Sometimes I ask myself: what is it that I really hope to accomplish with this website, aside from entertaining myself and my readers, and exposing misogynist assholes for who they are. There’s a part of me that still hopes that someday, something I write will cause some misogynist and/or Men’s Rightser out there to develop a modicum of self-awareness, look at what they’ve been saying or doing, and say to themselves, “I’m really kind of a tool, aren’t I? Maybe I should stop.”
When the Southern Poverty Law Center report on the Men’s Rights movement came out, I hoped it might have a similar sort of effect. Or that, even if it didn’t persuade any MRAs out there that they were wrong, it might at least convince a few that they were going about things the wrong way. Nope. On the Men’s Rights subreddit, at least, it seems to have sent many of the regulars into an indignant tizzy, and they have doubled down on their peculiar brand of politics-by-whining-online.
Consider this post:
Yes, that’s right. Some Men’s Rights Redditors seem to think that the best way to convince the world that they’re not part of a hate group is to continue to celebrate a self-admitted child abuser who urged men to firebomb courthouses and police stations and kill people.
Then there’s this post, currently the top post on the subreddit:
Wow, if the Men’s Rights subreddit had anything to do with that, that would indeed be a victory. As one regular put it:
Thing is, I read r/mensrights pretty regularly, and I don’t remember any campaign there to protect the rights of fishermen in New Zealand.
Turns out that’s because the campaign, such as it was, consisted of one post some months back, which got all of 11 upvotes at the time. The current post in which r/mensrights congratulates itself for its “victory” has gotten, last I checked, 120 upvotes, more than ten times that. Simplecosine’s self-congratulatory comment in the new thread has gotten 36 upvotes. The comment in the original thread asking r/mensrightsers to send an email to the US Secretary of State’s office got … one upvote. In other words, only a handful of Men’s Rights Redditors even noticed the original post, much less sent along an email.
Reading one of the linked news articles makes clear the real reason the State Department opened an investigation: a six-month long, three-continent wide investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek revealing abuses in the industry.
The Men’s Rights subreddit: Taking Credit for Shit They Didn’t Do Since 2008.
And then there’s this post:
I’ve got nothing to say about this one — it’s basically self-refuting — except that I’m sort of bemused by the notion that the Southern Poverty Law Center is a “semi-women group.” Uh, what is that exactly? A group with some women in it? A group that doesn’t think women are all a bunch of evil bitches? The horror!
Oh, Men’s Rights movement. You’ll never change, will you?
EDITED TO ADD: And speaking of never changing, here’s how one Men’s Rights redditor responded to my comments there suggesting that maybe, just maybe, MRAs should actually denounce and distance themselves from someone calling for terrorism:
Let me just highlight that bit at the end again:
[T]he cost to the establishment to maintain the status quo in regards to divorce, custody, etc. must be made so high that it’s just no longer feasible. If that means instilling abject fear into the hearts of judges, cops and legislators by making them think their careers and/or lives could be forfeit unless they change their attitudes towards men, then so be it.
Trying to instill fear for one’s life in your opponents: that is the very definition of terrorism.
Gosh, NWO, if we keep calling men violent, what are you going to do to us?
Holly, he wants us to beat each other in the street! You know, the way Jesus would have wanted it.
You’re right AntZ. This:
is totally what most societies want to see more of. Are we sure he isn’t a parody?
@Hellkell
How the hell did I miss that! :$
“The MRM is a civil rights movement promoting equal protection under the law and equal protection of government.”
You said yourself: “I do not believe that the MRM will succeed.” Which is it? Are you going to win or succeed?
Personally, I’d take NWO’s concerns about the fairness of anti-DV campaigns more seriously if I didn’t already know that what he actually wants is more women getting beaten.
Also,
You MRAs need to take a long look in the mirror.
@Holly
THIS. Contraception is also peanuts compared to any complications the MOTHER might have during pregnancy, childbirth or after.
I can’t fathom the anger over it. It saves everybody money, ups productivity for businesses since women who DO want to become pregnant can plan their pregnancies and women who don’t aren’t forced to take time off when they don’t want to in order to carry a fetus they don’t want to full term.
Not only that, it’s not like when folks argue for contraception, they argue against mens’ access to things for mens’ reproductive health. It’s not like an argument for contraception is an argument against mens’ health, or men in general by default.
Last but not least, this whole “I’m paying for your slutty habits” garbage idea really needs to go the fuck away. People do know that women pay taxes and insurance as well, right?
@ Antz,
No, we are not going to change. We are going to win. And then, YOU are going to change.
That’s right Antz! Tomorrow the world! Shine on you crazy diamond!
Oh, the irony…
So, what do you think Zarat’s next persona will be, once he realizes the Lex Luthor routine isn’t scaring anybody?
