being jumped on by argumentative dudes:
I’ll be getting downvoted to Hell in the comments, but get PMs that are supportive from women who feel too afraid of the judgment and vitriol to jump in. I don’t love knowing there are women afraid to voice their opinions in a space that’s for women.
Honestly, I think the sustained r/MensRights invasion is what’s taking the largest toll. It’s like they can’t stand the idea that women have a space that’s active and popular, and they have to come ruin it.
And it doesn’t help that, as Donna_Juanita noted in the same discussion, some of the 2XC mods have essentially bent over backwards to accommodate the MRA invaders and to clamp down on feminists allegedly causing “drama.”
In ShitRedditSays, emmster offers a broader take on what’s happened to 2XC
Since young men are a majority on the site as a whole, and a pretty hefty number of them haven’t had the “There Are Places I Am Not Necessarily Welcome to Pontificate on My Opinion” realization, the space becomes less of a place for women, and more of a place to talk about women. Which is a pretty big distinction. And a tricky thing to keep from happening without raising the ire of the entitled, ignorant young dude contingent.
As a reddit friend of mine put it, it all started with the “Hey Ladies, What Do You Think of My Dick?” posts. When a bunch of guys started posting questions, trying to “understand women,” which of course is a flawed goal, because women, being people, have a variety of opinions and preferences, and cannot actually be understood as a group. Some of them were actually questioning preferences on penis size, hence the name of the phenomenon.
My hypothesis is that eventually, it will be nothing but men talking to men about what they think about women.
Not that there is a shortage of such spaces on Reddit, or in the world in general.
By the way, that picture above is not actually a picture of 2XC regulars. It’s a picture of the Huutajat Men’s Shouting Choir. Which is a real thing in the world. Here they are in action:
But what if one man tells me to wear a high necked long dress and another tells me to wear a mini skirt? Whatever shall I do? Must I then find a third man and put it to a vote?
Speaking of voting, is that the mythological ‘first shot’ that women supposedly ‘fired’?
He answered, but it doesn’t really help. The whole problem is that one man’s slutted-up and rapeworthy is another man’s prudish.
Oh I think it’s very helpful, since NWO basically just admitted that his complaints about women’s manner of dress have no internal logic, and are therefore empty and meaningless.
Jesus, NWO, even for you that’s low. Should we just let guys on the street dictate what we wear? What happens if two of them disagree? A duel to first blood to prove their alphaness?
If it’s up to our male relatives or spouses, what happens if they don’t give two shits? (Seriously, I have to prod MrB to give me an opinion about my haircut or color – he sees my hair more than I do, I don’t want to get something that will make him ill every time he looks at my head!)
@malcontent
“I used to read the comments on Salon, years ago, but the same very bitter and irrational men would apparently sit by their computers day and night to post insults toward any poster perceived of as female. A back and forth between serious commenters and a few unbalanced trolls eventually becomes tiresome, but Salon never did ban or otherwise deal with the creeps.”
Dontcha just hate it when women can’t talk about all the things men do wrong without some man disagreeing?
Dontcha just hate it when women can’t talk about how they feel men should feel without a man interjecting?
Dontcha just hate it when women can’t talk about how men should act without a man voicing his opinion?
Dontcha just hate it when women can’t feign some superior enlightenment without a man dragging them down?
Dontcha just hate it when women talk about how moral and spiritual they are without some man coming along and bursting their mutual admiration bubble?
Dontcha just hate it?
It’s interesting that NWO, normally so wary of dirty commies, has no problem with the communal ownership of women.
“Whatever any man tells you to wear. Don’t like it? Tough shit. The times they are a changin. When a man say jump, you say how high. When a man says squat, you say how low. “
Oh! So we have to be your slaves! Gotcha!
“Go to any newspaper, any MSM outlet that allows commenting, school newspapers, anywhere. Notice how the comments from men everywhere are calling out women for their constant shit. Whaddya gonna do? Run to Big Daddy for more money. There isn’t any money left. Women have given all mens wealth and power to Big Daddy. When ya got nothing, there’s nothing to lose.”
Lol wut?
When I read this I first assumed it was a response to NWO’s comment just above it.
Unlurking to say that @clairedammit just made my night. I sing Balkan music like this and love, love, love the Bulgarian State Radio Choir. The mean-spirited jerk in me sometimes gets a big kick out of thinking about how much MRAs would hate this music (if they could feel feelings about art), because a lot of the songs are from a woman’s perspective and are kind of proto-feminist. (Ruma was walking through the forest; Stoyan the shepherd was following her, calling, ‘Hey Ruma, hey darling, come to me.’ Stoyan said, ‘If I bought you a silver belt, would you have me?’ Ruma replied, ‘Don’t buy a silver belt – my mother won’t let me marry you.’ Stoyan said, ‘If I killed a young lamb for you, would you have me?’ Ruma replied, ‘Don’t kill a young lamb – I just don’t love you.’ OH SNAP. Poor Stoyan, he is probably a beta.)
/nerdingout. Sorry guys.
@KathleenB
“Jesus, NWO, even for you that’s low.”
Hey the gang here is all for indoctrinating little boys in school with shirts that read, “awaiting instructions.” In the name of equality you should’ve said this was either blatant propaganda or endorsed little girls wear them as well. But ya didn’t.
You do have the right of life, liberty, property and vote, don’t ya?
