Manosphere doofuses have a wide assortment of excuses for dismissing this blog without actually having to deal with anything I’ve ever actually said. There’s the old “you’re a misandrist bigot so I don’t have to read anything of yours to know what you think” argument; no evidence of the alleged misandry is ever given. There’s the old “you call yourself Man Boobz and that’s a silly name so I can pretend that nothing you say counts” excuse; actually, I call you guys the “man boobz,” but never mind. Then there’s the old “he’s fat” chestnut. (See the next-to-last pic here.)
My favorite excuse, though, is a little logical fallacy you might call “argumentum ad kittypicturem.” That is, the claim that I can’t be taken seriously because sometimes I post pictures of adorable kitties. I’m not sure why these pictures confuse and infuriate misogynists to the extent that they do, but I’m sort of happy this is the case, because every time I run across it, it gives me an excuse to POST MORE KITTY PICTURES.
This time the kitty picture hater is the lying liar Dalrock, whom we’ve met several times before—most recently when he complained about women taking jobs from men by “playing career woman much the way that Marie Antoinette played peasant and Zoolander’s character played coal miner.”
In a post with the ponderous yet somehow also very silly title “We need worthy adversaries,” Dalrock dismisses my blog as one of the unworthy ones, the only example of said unworthiness being this post I made featuring pictures of several adorable kittens.
Here is my rebuttal:
Yes, that’s a hedgehog. Let’s see how they deal with THAT!
I think the problem with this guy is that he was recently let out of a mental health facility after a long list of felony assaults and other really horrible shit. I’m guessing it had more to do with CA not being able to properly deal with inmate crowding, so they let someone out of prison who probably should not be out of prison and he somehow made his way over here (we’re guessing he was bussed over since many municipalities have been slashing and discontinuing homeless services and sending their “hard cases” to Santa Cruz instead).
The problem isn’t mental illness- it’s sending people with SEVERE mental problems and having them coalesce in high density on the streets in a small town with little to no regulation of who gets aid and who is getting proper meds, etc. Many of these people have felony sheets that would wrap around a city block and yet there are few if any background checks or other safeguards in place to help keep the community (and the individuals who are homeless and don’t have a history of violence) safe.
This guy had VERY well known severe extensive violence problems and that coupled with mental illness is a recipe for disaster.
http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/18242282/police-release-mugshot-of-santa-cruz-murder-suspect
I’m not saying that mental illness is a one-size-fits all sort of thing- I’ve studied mental illness extensively (although I’m not an expert), and I know how it can manifest itself from the very mild to the incredibly severe, and even then there’s no guarantee of violence or criminal behavior.
However, you also have to look at the past behavior of a person, and if that past behavior includes felony-charge violence, then you have to think to yourself- hey, maybe this guy’s mental illness is manifesting itself specifically in a violent way- his paranoid delusions play into his violent outbursts and make him dangerous and prone to things like murdering people.
This is not about black people, the mentally ill or any other group of people in general- this is about an individual with MANY intersectional warning signs that were going off for years before this murder who has now taken a life because no one was willing to heed those signs. And the same goes for control-freak men who eventually murder their spouse/ex and children. Most of these people show many warning signs before they get to the point of murdering people, and the problem is that our legal system and our socialization of people generally does not prepare us for looking at these signs and heeding them.
Which is one reason why I would say that pretty much everyone who can read it should take a look at Gavin Debecker’s “The Gift of Fear.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_of_Fear
It’s like “The Game” for being safe- for picking out predators, for being honest with dangerous factors of human behavior and above all in teaching you to trust yourself and survive an encounter with someone who will do you ill.
@Argenti Aertheri- As someone who lives in a town with a very high number of people with severe mental illnesses roaming the streets, it can be really scary when you encounter at least a couple people who are screaming their heads off and charging you for just walking in public, or people who act like the fucking rage-zombies from 28 Days Later. It is really frightening how many people will sit in the public parks and inject heroin or smoke meth in full view of the police and little to nothing is done about it. I’m more afraid of those who are taking drugs than those who are mentally ill, although many mentally ill self-medicate with these drugs, which can lead to even more unpredictable behavior…and the cycle perpetuates itself.
