When you spend as much time as we do here at Man Boobz scrutinizing the Men’s Rights movement, it’s easy to forget what a fringe phenomenon it is. So here are some charts from Google Trends – charting the frequency of certain search terms from 2004 until today — that help to put it all in perspective. (Thanks to Katz, Cloudiah and Cthulhu’s Intern in the comments for inspiring this post.)
That “rapidly growing” Men’s Rights movement that MRAs like to talk about? It may actually be stagnant or even shrinking, if searches for “men’s rights” are any indication. Despite a recent comeback, they’re still less than half of what they were at their height in 2004.
Now let’s put that in perspective.
No, there’s nothing wrong with that graph; it’s just that My Little Pony is so much more popular than Men’s Rights that the latter simply vanishes into the X axis.
But this graph is my favorite:
Well, nothing will top that, but here’s a graph showing that people are a lot more concerned about misogyny than misandry — and, I would add, for good reason.
Let’s see what other trends we can find!
(Oh, and sorry about the low quality pics; WordPress won’t let me embed the charts.)
So I was curious and I went on Google Trends and then this happened:
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=feminism%2C%20men's%20rights&cmpt=q
Back on topic:
I’m pleased that <a href=kittens are whomping horse porn. Otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to deal with the world.
So Diogenes, have you bothered reading any books from the 20th century yet? I’d almost be interested in what you think of the reading list I suggested to you the first time you crapped on one of the threads here. Almost.
If anyone else did that already, my bad.
On this or any other question about CynicismFail, I’m going to vote “don’t care”.
On the rise in horse porn, I’d really rather not know.
I’m burning my way through The Odyssey. I don’t really like it much at this stage, but I’ll be damned if I don’t finish something I start.
Ha ha, DiogenestheInsipid does not seem to understand the mechanics of high-end forgeries. I knew he would bite.
Hang on… modern science and math use radians all the time. The battle between degrees and radians is a dangerously violent one, though, let me tell you. The Babylonians show up at math conferences all the time with bronze swords to threaten the radian users all the time. The radians/degrees button on your calculator was actually the result of the treaty of Gaugamela signed by Alexander the Great.
*none of this is true. Except for part about how radians haven’t been obliterated from the earth. Wait, when were radians first mentioned? …(wikipedia interlude)…… Oh come on. 1714 dude. (Or similar definitions in 1400s arabic texts) But yeah. After ancient babylon.
Not sure what the point was, there. But whatever. Radians? You get no love, but I got your back.
Post of the thread. Good job quantum. Its all downhill from here folks.
But if they made a piston today, then they can be insufferable assholes all they want.
Radians rule, degrees drool.
The link that I borked was supposed to go here: http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=horse%20porn%2C%20kittens&cmpt=q
Diogenes, “The Odyssey” wasn’t written in the 20th century.
Sure they would, DTC. You have done what every troll does. Tried to make the thread all about you.
Since you’re a philosopher, you would have no problem whatsoever providing evidence for this assertion, right?
(BTW since trolls are people who show up in places where they’re unwelcome just to be jerks to people they don’t know, I’m gonna have to say you’re the troll here. But hey, if you don’t think I’m objective enough, feel free to set some parameters.)
I vote college age. Old enough to be hella pretentious but young enough to be damn ignorant.
Something cynic threw out there:
“Well, its one thing to be smug, but its another to act it undeservingly.”
And behold, we have projection at its finest.
Kittens vs butts:
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=butts%2C%20kittens&cmpt=q
@ Diogenes: As a casual observer, I’d say you seem to think that a glut of general historical knowledge and ability to read and access classic literature can replace an understanding of systems, biases and reliability of sources. You touch the surface of something superficially without going in-depth; particularly if it challenges your world-view. You attempt to question the intellect of fellow commentators through cultural and “intellectual” (Classic-lit-Olympics, I-can-dredge-up-more-historical-miscellanea-than-you type crap) posturing. I used to do that sort of shit when I came to the *shocking* realisation that nobody cared that I had read the odyssey or that I knew who Voltaire and Nietzsche were (I used to think they where cool/ cringe) and that I really knew as little as anyone else. To improve on your analytical abilities I’d recommend trying to understand creative writing and film reviewing, it helps to build a more analytical intelligence and an understanding of systems.
Knowing and understanding are two different things.
This is why you are shot down *repeatedly* on this website, and why I have yet to see you prove a point after two months lurking.
Horse porn vs Voynich manuscript
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=horse%20porn%2C%20Voynich%20Manuscript&cmpt=q
The greatest concentration of interest in horse porn seems to be Pakistan. A mystery on the scale of the Voynich manuscript, perhaps?
*Quickly googles for a dramatic sound effect clip. Fails*
Bum bum BUM!
Hmm. Not quite the effect I was after…
Hah! There we go!
In their defense, the initialism MRA manages to be half as popular as horse porn…. but this post still made my night 😛
What the hell is an “objective observer” anyway, especially when it comes to something as socially constructed as internet blog? The closest definition I can come up with to how it is normally used is “person who comes into an internet community and posts inflammatory comments”, which depends on how you define the community and inflammatory, but I’m pretty sure that Diogenes counts–for one, his opponents outnumber him, and are more regular posters, and therefore make up the community whereas he is an interloper who holds (or pretends to hold) views contrary to those of the community.
Nobody is an objective observer, and I frankly do not think it is a useful construct, especially for understanding human society, because given the amount of cultural knowledge and necessary to make any judgements, as well as the necessity for ethical evaluations, anyone competent to decide anything would be no longer objective. Anyway, it is easy to be objective when it isn’t your humanity that is being denied.
Misandry vs. The Zombie Apocalypse
Misandry vs. Alpaca Breeding
Misandry vs Goatse vs Twisted Sister
Misandry vs Devon Rex (one specific and not well known breed of cat):
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=Misandry%2C%20devon%20rex%2C%20&cmpt=q
Devon rex kitties are the best kitties. I/my parents have two.
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=diogenes%20the%20cynic%2C%20aristotle&cmpt=q
Damn you Aristotle!
Diogenes: You are just NOW reading the Odyssey? What are you, eight?