Over on Reddit, Men’s Rights subreddit regular 0bvious_Atheist has offered the most, well, inventive explanation for the Newtown school shootings I’ve seen thus far. Apparently channeling the old Man Boobz troll NWOslave, he argues that they were the result of … Title IX.
The only good news here is that this theory was too weird and opportunistic for even the Men’s Rights subreddit, and 0bvious_Atheist’s post got many more downvotes than upvotes.
Also, the 4Chan thing hasn’t been confirmed by any reputable media source. Here’s something from the not-exactly-100%-credible Daily Mail on it is definitely a fake.
Thanks to r/againstmensrights for pointing me to 0bvious_Atheist’s post.
I skimmed til I got to the bit about Libby, who managed to leave the church. It was heartening to hear that she was able to escape her family and is doing ok.
I think if those Westboro people show up at the kids’ funerals, they should have pig shit flung at them until they go away. Yes, yes, I realize that would be assault, but I can’t help wanting for something like that to happen.
Kim – after skimming that article, it looks like Phelps does really believe his shit, and has brainwashed his kids. I read the suggestion that it’s all a huge con somewhere, but this suggests it isn’t.
Toxic either way, but this is even uglier.
Yeah, Kitteh, they believe it.
Amused, I don’t know where I’d get some pig shit to fling, but I can put my hands on lots of cat shit!
There’s also the possibility that Fred Phelps doesn’t believe it… and has brainwashed his kids into believing it.
Apparently anonymous hacked the Westborough church website:
http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2012/12/anonymous-hacks-westboro-baptist-church-over-plans-to-protest-newtown-funerals/
Can’t quite bring myself to support their choice of method even when it’s applied to the WBC…
Yeah, I’m torn. I loathe Westboro and wish they’d STFU forever. But this is doxxing.
re: Fraternities and sororities, they’re pretty popular here in the Baltics too, as well as Germany. We took the tradition over from the Baltic Germans, in fact. Though mixed-gender student societies exist here also, there aren’t as many as single-gender ones.
“I really don’t understand the kind of people who join frats/sororities. Used to work with some, and their need to be liked and accepted just seemed a bit over the top to me. Why would you willingly sign up for that kind of hazing? I don’t get it.”
At least for me, being liked and accepted did play a part in it. When I went to uni I had less time to spend with my highschool friends and since I’m a very shy and quiet person, I wasn’t really making any new ones. So I decided to join a sorority since I’d be more or less forced to socialise. And, well, I’m still very shy, but I did meet some cool people and had fun experiences, so I can’t say I regret it. Then again, unlike in American organisations, we don’t really do hazing here.
I don’t approve- opening up someone to the attacks of random crazy strangers on the internet is dangerous. It’s not on par with doxxing people who have had rape and death threats made against them and making them targets of a hate group, but it’s wrong none the less. I’m not shedding a whole lot of tears for them, but there are better community based efforts people can make other than doxxing. Someone on 4 chan suggested a silent barricade- that would have been more appropriate.
But I’m not going to be losing any sleep over it.
Oop, the thread kinda ran away from me while I was typing that up… man, can the WBC sink any lower? I’ll agree the hacking of their website is kind of questionable, but I hope the petition to recognise them as a hate group goes through.
Also, black fraternities and sororities in the US have a different history and purpose — definitely some class issues going on, but also mutual support and aid against racism and isolation. I was at a funeral recently for an elderly black man who I met through work, and one of the most moving parts of the service was when his fraternity brothers (who ranged in age from 18 to 97) stood as a group and paid their respects.
Yeah, except WBC is not an Internet phenomenon. They are haters and harassers in real life, who abuse the legal system and go to great lengths to hurt people just short of breaking the law. It’s one thing to “out” an anonymous blogger, commenter or random protester; but I think that once you join a real-life hate organization whose explicit purpose is to inflict suffering, and you work on its behalf — that is to say, it’s no longer just words on the screen — you lose your expectation of anonymity. And make no mistake: WBC is a small, tightly knit hate organization all of whose members actively participate in its protests as a condition of being allowed to remain members. It’s safe to assume none of those publicized names belong to people who just go to WBC services once in a while.
Westboro, ugh, they’re so awful. I think there was one place recently they targeted — maybe soldiers’ funerals? — and the opposition got a ton of people there to just stand and act as a shield so that the mourners wouldn’t even see the WBC. That to me was more effective than hacking their web site.
I think there are definitely MRAs that feel that way, but I think the ones that make the posts actually believe the shit they write.
I don’t have the energy to even spare a thought to the Westboro ‘God surgically removed our empathy’ Church. Fuckwads
It’s like Godzilla vs. Mothra.
What do people do in fraternaties? I mean, what is the point in them?
Wow, should have refreshed before posting. I don’t support the doxxing. Would have preferred if Anonymous had shut down their website or made it a virus hub or something instead.
“What do people do in fraternaties? I mean, what is the point in them?”
Idk about fraternaties but I know a genderqueer person in a sorority who joined because they didn’t give a shit, and for the bake sales. (I’m not even kidding about the bake sales XD)
No comment on the doxxing because I totally second this — “I don’t have the energy to even spare a thought to the Westboro ‘God surgically removed our empathy’ Church. Fuckwads”
Did the OP pull something in his mighty reach to tie the shooting and Title IX together? What an asshole.
Hey, you know how AVfM is totally non-violent, and would never allow or encourage threats of violence? Look what’s been up on their FB page since December 12.
3 likes! Yeah, they’re not violent at all.
Oh, but that’s just four people, cloudiah! They’re No True MRAs and it’s too awful of you to suggest they’re representative! Real MRAs are the flower people of the decade!
/snark
Also, it’s not like they’re saying they want to actually hurt her or calling for attacks, they’re just HOPING she gets hurt. That’s totally not violent at all!
/moresnark