I can’t go to the local park because it’s full of packs of these people drugging out and leaving hypodermic needles everywhere. I can’t walk my daughter downtown without my husband walking with us because we might encounter some guy who is actively hallucinating and will attempt to attack us with a rusty knife.
And that’s the thing- it’s never for certain- sometimes it’s completely safe, and there’s no one there to do us ill. But other times, there are roving groups of people with their pitbulls off-leash and their shouting and smoking and taking up the sidewalks and aggressively panhandling to the point that you wonder if they’re mugging you but just haven’t pulled a weapon yet.
And I can’t run away from them when I’m dragging a toddler/stroller (and also am pregnant). So I either have to stay in the house, drive everywhere, or ride my bike so I can go fast enough to escape.
And as far as I’m concerned, public spaces should be safe places. You should not have to worry about your personal safety/being attacked when you’re walking down a damn street in the middle of the day. The fact that the streets are safer for dangerous people than they are for the law-abiding citizen says a lot about who is really being protected and catered to by our community.
It makes me sick in the pit of my stomach that so many places have become unsafe- but I have to ask myself- am I willing to just cut my losses and move away or do what I can to take back public spaces so that everyone can enjoy them and the criminals go where they belong- behind bars?
@Shiterotica : I like cats, BF doesn’t really. If we lived together, we would have to discuss it, but it could be problematic. (right know I can’t have one because of where I live) Secondly, if I was living alone (somewhere pets are accepted) I would definitely get one because it brings a kind of companionship.
Correlation is not causation.
This thread could use some westies!
Although, now that I have my volume on, I thought that was just a quiet video.
Nanasha — oh gods you’re in CA, their incompetency when it comes to the mentally ill is infamous, and holy shit do they definitely need to fix that shit. Things like this:
“The problem isn’t mental illness- it’s sending people with SEVERE mental problems and having them coalesce in high density on the streets in a small town with little to no regulation of who gets aid and who is getting proper meds, etc.”
apply to the non-violent homeless as well, for example. We deinstitutionalized in favor of homelessness basically, and then there’s the “welfare queen” problem — my week includes proving I’m poor enough to need that money because *drum roll* without it I’d not even be able to afford medicaid Rx pricing — but everyone’s budget for things like giving away free meds, tracking patients, etc? Cut to high heaven.
“Most of these people show many warning signs before they get to the point of murdering people, and the problem is that our legal system and our socialization of people generally does not prepare us for looking at these signs and heeding them.” — more like the opposite, mention abuse and you’re the trouble maker
“It is really frightening how many people will sit in the public parks and inject heroin or smoke meth in full view of the police and little to nothing is done about it.” — o.O?! That’s #3 of Major Issues in your comments, deinstitutionalization => homelessness is well documented, the one about the courts well known to feminists at least, but this one? Idfk wtf CA, wtf?
And CA is still arresting medical marijuana grows aren’t they? But not people shooting up on the street? How does that make any sense?!
Two other thoughts — I’ve heard The Gift of Fear’s chapter on domestic violence reads like if you stay you were asking for it? I haven’t read it myself. And pit bulls (and rotties) can be sweet dogs, depends on the owner, my rottie was a sweetie pie though and a friend of a friend has a kissy face pit bull — not really on topic, but doggie discrimination isn’t fair either. (Which I guess is back on the original topic?)
You’re right about this though — “The fact that the streets are safer for dangerous people than they are for the law-abiding citizen says a lot about who is really being protected and catered to by our community.” — not sure it’s really got much to do with how to handle mentally ill criminals (or more particularly, those though might become criminal) so much as they both have to do with shitty budget cuts.
And instead of doing shit about the budget cuts, it’s 2012 and we’re debating fucking birth control again and about the only thing I’m sure of these days is if a Tardis should crash in my yard I’m not letting him skip 12 years! (That’s a Doctor Who joke because otherwise I just start complaining that I want off this rock like that’s possible or something)
What’s cuter than a dachshund? A dachshund puppy playing with a mirror!
I intercepted a file unearthed by Agent Orange depicting the true misandrist nature of cats:
Warning: the song is terrible.
So terrible, that I’m starting to think it’s a false-flag op by Artistry Against Misandry.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
“THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE” — the truth, in this case, is that that was once Dickens and is now unrecognizable — that’s David Copperfield with cats (idfk)
Funny if that’s seriously the level of “reporting” Agent Orange is doing though — the 90s produced some crap movies, yeah we know.