You could’ve said Title IX is entitlement and now it’s own police force, judge, jury and executioner. But ya didn’t.
You could’ve said all the extra’s women get, costing hundreds of billions a year is an affront to men. But ya didn’t.
You could’ve said every womens only charity is pure hatred against men. But ya didn’t.
I hardly think you’re in a position to dictate what is, “low.”
NWO
I got the first comment.
Show me I’m wrong. Go back and show me I’m wrong.
@NWO [citation needed]
Oh I think it’s very helpful, since NWO basically just admitted that his complaints about women’s manner of dress have no internal logic, and are therefore empty and meaningless.
I think the funniest part (well, okay, one of several funniest parts) is that it is overwhelmingly and obviously likely that, were women to let all their sartorial choices be dictated by men, the world would contain a lot MORE women in miniskirts and see-through tops, not less. I’m not sure how one can simultaneously believe that women dress like “sluts” specifically in order to attract men and that women would STOP dressing this way if the men who find those outfits attractive were in charge of their choice of clothing.
@Holly Pervocracy
“It’s interesting that NWO, normally so wary of dirty commies, has no problem with the communal ownership of women.”
That would be a woman, each owned by an individual man, as opposed to the current system of women communally owning men thru womens use of State violence. One is communism, one isn’t.
“That would be a woman, each owned by an individual man, as opposed to the current system of women communally owning men thru womens use of State violence. One is communism, one isn’t.”
People don’t “own” other people. That’s against human rights laws.
So half the human race reduced to slavery, in actuality. That is total freedom according to the wannabe rapist douchbag. Figures.
If I allowed the men in my life to tell me what to wear I would definitely meet Slavey’s idea of a woman dressed in a slutty manner. The last outfit that was vocally approved of by my male companion consisted of a black mini-dress, black tights, and dark purple knee boots. Before that, the outfit that got the nod of approval was a bandage dress. Before that, skin-tight jeans and a shirt with a scandalously low v-neck.
This whole men telling women what to wear thing may not work out quite the way you intended, Slavey, since most men are much less prudish than you.
Wow, is this really the world you want to live in Mr Slave? Why? I personally have no interest in owning another human being.
NWO, where do I sign up to get my state-given share of men? My boyfriends have gone to bed and I’m not tired yet, so, being an Evil Feminist, I could use a man-possession to entertain me. But I just can’t seem to find the requisition forms anywhere online, can you help?
Dear God you’re equal parts fucking horrible and fucking hilarious.
Do I get to pick which man owns me? If so, I’m just going to pick one who lets me do what I want. Or not pick. If my dad gets to pick, he’ll do the same.
Or is it, like, first-come first-serve? No wonder you want 15-year-olds on the market if that’s how it’s going to be. Whatever age you put it at, the “legality” birthday party is going to be a clusterfuck!
Or are women going to be equitably distributed to the citizens according to their needs?
Oh NWO, you ol’ Lenin Of The Vagina.
See now, you that’s not what you said before. You said whatever any man tells you to wear, when a man says jump, when a man says squat. Every woman communally owned by every man.
What system do you have in mind for assigning women to their masters? Traditional father-to-husband handover? Government lottery? Will men be allowed to collect harems?
It’s pretty hilarious (in a fucking horrible way) that a guy who complains about being a metaphorical slave–you know, the kind of slave who has control over his own speech and money and movements and is free to leave his job and enjoys full protection of the law–is in favor of literal slavery.
Totally off-topic, but somehow in the last few minutes both Youtube videos in this thread decided that they needed to load and play simultaneously without me having touched them, and nothing I do seems to stop them. They…don’t exactly go well together. Anyone else having this problem or know how to fix it?
(Also, if people like Bulgarian choral music, google “Erghen djado” or “Erghen diado” – it’s one of my favorite songs.)
Apparently NWO’s only objection to slavery is that it’s being done to the wrong people.
@Kave
“NWO
I got the first comment.
Show me I’m wrong. Go back and show me I’m wrong.”
The reason for men slaughtering women on feminists threads and really anyplace that allows comments is, men are no longer willing to let women dictate anything to them anymore. It must be quite disheartening, after decades of spewing unoppossed hatred to have men calling you out for your foul hatred.
It is women who lobby for women-centric laws, entitlements and privileges which men pay for. There are women only charities by the thousands. It is women who have lobbied for, and implemented the absolute atrocity which is Title IX which usurps the right of innocense. They have their own police force and a trained jury. They are lobbying to further this atrocity called Title IX to forbid even confronting your accuser.
And your delicate feelings are somehow slighted when men express fury over womens behavior? Poor little snowflake.
What Holly said, NWO. You seriously are in need of serious psychological help. Then again, maybe you’re past the point of no return. What sort of insane brutality did some woman inflict on you in your earlier life? I mean seriously, the hell? All of your arguments are based on pure venom and vitriol and not on common sense or creating any sort of healing for ANYBODY who has been abused by anyone. You have NO PEACE. And you blame your current horrid state on women time and again…..my question is WHY? And no, I really don’t need to know the answer, but–consider this: you’re constantly swimming in nothing but a sea of hatred, and you’re treading water and you’re not getting ANYWHERE. No peace for you, no joy, no nuttin’. Hey, if it works for you, man…..but I’m thinking it really doesn’t. Get Jesus or something….hell, get Buddha, I don’t care….just get out of your HATE.