Oh wow, we have both of the domestic abuse advocates on the same thread! Keep telling yourself you are going to win in the coming apocalypse, maybe you can convince yourself of it.
Lex Luthor vs Superman(boobz):
Hey, I object to this comparison! Lex Luthor is actually kind of cool.
@Cloudiah
I LOVED THAT EPISODE!!! So much concentrated awesome!
AntZ reminds me of a less competent Jason Trask. Here to save us from a “danger” we have no desire to be saved from.
What we need here is a super villain who’s obsessed with replacing humans with robots.
The Cyber-King?
I think it would be good to have ad campaigns telling women not to abuse men. There should also be ones telling women not to abuse women, men not to abuse men, and adults not to abuse children. Part of the reason that some people don’t take female on male abuse seriously enough is because they don’t think there are any women strong enough to pose a threat to men. That’s just a stereotype that makes it hard for male victims of IPV to be taken seriously. It’s also sexist against women to say they’re all so weak. If you’re concerned about this issue, NWO, you could perhaps pool money from MRA’s to make billboards or TV commercials denouncing violence against men. I know your real agenda, though, is for women to punch each other. You’ve said so yourself.
And NWO needs a villain who just sits around screaming in incoherent rage.
I’d suggest Mad Stan, but Mad Stan is a) cool, and b) capable of getting up off his ass.
No the MRM is not a civil rights movement. It is a backlash to feminism, and its goal is to roll back any gains made by feminists. Surely you’ve read the report about the MRM by now, right?
@Lauralot I love that that’s set in a library. Who are the angriest, but laziest, villains? That’s what we need.
Which time was that, exactly? For that matter, which societies?
anyway, yes, certainly things have come to a sorry pass when perfectly civilized attitudes like “terrorize the cops and judges through firebombing” devolve into “post peoples’ own hateful words and mock them for it on the Internets.”
@Kendra, the bionic mommy
“No the MRM is not a civil rights movement. It is a backlash to feminism, and its goal is to roll back any gains made by feminists. Surely you’ve read the report about the MRM by now, right?”
Did you say report? What exactly makes a report? Is that when women are treated badly by men. Is it then a legitimate report? How about a “report” such as the one you linked to but regendered? Would you find it as credible?
I noticed “George Sodini” is listed as an example of a typical MRA. If that’s the case than “Valerie Solanas” must be a typical feminist. Particularly since we now have a State funded play of the SCUM manifesto. Has there been a biting satire play about George Sodini? Or would that be considered hateful? Once again anyone can easily see who is privileged and has all the power in modern day society.
I noticed registerher.com was mentioned as a bad man thingy. Although Gloria Allred recently call a site where women basically trash any man, (with names) they feel like a leap forward in womens rights. These men of course aren’t teaching hatred like radfem hub and the SCUM girls, which are the slime on registerher. They’re just average men women have decided aren’t recieving enough societal-wide hatred.
By the way, my rights consist of life, freedom and property. Everything else which women recieve is privilege and entitlement. So the gains you speak of being rolled back would be the loss of privilege and entitlement women currenty recieve above men. You call yourself the bionic mommy, I hope you don’t have any boys.
————–
Several people commented on womens health, both reproductive and otherwise. Falconer even managed to allude to being in a blind rage over how poorly women are treated by the medical field. For every $1.00 spent on mens health $3.00 is spent on womens health. Is a mere 25% spending on mens health still too much in your opinion? In 1900 the average american man lived within 1 year of the average american woman, now it’s 7 years. Is that too much as well?
I also noted the paultry $1000.00 a year for womens contracteption being so much cheaper than pregnancy, or the abortion slaughterhouses. Of course it’s really not an either/or now is it? It’s an also paying more for women plan. My taxes for the slaughterhouse and my private funds for the contraception and pregnancy. So how can paying for womens contraception, plus paying for the slaughterhouses and pregnancy be cheaper than only paying for the slaughterhouses and pregnancy? My math seems to be a bit rusty.
MRAs are neither particularly fond of nor are good with details. Details are stupid things. They are part of the communist, feminist, liberal agenda.
After reading SPLC I doubt anyone could take MRAs seriously anymore.
Oh, but NWO, if we call you violent, how will you punish us?
You’re violent! Why… you’re abusive!
You gonna just take that? What would you do when a woman says this to you?
I’d just like to quote my partner’s reaction upon reading any of the MRA trolls here on manboobz:
“You know I think the MRM might actually be helping the sex lives of so-called not-alphas. Every time I read one of them I’m reminded of how incredibly awesome my ‘beta mangina boys’ are.”
This is then followed by zir jumping me, insisting on cuddles. So, thanks DKM, Slavey, and all the other trolls! You both entertain me, and get me cuddles!