Jessay said:
You’d be impressed with how many stupid things a person can say in a minute.
This morning I woke up with my fuzzy kittens snuggled in the crook of my arm, touching noses with each other. This attitude honestly baffles me–who couldn’t love these girls?
But I’ve seen the attitudes. When I mention I have adorable kittens, some guys–especially guys with retro views on women–give me grief. They tell me these aren’t manly pets.
If manliness is so easily lost, if it’s incompatible with a life shared with these adorable cats, then color me not interested.
hAHA! I trumpz you all with the divinely inspired devastating Guinea Pig in a Frog Hat:
http://utterlycute.com/2012/03/guinea-pig-with-a-frog-hat/
Oh, the Agent Orange / false-flag thing was just a joke making fun of paranoid MRAs. 🙂
Weirdly enough, I like cats and dogs. Does that make me bi?
Ithiliana — +1 internet for that Guinea Pig in tiny hat, that really is a teeny tiny hat.
xardoz — too bad, I’ll be amused if Agent Orange ends up having nothing but obvious fact is obvious points. Unfortunately I suspect it will be mostly pulling from radfems and then denying that not all feminists are radical feminists. I’m a bit creeped out by the idea they see nothing wrong with lurking in private women only corners of the internet though, kind of just proves why those are needed eh?
What sticks out to me is that in the first paragraph, he appears to identify Susan Walsh as a “feminist.”
Even then, they really see to miss the point of the radfems most the time. How many times have I seen that one quote from Andrea Dworkin used to say feminists think all sex is rape? A reading of the text that is explicitly disavowed. And every time an MRA-type posts that I read it afresh, and it still is such a powerful criticism of the language the culture uses to discuss sex, and the framing, and it’s damn good stuff.
But they think it proves their point?
Pfffffft.
I love the adorable critters! They make me smile. Thankyou David.
Off topic: An Appeal to David – With almost a thousand followers, can it now be said, using MRA models of evaluation, that Manboobz won the keenly fought internet battle for hearts & minds between MRAs and those opposed to MRAs?
Howard Bannister — it’s not the big name radical feminists I’m worried about, it’s that he’s lurking in private spaces and thus will likely see quotes like the ones compiled in this comment, and then decide all feminists agree and POOF! (poof here being “we’re not violent you are!”)
I typo’ed a close tag? that’s impressively stupid…
I support the inclusion of more dogs on this blog (but the sloths creep me out, sorry!)
http://fyeahenglishbulldogs.tumblr.com/post/24411814242
@Argenti Aertheri-
“apply to the non-violent homeless as well, for example. We deinstitutionalized in favor of homelessness basically, and then there’s the “welfare queen” problem — my week includes proving I’m poor enough to need that money because *drum roll* without it I’d not even be able to afford medicaid Rx pricing — but everyone’s budget for things like giving away free meds, tracking patients, etc? Cut to high heaven.”
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This is my hugest fear about losing my current job. I need thyroid medication to function. I have Hashimoto’s Disease, which means that my body attacked my thyroid and killed it, so I have no natural thyroid production. And not taking thyroid meds puts me in a fog, keeps me from absorbing B vitamins and generally wrecks havoc on my body.
If I lost my job or had to go work in retail as a fall-back, I’d be screwed because the cost of these medications is prohibitive if you don’t have access to affordable HMO insurance.
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“more like the opposite, mention abuse and you’re the trouble maker”
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It’s not always this way, but yeah, most of the time people just “can’t believe” that someone who has all the warning signs of going full-on murdering hothead will actually go through with their threats. Instead, victim blaming.
” o.O?! That’s #3 of Major Issues in your comments, deinstitutionalization => homelessness is well documented, the one about the courts well known to feminists at least, but this one? Idfk wtf CA, wtf?”
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The city where I live has turned Marijuana usage into a lowest priority call for the police (ie: no one gets in trouble for rolling a doobie and smoking it in public). Ostensibly, this is nice because people smoking marjiuana tend to be less likely to commit crimes than the meth heads. But yeah, we have a lot of greenbelt areas in our city and the hard drug users hang out in there dealing drugs and doing them all day and it’s really scary.
