So you may have seen the story yesterday about the University of Vermont fraternity that was suspended for sending out a charming little survey that allegedly asked, among other things, “If you could rape someone, who would it be?” (FWIW, the frat now says it was the work of an individual frat member, not the chapter.)
Reading about this incident, I’m guessing that you probably didn’t ask yourself: “I wonder how the guys at the False Rape Society will use this news to push their own agenda?” Heck, I didn’t even think to ask myself that question. But while doing the rounds of the MRA blogs I’ve discovered the answer to that question, and here it is: FRS head honcho Pierce Harlan described the survey as “perhaps a poke at feminism’s fascination with rape,” then denounced it as “indefensible,” then ranted about the evils of false rape accusations. I guess that isn’t really shocking at all.
First, Harlan offered this take on the “who would you rape” question:
I assume the survey was sick humor, a crude satire of the fratboy culture, and perhaps a poke at feminism’s fascination with rape.
Yes, because any time men make rape jokes it’s probably because, you know, feminism, and its wacky obsession with rape.
Then Harlan went on to suggest that rape was no laughing matter – especially when it comes to rape that doesn’t happen:
Whatever it was intended to be, ultimately it is indefensible, because trivializing the word “rape” is no laughing matter, whether it’s a joke about the rape of male prisoners, or the fantasy “rape” of women, or a false rape claim intended to get a guy in, or a woman out of, trouble.
Well, that was quick. Let’s not talk about the trivialization of real rape. Let’s talk about the epidemic of “false rape accusations” that Harlan has convinced himself is the real problem here.
With nary a pause, Harlan moved on to complain about hypothetical feminists making a big deal out of this survey instead of joining him on his crusade:
There most certainly will be an outcry in the feminist blogosphere over this isolated incident
This what incident?
and it will be cited as proof positive to support the myth that ours is a “rape culture.”
Yeah, I wonder why casual jokes about rape would possibly be considered as part of “rape culture.”
A “rape culture,” of course, not only would tolerate but would condone such a puerile survey. Our society does neither. The only “rape” jokes our society condones concerns prison rape — and that’s because society actually encourages prison rape as a sort of “added bonus” punishment for any hapless male who lands in prison. It is ironic that actual prison rape does not garner the outrage that this this sick fratboy humor is generating. Go figure.
This from a guy who doesn’t seem to have ever even bothered to mention the leading anti-prison rape organization, Just Detention, on his web site. (See here for more on the issue on Man Boobz.) Though he does offer three links on his main page to information about the statute of limitation for rape charges, in case anyone reading is worried about getting caught being falsely accused for something they did didn’t do a long time ago.
Meanwhile,rape jokes — and not just prison rape jokes — are everywhere. Harlan, I assume you are at least somewhat familiar with a little site called Reddit, where people not only laugh at rape jokes – they laugh at actual rape!
Meanwhile, in the comments on Harlan’s article, some False Rape Society readers don’t even bother to pretend that the “rape survey” bothers them. According to the commenter called “bad,”
We should be celebrating young men who stand up against misandry. We should be celebrating the frat that said “no means yes” and we should be celebrating the frat that created this survey, if it’s a real story.
An anonymous commenter takes it a step further:
I do not condemn this action,
in fact, I wish I’d thought of it.
It is a brilliant and very appropriate response to the way young men are being treated by college campuses.
When the answer to “who would you like to treat like a rapist” is “all college men”, I think that asking them who they’d like to rape is more than fair.
But it is Harlan’s response to these comments that is the most revealing:
By the way, I read the reaction of Bad and others as a natural backlash … against the unconscionable PC culture of misandry on campus. I happen to disagree with those who suggest this was acceptable, but their remarks should not be construed as evidence that we live in a “rape culture.” Like Steve, I read their comments more as an affirmation that we live in a false rape culture–a culture that more and more men are finding intolerable.
I, on the other hand, doubt that these young men have the first clue about misandry, feminism, or how colleges run roughshod over the rights of young men. I am always amazed when we hear from falsely accused people who “had not idea this goes on.” My guess is they were just being being “funny.” I would, frankly, love to find out I am wrong, and that not only would they never call for a woman to be actually raped, but that this was a protest against the pendulum swinging too far. In that case, I am still not sure I could find it acceptable but it would initiate an entirely different dialogue.
So the survey is “indefensible,” yet a totally understandable reaction to, and protest against, an “unconscionable PC culture of misandry.”
Got it.
EDITED TO ADD: Harlan has written a response, of sorts, to this post. It is a bit — what’s the word I’m looking for here? — zany.
Well… Meller thinks that telling me I am good at cuddling is a horrid insult, so it’s not like NWO is alone.
NWOSLAVE
Yes if you were to take everyones else’s comments as being one person they would pale in comparison to you.
But as a sole poster who by their own admission is not posting by smart phone or even a lap top in a coffee shop, or at work, you are perhaps by your own admission this sites most prolific poster. This is by someone who doesn’t post much btw.. (I don’t use internet on my cell phone and I don’t use the internet during business hours for anything but business).
I’m going against the grain here to say that you do not so much as lust after 12 year olds in bikini’s as you envy them. You are “the slut you envision” in a middle aged body with no personality to gain the attention you feel you deserve.
About as pathetic as one could get, and I’m well aware you’ve stayed up to read this, because your pathology is compulsive.
Is there more of a pathetic human being then yourself? Perhaps that’s why you have no ability for empathy. You are in fact on the bottom of the food chain.
Slutwalks are appropriate since that’s not about people “dressing slutty” but instead a protest against rape and sexual assault (The redheaded grandma up top is totally asking for it, amirite?) and it’s OK to be topless where it’s legal. Now you answer my question.
@ Pecunium – Next he’ll tell someone that they’re good in bed and expect them to cry. Meller already thinks that calling women educated and intelligent is an insult.
