If you stuff a bunch of angry, narcissistic, egotistical twits into a “movement” the size of a teapot, it is perhaps inevitable that there will be drama. So I’m pleased to report on a dramatic BREAKING STORY in the Men’s Rights “movement” – a split between A Voice for Men and the bald, blabby, bigoted far-right videoblogger Bernard Chapin.
Well, I’m not sure how much of a BREAKING STORY it is. It happened about three weeks ago, but I only just noticed it yesterday.
Anyhoo, the split happened after Chapin appeared on the AVFM News and Activism “radio” show in the wake of the election. Apparently (I haven’t listened to it) he said some things that displeased the A Voice for Men regulars and a giant battle erupted in the comments section. Alas, AVFM head narcissist Paul Elam got pissy and deleted all the comments, so the exact details of the discussion are apparently lost to history. But the few details I have been able to glean, by watching a couple of Chapin videos and looking at his Facebook page, are hilarious.
The basis of the disagreement is, surprisingly enough, sort of substantive: Chapin is a right-wing blogger, while the A Voice for Men guys like to pretend that they are somehow above political partisanship. But naturally, this being the Men’s Rights movement, this disagreement played out in the silliest possible way.
In several videos made during and after the comments-page kerfuffle, Chapin charges that A Voice for Men – which he now refers to as A Voice for Diabolical Leftists – is being taken over by leftists and radical feminists, some of them possibly agents for the Southern Poverty Law Center (or at least SPLC fellow travelers). No, really; he seems to actually believe this.
According to Chapin, the vanguard of this leftist infiltration of AVFM is the site’s relatively new “managing editor,” a long-haired, middle-aged IT dude by the name of Dean Esmay, whom Chapin has taken to calling “Dean Rimsgays” and “Dean Licksgays.” (Such a wit!)
Chapin accuses Esmay of being an evil lefty who doesn’t appreciate the full gloriousness of small government, while Esmay accuses Chapin of not having a solution to the problem of greedy, golddigging, Alpha-male-chasing ladies. No, seriously. At one point in the debate Esmay apparently confronted Chapin about this crucial Men’s Rights issue:
While you’re at it, explain to me how “smaller government” will end hypergamy. Indeed, explain to me if you would why libertarianism (whichever particular flavor of that ideology you espouse) would not actually APPLAUD hypergamy in women? What, like she owes her man something? If he’s a “loser” who doesn’t make enough money to make her happy, why shouldn’t she dump him and trade up? Hey, isn’t that the FREE MARKET?
Chapin is also pissed that some of the AVFM folks refer to him as “Bernie” instead of “Bernard.” Elam is (one can only imagine) pissed that Bernie has done an impression of him in a silly voice.
And so these former allies are now going their separate ways. A Voice for Men seems to have removed Bernie’s – sorry, Bernard’s – videos from its video page (or at least from its “featured video” list), though it hasn’t scrubbed all mentions of Chapin from the site.
I look forward to the day when all of the “big names” in the Men’s Rights movement stop talking to one another.
I was thinking of posting one of Chapin’s anti-AVFM videos here, but he’s so irritatingly long-winded you’re probably better off not watching them (I’ve got a couple of links above if you’re feeling especially masochistic). Here, instead, is a video of a talking kitty:
I was wondering who the heck Dean Esmay was, and then I remembered he’s the guy who wrote the “Why Do Men’s Activists Bring Up the Draft?” article.
I can tell he’s super concerned about Reel Ishooz.
Aw, trouble in paradise.
“Middle aged IT dude” sorts of sums up the MRM for me.
manboobz is so gay compared to men’s rights.
Troll harder. Dance, monkey, dance!
Why, what do you mean hellkell? frb! clearly just pwned us. We need to go home now; feminism has been vanquished by his witty repartee. It’s been nice knowing you all.
Feminizm rulez bro!, are you nine years old?
@clairedammit Admit it, you are just jealous of his good looks and high IQ.
So we have some twit almost criticising libertarianism because it doesn’t do enough to keep women under?
Someone tell Vapidpole, he’ll have a(nother) meltdown. Or at the very least do his No True Scotsman act.
Feminism rulez? The MRM droolz!
Well, actually, some of our trolls…
cloudiah, you’re right. Bitter snuggle drinking time since we’re all jealous and vanquished and shit?
I’m pretty cool with being “so gay compared to men’s rights,” either in the sense of “we actually include and welcome gay people instead of acting like homophobic douchebags” OR the sense of “we mostly seem a lot happier and less bitter about basically everything than MRAs.”
Polliwog –
+1
Frb, you truly are a champion of wit and intellect, please, go on and continue telling us how feminism fails as a movement.
I’m always gay on Manboobz. The place gives
me joy. By comparison, AVFM and similar outfits seem fairly dour and angry. Sometimes we get angry here, but mostly it’s about amusing each other, as opposed to the MRM’s hobby of blaming half the planet for all the problems. Good point, FRB.
Also @Hellkell and Cloudiah, I’m up for drinking anyway, I finally have something to mix with my vodka.
Bitter snuggles for everyone! I think this is what it would look like (until the dog breaks it up):
That ginger kit was getting a bit willing!
I saw a tabby just like the dark grey one the other day, for sale at the vet’s. He had the sweetest, prettiest face. I SO wanted to bring him home, but kittens aren’t an option for us these days. 🙁
Gay bitter snuggles and vodka for everyone!
Ninja’d by dloudiah because I was watching my cat being cute. Nilla was stretching on the yoga mat with Mr. Dammit. He’s the perfect workout buddy.
I thought that said “gay bitter snuggies” and I was definitely picturing someone curled up on the couch in a rainbow snuggie with sequins, clutching a bottle of vodka and scowling.
Clairedammit: Lilly’s in the other room with Mr. HK “doing” yoga. Yoga cats FTW!
I have yet to see a cat do a downward dog, though.
I discovered a rare species last night – the Giant Shoe-Eating Spider of West Gippsland.
Walked into my room, turned on the bed lamp and saw a movement from the corner of my eye … and there it was, the GSESWG, spread all over my new sneakers, legs outstretched, its fangs embedded in the heel.
They’re good at camoflague, too. It looked remarkably like a tabby cat, but I was not fooled!
I just watched the entire Talking Kitty saga. I still don’t know what to think.
@hellkell – there’s actually a legend about how cats invented hatha yoga. 🙂