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actual activism MRA MRA paradox

Men's Rights in the real world: "No one showed up to the event but organizers say the lack of attendance is not due to a lack of interest."

Come early to get a good seat!

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.

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Bostonian
12 years ago

I am sorry if anyone is offended, but dressing up as Batman will never make me take you seriously.

Caraz
Caraz
12 years ago

No, I was certain it wouldn’t be released on Steam. Steam have standards, you don’t. The question however is why on earth did you invent an imaginary, offensive game at all?

Bostonian
12 years ago

I do find it hilarious that you are offended that I got the name of your ridiculous game slightly wrong.

Bostonian
12 years ago

From the pitch on Deviant Art:

“Two girls in luck
by ~periRick

Voice over: Two cum-hoes
Visual: Two semi-diagonal bars zip across a black background. Both bars have a perspective, 3/4 view of the women’s eyes like a typical fighting game. The one on top has mascara and eyeliner done up in a faux-asian style. The bottom one has a teardrop tattoo and has large fake lashes with ostentatious gold eyeliner.
Voice over: One feeder
Visual: Outline of the millionaire appears behind the tinted window, visible only by the orange glow of a cigarette or small cigar. In his left hand, an average square camera is visible, about the size of a normal disposable.
Voice over: Two preggos
Visual: The millionaire and window become more distant as the view quickly pans out. The panned-out areas are darker than the rest. The two eye-bars are arranged so that they are in the respective women’s bodies as they become visible. The shading lifts to reveal two heavily pregnant women. The room is about 10 meters wide, each woman on either side, and has white or greyish tile, except for the window, and a sealed metal door. Setting has a high-tech yet retro feel to it. Could be anywhere between the 80s and modern day. Both women are shackled to the floor with one clamp.
Voice over: One breeder! *Buzzes*
Visual: A small red bulb on the top of the room flashes, lighting the entire room briefly, and the shackles pop open. The two women begin waddling towards each other, gradually gaining momentum. One pulls her fist back, eying the others’ belly, as the other prepares to knee her opponent.
Voice over: Preggo Punchout!
Visual: Blood and gore splatter effect, first “Preggo” and then “Punchout!” Everything fades to black except title, as blood and gore smear down the screen. The sound of a lullaby or other childish music can be faintly heard.”

I cannot imagine why it was not picked up immediately.

Joanna
12 years ago

The image of someone proposing the idea of Preggo Punchout to EA is mildly amusing.

Caraz
Caraz
12 years ago

@makomk Okay I read some of those comments on the article you linked to. Mostly it plays out like this:

Makomk: ‘some of these comments show that feminists don’t think women can abuse men’

Random Feminist: ‘Umm, no-one here said that’

Makomk: ‘Oh this comment section here isn’t so bad but an unspecified number of comments in previous unspecified threads totally said what I said they said!’

correct me if I’m wrong…

katz
12 years ago

I looked at FF’s list of “successful rallies/organizations,” which was last updated in April 2011, and it lists:

-A letter from a fraternity to President Obama in 2009

-The Australian Men’s Rights Agency

-A New York Times opinion article from 2005

-8 links from India, that paragon of feminism, mostly reporting the same group. This seems to be a significantly sized organization that’s had a few actual rallies with turnouts.

-A march of about 40 men in Ireland in 2008

-An article about female-on-male domestic violence in Jamaica

-A dead link to Fox News

-Three articles about female-on-male domestic violence in Kenya

-An advertisement for International Men’s Day 2011 in Malta. I’m unable to find any information about how that turned out.

-A men’s rights march in Mexico City. This appears to have had a respectable turnout of a couple hundred or so.

-An article about female-on-male domestic violence in Morocco

-A headline that isn’t even a link

-An article about abuse of power at Guantanamo Bay

-A men’s symposium going to be held in Oxford in 2010. I can’t find any information about how this turned out, either.

—-

Summary of Men’s Rights events worldwide over the past 7 years, then:

-Nine articles about actual events that happened and had large or largish turnouts, eight about the same organization

-One article about an event with an extremely small turnout

-Two press releases for events that hadn’t happened yet, and no information about whether they actually happened or how it went

-Five articles about female-on-male domestic violence (an issue feminists are concerned with)

-One article about Guantanamo bay, for some reason

-One online letter and one opinion piece

-One link to an organization’s website with no information about who they are or what they’re doing

-Two dead links

katz
12 years ago

Oops, I guess I just can’t help it. And Pecunium’s not on right now.

