Sometimes it’s worth reminding ourselves that despite all the noise they make online, the Men’s Rights movement has basically no presence in the real world. The picture above is an actual photo of a men’s rights symposium at Montana State University. Here’s how the local NBC affiliate described what went down – or, more accurately, what didn’t go down:
The MSU chapter of the National Coalition for Men organized a symposium to raise awareness of problems in men’s lives.
The group geared the event towards fraternity students at the college and invited speakers to talk about things like men’s rights when it comes to sexual misconduct investigations on-campus.
No one showed up to the event but organizers say the lack of attendance is not due to a lack of interest.
You just keep telling yourself that.
Remember when we had those Manboobz meetups? And they weren’t about anything really severely affecting our lives, and there wasn’t a “national coalition” backing them, nor a university hosting them?
And we got a better turnout than that?
Good times, man, good times.
HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
But a lot of men are doing this, right, Brandon?
The lurkers support him in email!
Well, to be fair, it could have also been “total disagreement and horror.” It’s not JUST lack of interest, David!
Is it maybe perhaps because a lot of men don’t feel like the oppressed gender?
The poor menz were too afraid to go because of shaming tactics. Though I wonder how many actually wanted to attend but don’t wanted to be outed for the misogynists they are.
I wonder how many would have liked to attend, but didn’t want to go through the trouble and figured that there would be hundreds upon hundreds of folks that would show up anyway…
I wonder if there were some peopled who would have gone, then Googled “men’s rights” and quickly went “oh hooooly shit I don’t want any part of this.”
I think a lot of online MRAs are oblivious to how they sound not just to feminists, but to garden-variety misogynists. To guys who think female videogame characters should be boobie-display devices, but don’t think rape should be decriminalized. Guys who think women are silly and obnoxious, but don’t think women are evil monsters. Guys who think men and women can’t be friends, but don’t think women should be replaced with sexbots.
The online MRM is so far over the edge they’ve successfully alienated the vast majority of other misogynists.
HA! Big turnout, guys. Event planning and follow through is not your forte, perhaps you should stick to ranting on the internet.
When I read this I just wanted to give these guys a great big hug.
I got over it quickly.
Lol, the comments for this article are golden.
“Iozzi
I think it’s high time men take a stand. But, at the same time I attempted to join a MRO but was rebuffed because I’m a stay at home mother who watches soaps and eats Bon bons sittin on her ass all day…, it was EXACTLY like feminism only the complete opposite. Sometimes, I think people just want to hate. They hide behind a cause, but the real goal is simply hate. I’ve got a 9 year old boy,…I can only hope his life isn’t ruined by the gov’t, femenists, and his biggest enemy…other men!”
Who wants to bet that they’re there for free cookies? And who wants to bet that the woman sitting there will break records for the 100m dash when the speaker informs them of what’s on the agenda for the meeting?
This is hilarious. Thanks for the Sunday smile, David.
Shadow – I was figuring the woman sitting there was taking notes that will make for a hilarious entry on her feminist blog.
I’m no expert in the public relations of political or sociological conferences, but somehow I think that aiming Men’s rights issue conferences to fraternity jocks is NOT the best way to gain attendence or recognition.Wouldn’t the so-called “nerds” provide a far more fertile ground for recruiting?
At any rate, colleges and universities are so stuffed with feminists that sooner or later (sooner instead of later?) you women being hateful will do more recruiting for men’s rights than they could ever do for themselves!
Live and learn!
@Holly, I assumed she was reporting on it for the school paper, but your explanation works too!
@Holly
Also possible. I just figured (judging from the blurb in the OP) that the ad was vague enough to draw people that have no experience with the MRM, figuring that it was about ACTUAL issues that men may face. I reckon even a lot of feminists are only starting to hear about the MRM.
Our old friend Fidelbogen contributed a limerick in the comments. It’s the usual sadsack song and dance complete with reference to “shaming tactics.”
Men are oppressed and kept from going to MR meetings because of “shaming tactics,” yet trigger warnings on feminist blogs mean that feminists are scaredy-cats and “hair-brained mental defectives” because some of them don’t want to read things that can trigger PTSD.
http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/trigger-warning-feminism/
Also, the word is “harebrained.”
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/harebrained
Also, this:
combined with this:
is just hysterical. It’s like the MRAs agree with Holly. They know that garden-variety misogynists aren’t going to want anything to do with them, so they go after a community that is well known to have many a rapist in their midst.
Male Rapists’ Advocates
Elam’s argument there seems to be something along the lines of:
“I wasn’t raped, and I’m not triggered by talk about rape. So it’s hilariously wrong that anyone would be bothered by it, and they just need to grow up and not be a rape survivor anymore.”
And the worst part is that he thinks his line of reasoning is original.
Of course these doofuses (doofi?) don’t believe in trigger warnings. The Amazing Asshole tried to trigger someone on purpose.
WRONG. The real reason nobody showed up is because MRAs are exactly like Christians in Pagan Rome, or the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied France, or or or… Or Morpheus’s team in The Matrix!!! They can’t show themselves in public because they’d be persecuted to death immediately by the feminazis.
Never forget Sharon Osborne!!!
@David:
You just wouldn’t understand from your privileged position. You don’t know what its like to constantly be harassed by women every day of your life, to be shamed and belittled day in and day out… You can’t imagine the sheer torture of even imagining having to go through more of it. No wonder men everywhere are avoiding being reminded once again how everyone despises them.
…
Oh palpable hypocrisy…