Cassandra, you and your ex sound like my husband and I. Like, exactly. Hugs!
And even if it were about the right to “dress slutty,” instead of positing the contention that there is no such thing as “dressing slutty,” I, frankly, don’t care. The only person who can control my thoughts is me.
Not more hugs! We’re going to make poor Slavey cry.
It’s weird, isn’t it? It’s just not possible to stay mad at someone you really love for all that long.
It is weird, but totally understandable. We pretty much had to get along after the breakup because not only did we work together (separate departments, though), we had the same circle of friends, some of them from before we even knew each other.
LOL!! It just eats you alive that, if it is cock that they’re trolling for, it’s not the one that’s attached to you.
I see NWOSlave is as charming as always.
Enjoying living and dying alone, dude.
NWO:
The girls weren’t charged because the victim’s mother chose not to do so. I don’t know what her reasons were and neither do you, however, I doubt very much that her loyalty to some non-existent feminist cabal was greater than her loyalty to her son. You were just making shit up so you could spew more of your misogynistic hatred at us.
And show me where in the article it talks about the girls arousing the victim and then attacking, stripping and humiliating him in order to teach him sexual self control? They committed sexual assault, harassment and assault and that’s pretty much all you can glean from the article, the rest is a product of your fevered imagination.
It is really creepy that at a base level NWOSLAVE is more upset that these girls look pretty then then sexually abused boy.
NWOSLAVE dreams about the attention he would receive as a 12 year old wearing a bikini in a mall.
I don’t believe he really is a pedophile, I believe he’s imagining a pedophiles attention as being a good thing or something you should convent. Attention is the operative word, again that is all he really wants.
After that amount of shit trolling, what I think this thread needs is…
Free hugs!
For those* who want them.
* People disbarred from the Decent Human Beings Club, you’re not invited.
NWO:
A person’s body belongs to them. What they do with it, including how they dress it is their own affair. A person is responsible only for their own behaviour, not anyone else’s. People are individuals with their own tastes, desires, wants and needs and it’s fine to satisfy those as long as you don’t hurt anyone else. People find different things sexually attractive and it’s pretty much impossible to take the susceptibilities of everyone who is likely to look at you into account when dressing in the morning. For example: I dislike school uniforms, they have a lot of bad associations for me and I don’t find them attractive but I’m told that a lot of men fantasize about adolescent girls dressed in school uniforms. Should adolescent girls not wear them for that reason?
People are exposed to temptations of all kinds all the time and resist them without a lot of difficulty, why is this any different? And why on earth would men want others to believe that they’re so weak and out of control of their own sexuality that a glimpse of cleavage or a short skirt can somehow cause them to harass or rape. Most men go through their entire lives without raping or harassing anyone so why should we force women into gunny sacks just so that those men who are exceptionally weak or downright evil aren’t tempted to rape them? Here’s a radical idea: maybe men who can’t control themselves need to be controlled so they don’t hurt others.
I’m reminded of that quote attributed to Golda Meir. Apparently there were a large number of rapes happening in Tel Aviv and one of her cabinet suggested that women should be put under curfew for their own safety. Meir replied that the men were the one’s doing the raping so they should be the ones under curfew.
Everyone here is always here.
Naturally, he posted this immediately after throwing a tantrum because certain people he wanted to cuss at were offline. What a peculiar character.
NWOSlave, darling, honey, sweetheart, beloved, I would have dashed to my computer if I knew you were calling my name! Oh, but love, the life of a Tiny Purple Ozypus is very busy these days! It was, in fact, my birthday today, and while I’m sure your question was meant to be a lovely birthday present to me, I was off celebrating it with My Little Pony episodes, vegan pizza with my family, and a long phone conversation with my beautiful girlfriend.
However! I will gladly answer your question whenever you like for, lo, my heart yearns to please you! Or mock you. Same difference really.
Also, hugs, cuddles, and snuggles to anyone who wants them. 🙂
Happy Birthday ozy!
Happy 20th, Ozy!
I hope you had a lovely birthday, Ozy!
NWO, I might suggest taking a break from posting outraged and/or outrageous stuff on Manboobz? Or the Internet as a whole? I mean, I won’t pretend to *know* your mental state, but based on your posts I can’t imagine you’re all sunshine, and doing this shit is actively counterproductive. I only say this because- and I know it’s only been a few days, but nonetheless- ever since I quit being an e-douchebag, my mood has improved drastically. Being so mean and nasty online, blowing off steam or whatever, I told myself it didn’t matter because no one knew… which is true, but the fact is that it created such a fucking negative mindset, and that can’t just be dropped at will. It followed me around in the real world and just left me perpetually pissed off.
Of course I still have all the insecurities or whatever that led to me trolling-but-half-serious in the first place, but the past few days, I’ve felt much better in a general sense. Kind of like a stormcloud has dissapated above my head. I hate myself less, basically. I’d suggest trying it.
Instead, I offer hugs and maybe even melt away centers.
Life is pretty easy to follow a requested guideline when there is chocolate in the world.
Happy birthday, Ozy! Fistbumps and cat pictures for you!
MRAL, I left you a support message in the shoelips bondage porn thread. Incidentally, how did you do on your finals? do you know yet?
Srsly, I think he legit believes this. I mean, “evolution makes super dogs”? Either that or he’s the Donnie Brasco of trolling. I think I caught him make a Honey Badger reference at one point, but I can’t be sure.
Yeah, I got a 3.8 cumulative. That’s about average for me, so I’m happy. To me it’s like, if you’re paying so damn much for college, you might as well make an effort. There was a really tough differential calculus course that knocked me down from a 4.0, but whatever. I’m looking forward to a month of nothing.
Also, happy birthday Ozy!
Bitching.