Here’s a picture someone posted to Reddit about a day ago:
The general consensus amongst Redditors who saw the post was that it was hilarious. At last count, the post had gotten 1,157 up votes and 318 down votes, giving it 830 net upvotes. That’s a shitload, even for Reddit; it’s gotten more net upvotes than all but one of the posts currently on the front page of the subreddit (r/vertical) it was posted in.
It’s also pretty fucking offensive — a rape joke, a murder-of-women joke, and a necrophilia joke all rolled into one. Sure, it’s a “joke,” but it wouldn’t be hard to make the argument that pictures like this one, which make violence against women into a joke, can actually serve to encourage such violence.
If you did believe this, what would be the appropriate reaction to such a picture? You could post critical remarks about it in the comments section for the post on Reddit. You could post about it in ShitRedditSays, a subreddit devoted to ferreting out misogyny and racism and other bigotries on Reddit. You could post about it on your blog.
Or you could declare the picture an “unambiguous call for murder” and the person responsible for it to be a ” depraved and murderous male supremacist.” You could offer a reward for information on that person’s real identity, and post that person’s personal information — including their phone number, their place of employment, their home address — online. And if someone points out that posting such information might lead to this person being physically harmed or even killed, you could say: I don’t give a shit.
But that would be wrong.
It would also be terribly time-consuming, because crap like this gets posted to Reddit all the fucking time.
The proper response to speech you don’t like, however vile you think it is, isn’t violence or harassment, but more speech.
If what someone says goes beyond the bounds of free speech, you have other options. If someone threatens you personally, in a posting on the internet or by letter or email or phone call, you have the right to (and you should) report them to the proper authorities. If someone threatens you physically, you have the right to defend yourself.
But a misogynistic picture on the internet is not a threat to you. Nor is a misandrist video. These things are challenges — and in many ways opportunities — for you to make your case against hate. Responding to shit you don’t like on the internet with harassment and threats — implicit or explicit — of violence? That is hate.
the thing that puzzles me the most about mras is if women are so obviously inferior how did they manage to rig it so that these guys have no control over or responsibility for their actions?
@Jenn93–sociopathy is a state of mind; not a mental illness. it’s simply a set of tendencies that a person indulges instead of controlling or seeking help for; and they enjoy harming, terrifying, and controlling others. Sociopaths deserve your scorn and mockery.
I keep asking them if they think the idea that men cannot control themselves is sexist against men. I never get an answer.
Karak, I’m not entirely sure about that. Many psychological problems have neurological roots, and I don’t want to be too quick with my contempt.
Woah there. No.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociopathy
Note how all the conditions that potentially fall under or cause sociopathy are actual legitimate disorders that, as is the case for mental illnesses, can’t simply be willed away.
I know people can’t be expected to know everything about everything, but…really, a cursory Google search before spouting off about something like that wouldn’t hurt.
@Sharculese: the thing that puzzles me the most about mras is if women are so obviously inferior how did they manage to rig it so that these guys have no control over or responsibility for their actions?
Why, BIG DADDY of course.
He’s the man behind the curtain, the puppet master, using and controlling feminism to……um…..control all those men.
BIG DADDY!
This is why it bothers me when people use terms like “sociopath” or “bipolar” or “ADHD” non-literally. It just enforces the idea that existing disorders are really just the result of potentially “normal” people not trying hard enough or something.
I keep wondering about this Big Daddy character and what he looks like, aside from a giant in a scuba costume with a drill for an arm.
A meme should be born. I suggest that all pictures of feminist henceforth be accompanied by Mr. Bubbles.
@ blitzgal ‘Women are terrible, no matter what they do. It ALWAYS boils down to that with these asshats.’
No thats not my point and is a gross misrepresentation of the things I have said.
ad hominem ‘Attacking an opponent’s motives or character rather than the policy or position they maintain.’ Calling me a sexist, troll, moron, idiot, luddite has the ringing of an attack on character.
@ithiliana I thought I was repling to posts directly, most of the thread has been responses to other commenters.
So…if BIG DADDY is really the shadowy figure and the real enemy, why are MRAs going after feminists? They’re only puppets in a huge conspiracy. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go for the root of the problem, rather than a symptom?
So much for MRAs superior powers of logic and common sense over my tiny woman-brain.
I picture Big Daddy as something straight out of the Folsom Street Fair.
@Ullere: I’ll make it shorter and simpler for you.
Your replies to various posts consist of recycled, regurgitated, stale, cliche talking points endlessly made by many other men (and depending upon your IP address, maybe you, before now, under another name) on this blog and elsewhere.
THe fact that you don’t realize it (IF in fact you don’t) is more proof of your total ignorance about the vast totality of feminist discussions on the internet (let alone in print).
Ullere, I would like to know whom you consider to be a mainstream MRA.
Sorry, this is going back a page or two to your comment that mainstream MRAs are nothing like the extreme MRAs that are always quoted on this blog.
If they made a movie about this, it would be The Girls Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nests. Oh, wait, that’s already taken, isn’t it?
Ok, we’re probably way past this argument but…Ullere, if according to you, no one person can define feminism, what gives YOU the criteria to believe certain people when they call themselves Feminists, while handwaving people’s explanations about what qualifies/disqualifies them to be one?
Testing to see if gravatar change is being applied yet!
Wikipedia has a concise definition of Ad hominem in the first couple of lines of the article:
If an insult functions as a negation of your claims in an argument, that’s an Ad hominem. If someone is just insulting you, that’s just an insult.
This is from the guy who classified feminists as human scum and claimed that “fucking [feminists’] shit up” turns him on, right?
Yeah, Elam, it’s all feminism’s fault.
Ullere is a boring troll, therefore this comment thread is boring. Wake me up if it becomes interesting…
@Ullere: Don’t even bother man…it aint worth it. They will just call you names and bad mouth you. At this stage of the game, I just like to fuck with feminists. It’s like being in gym class and the jock bully is trying to scare you by pretending he is going to punch you…but doesn’t .Then laughs when you are cowering in the corner. So I find it funny as hell that this bounty is scaring them so much. Nothing is going to happen from this bounty, but they are all cowering and scared.
Feminists might be the best recruiting tool for men’s rights, Only time will tell.
“Third wave feminism…turning men into misogynists since 1996”
Fuck em.
And that makes it okay how Brandon?
“At this stage of the game, I just like to fuck with feminists.”
Truly the words of a man who is above it all.
It’s actually sad that you’re currently at a family reunion, but still spending your time being a jackass here.
@Laura: The reunion doesn’t start till tomorrow. So I get to fuck with you till I go to bed.
Your family must be so proud.