Kyrie
Kyrie
12 years ago

makomk: I ask for proof of feminists dismissing F on M DV and you give me an article of a feminist saying F on M DV should be treated as a joke? And why are you talking about male feminists now? Anyway, if the problem is the comments, point me to the problematic part. (I read about 15 of them and so far I don’t see it)

red_locker
red_locker
12 years ago

Wait…someone who is not an MRA actually said that F on M DV is a joke, therefore, ALL femenists don’t care about males?

And madomok isn’t holding any of his fellows to a high standard, yet wants US to?

jumbofish
12 years ago

@kelly
nuuuuuuuuu

I meant that he implied that you just repeated his argument when you didn’t.

from this:

makomk | February 19, 2012 at 2:38 pm
yaknow, that’s my entire freaking point.

Myoo
Myoo
12 years ago

Actually, the article makomk linked to is of a feminist saying that F on M DV is NOT a joke. I think Kyrie made a typo there.

Holly Pervocracy
12 years ago

Makomk – One of the founders of NSWATM is a Manboobz regular so no, you can’t count them as MRAs when it’s convenient. Also, your link goes to a feminists saying they weren’t amused by female-on-male DV and it is serious.

FactFinder – I am like 99% sure you have no idea how to program a game or create art for it, or indeed any of the steps of game creation other than “come up with a childishly offensive idea for an intro sequence.”

…Are you planning to use the fact that the universe has not showered you with programmers and artists willing to work for free on your stupid game as evidence of terrible social misandry?

Kyrie
Kyrie
12 years ago

FF: Sorry about the name of your game. But please tell us about it, why did you ever think it would be a good idea, whether or not you think it is misogynistic (am I writting that correctly? My kingdom for an auto correct) – and racist too -, tell us what it is becoming. Tell us why you disappeared when David noticed your game and why you came back under an other name.

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
12 years ago

Now I’m picturing your average sexist frat boy’s response to hearing about this and then Googling the term “men’s rights movement”.

“Yeah, man, women suck! Except not often enough, amirite? So cool, I can totally make it to the meeting and…wait, you want to legalize rape? I dunno, man, isn’t that going a bit far? Hang on, what is this shit about cutting the voice boxes out of little girls? You stay away from my sister! Wait, some of these guys supported the dude who shot all those kids in Norway?!!

Fuck this, man, I’m not going to your stupid little meeting GTFO my campus.”

ozymandias42
12 years ago

As I recall Amanda Marcotte’s only opinion on NSWATM is one time she linked to us positively on Twitter.

Kelly
Kelly
12 years ago

@jumbofish ok I just say my entire comment quoted and immediately thought what did I do? But yeah it feels like they are having a different agruement when you converse with them.

Kyrie
Kyrie
12 years ago

Myoo: oops, yes, that’s a typo, and a big one. Thanks for noticing and not assuming the worst of me. ^_^
That should be “I ask for proof of feminists dismissing F on M DV and you give me an article of a feminist saying F on M DV should NOT be treated as a joke?”

Kelly
Kelly
12 years ago

Preggo punchout?…why? Why did you even think of this, let alone wanting to actualise this.

Shadow
Shadow
12 years ago

Actually, to be fair to makomk, there were two or three dismissive comments on that thread. However, why he decides to lay this at the feet of feminism as a whole, or male feminists as a whole, is a complete mystery.

Discordia
12 years ago

First right mens rights on sticking up for themselves from sexual harrasment claims*FUMES* more like wahhhhhh I want to sexually harrass women and get away with it.

Whats interesting is that at Cal State Fullerton they have a Womens Center that was actually more of a gender center…they would talk about mens issues as in actual mens issues such as relationship expectations, gender roles, abusive relationships, ect ect ect along with discussions on women’s issues and they had special monthes were it was ONLY mens issues. Well, the discussion groups and meetings were always full of guys.

IdeologueReview
12 years ago

Thank you, Cassandra. Your post was quite revealing, and I look forward to learning more about you.