Plus, yes, there are documented situations where people do hard drugs in the local parks (especially the ones downtown). It’s very common to find at least one hypodermic needle while walking through the park, and that’s fucking sad if you ask me. I think the main problem is the density of these people- and if the police arrest them, the person is just out of jail in a couple of days and out in the park doing it again. So they end up being ineffective and not enforcing the law.
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“And CA is still arresting medical marijuana grows aren’t they? But not people shooting up on the street? How does that make any sense?!”
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There are still medical marijuana dispenseries in our town, so I don’t think that applies to here.
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“Two other thoughts — I’ve heard The Gift of Fear’s chapter on domestic violence reads like if you stay you were asking for it? I haven’t read it myself.”
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Not exactly- but it does touch on why people stay and tries to disseminate those reasons to help people who are experiencing it to deal with their learned helplessness in a constructive manner.
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“And pit bulls (and rotties) can be sweet dogs, depends on the owner, my rottie was a sweetie pie though and a friend of a friend has a kissy face pit bull — not really on topic, but doggie discrimination isn’t fair either. (Which I guess is back on the original topic?)”
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I have no problem with breeds like pit bulls, however, most of these people choose traditionally aggressive/protection dogs to keep with them, and often teach them to be aggressive (ostensibly to fight off the scarier homeless who would victimize them), but then that means you have an animal that has been taught to be aggressive by someone who is probably doing drugs and has other mental health issues and then the dog is let off-leash in public areas. All of which are a recipe for a disaster. I don’t like seeing dogs being destroyed because their owners are irresponsible with them and adding to the stigma of the breed.
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“You’re right about this though — “The fact that the streets are safer for dangerous people than they are for the law-abiding citizen says a lot about who is really being protected and catered to by our community.” — not sure it’s really got much to do with how to handle mentally ill criminals (or more particularly, those though might become criminal) so much as they both have to do with shitty budget cuts.”
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That’s the thing- I think the problem is that our area gets federal funding for the more homeless who go there, so other municipalities are slashing their own programs and bussing their hardest most intense cases here, which leads to a high density population of dangerous homeless people to the point that I’ve talked to some of the more “mild” homeless who feel deeply unsafe and are actually leaving the city because of this. So we get more of the dangerous criminal street-people and less of the people who actually could use some help because they want to get off the streets and get clean/help.
*sigh*
@Argenti–
Ugh, true.
But even then, some of those stood out as not quite belonging with the others.
“Even if we killed off 90% of men, the majority of women left over would do their best to keep the oppressive system. I’d dare say we’d have to kill off all the women too and leave the little girls and radfems to create the utopia.”
The critical idea there is that just removing men doesn’t remove patriarchy. Because it’s taught, and it’s taught just as much if not more to women. (I still remember one male feminist and his great talk on this… “Why is so critical to St. Paul that women internalize this submission? Why does he repeat it over and over again? Why? What’s so dangerous about it? Is this not normal and natural–wouldn’t they go that way anyway? Why does he need to indoctrinate the women with it before telling them men?”)
But does the guy putting the quotes together pull enough brainpower together to realize that this quote is critical of the ‘kill the men’ idea? No. He throws it on the list of radfems saying kill the men.
Critical evaluation of ideas; examining premises. After all, we must reject kittens for not being manly. And apparently all feminist arguements are too womanly. Evaluating the actual contents of misandric quotes sounds HAAAAAAAARRRD.
Nanasha — we really need socialized medicine and legal reform already! Everything from the victim blaming in family court to open drug use to off leash dogs, it’s all technically illegal now, so why is enforcing it so damned impossible? Because “The Court is a Pirate Ship”? (I should almost thank sovereign citizens, I’m musing using that as a title for a Dadaist something or other)
“It’s very common to find at least one hypodermic needle while walking through the park, and that’s fucking sad if you ask me.” — agreed, and I wasn’t questioning your observation skills, just baffled that CA could give a shit about marijuana (particularly for medical use) while ignoring hard drugs — the paradox was confusing me, but I guess your local cops don’t care about either (or anything else from the sound of it)
I was going to say something about “finding the cracks in the system” but “the system” is all cracks anymore isn’t it? >.<