Our old friend over at the Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Technology blog is angry again. This time he’s mad at a legitimate target: National Rifle Association president Wayne LaPierre. But not because LaPierre is the head of an organization that has stood athwart every attempt at sensible gun control, making tragedies like the one in Newtown an all-too-predictable side effect of the easy availability of semiautomatic weaponry.
No, Mr. Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech is made at LaPierre because he thinks the NRA big gun has turned into a feminist. No, really. Noting that in the wake of the Newtown shootings LaPierre launched a transparently opportunistic attack on violent video games, Mr. PMAFT accuses him of doing the work of the grand feminist conspiracy against men and manhood:
The most important reason why LaPierre is wrong is because what he is doing is feminist. Video games are an activity predominately enjoyed by men. So are guns. Both activities are under attack from feminists (just like other predominately male activities like science fiction are) because men are interested in them and women are mostly not interested in them. LaPierre is shooting himself in the foot (pun intended) by alienating allies among the video game community and helping out feminists in their war on male activities.
Never mind that nearly half – 47% — of those playing video games these days are girls and women, according to the Entertainment Software Association. (I await the inevitable comment from a troll telling us all that whatever games these women are playing just don’t count because blah and blah.)
What LaPierre should have done is form an alliance with the video game community. While the Newtown shootings are being used against gun owners right now, the next target will be video games and other mostly male interests and activities. Both the video game community and the gun community are fighting the same enemy, feminism. They should be working together to point out facts like how the Newtown shooter was raised by a single mother and how homes where the father is kicked out lead to more violence.
Never mind that the shooter — like virtually all mass shooters — was a dude; a woman is always to blame.
The NRA is in a position of weakness now because they are attacking video games and not the real causes of the Newtown tragedy, single motherhood and feminism. The NRA is in the same boat as the Republican Party where it needs to become an explicitly anti-feminist and pro-mens rights organization to survive. (Lots of conservative and right wing organizations are in this situation.) Guns aren’t the problem here, but neither are video games. The NRA needs to realize this and realize that its only way forward is by fighting feminism. Anything else leads the NRA to irrelevance.
So one of the most powerful lobbies in American politics needs to team up with a Men’s Rights “movement” that can’t organize a single event that draws a crowd bigger than 8 people, or else it will fade into irrelevance?
I dearly hope the NRA fades into obscurity, and I am hopeful that public opinion about guns is beginning finally to shift in the right direction, but I’m not sure the NRA needs any pointers from MRAs on political relevance.
I am a feminist that loves video games, even if some of them have some problematic and inherently harmful tropes. *dudes head explodes*
Holy cow I’m not sure I believe that picture. What’s that from?
So guns and violence are sexy man things and feminists want to destroy them — but women also CAUSE these behaviors. ‘Kay.
Also, as David points out in this post, they are simply flat out wrong with the video game thing. It is not a “guy activity.” Half of gamers are women and girls. Fucking deal with it already.
“Both activities are under attack from feminists (just like other predominately male activities like science fiction are)”
Oh is that why I keep debating putting the computer down and getting back to my sci-fi? I’d have never guessed that I was attacking it…thanks for clearing that up?
Cause being blatantly misogynist and the War on Women waged by the GOP over the last 2 years worked out so well for the Republicans last November?
Predominantly male = anything I like
OMG it’s a secret liberal plot to steal our guns by undermining the effectiveness of the NRA, and the most fiendish part is that we’re going to make them do it themselves!
(Sorry, wrong group of conspiracy theorists.)
Pic is form Saints Row 2, it’s like Grand Theft Auto but better.
The “surprise, the enemy is secretly feminists” thing reminds me of Obama’s campaign putting out the Big Bird ad.
I love that feminists are launching an attack on SciFi. ABNOY should head over to this guy’s blog rather than trolling our LotR thread. Their ideas seem to line up pretty well. We should start a list of “male” things feminists have ruined. So far, guns, comics, SciFi, Fantasy, videogames, being white, what else?
“Both the video game community and the gun community are fighting the same enemy, feminism.”
Mr. PMAFT needs to speak for himself. I’m part of this “video game community” (if there is such a thing. By now it’s like saying “movie watching community” or “book reading community) and I’m a goddamn feminist myself.
Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Technology is my favorite MRA, just for the sheer entertainment value. And the terrible web design.
I’m gonna guess steam punk, but that’s mostly because the not-an-ex figured if I like steam punk, I’d like a cyber punk / sci fi novel…and thus the two overlap.
Sex without having to ask permission, except we did “ruin” that, and for good reason.
Also, this is seriously the first time I’ve heard single mothers blamed for mass shootings. That takes some serious logical leaps and/or insanity. Mr. PMAFT needs to get himself a CAT scan.
Everything about the way people are talking about that shooting is an assheap of wrongness.
“Their ideas seem to line up pretty well. We should start a list of “male” things feminists have ruined. So far, guns, comics, SciFi, Fantasy, videogames, being white, what else?”
Can someone explain the reasoning behind saying that feminists have ruined Science Fiction? Last time I checked Science Fiction was still a common thing.
“And the terrible web design.”
We love technology and hate web design! Has always struck me as odd, but then again, I could code a web page in my sleep. Kids these days and their dream weaver and shit, makes for bad, lazy code! XD
Web design, or more thing feminists stole, along with flash, CSS2 and HTML4 (and thus the body tag, I’m still getting used to that)
@ cloudiah
Also for the grammar. Does he support technology that’s pro-male and anti-feminist or is he in favor of smiting feminist technology (like…um…IUDs)? The world may never know.
Atomicgrizzley: Actually, the pic url says it’s from Saints Row the Third. And yeah, If I can outfit my entire gang in fursuits and recreate the flash mobs from Trigger Happy TV, I’m going to be buying this game.
The rallying cry of the MRA: “She made me do it”.
Some Gal: Don’t forget atheism. Non-belief in a deity has been TOTALLY ruined by creeper dudes being told that hitting on a woman who is alone with you in an elevator at 3 in the morning is off-putting. (I do hope the sarcasm came through on that.)
Women must be more than eye candy? I really don’t know. My current sci fi is 20 years old, and the second named character is a woman with skillz.
Hilariously, the tech is frightening accurate in some placed and completely wrong in others — cards with all sorts of data embedded in them (flash drives anyone?) and tube TVs *dies*
“Everything about the way people are talking about that shooting is an assheap of wrongness.”
True. There was an Onion headline about Americans demanding changes to “Everything and Anything” after the shooting.
Really everyone thinks they have the answer. Me? I would just be happy if we worked harder to keep crazy people away from military weapons. It would help quite a bit.
And female musicians…oh wait…
Whataboutthemoonz — do you remember NWO’s rant about EA being a drug addled slut? I kind of miss his frothy rage, never a dull moment with him, versus Diogenes the Dull. Our trolls are slacking.
The tech I would most like to see here is being able to use your cell phone as an ATM card. Hey, it’s already an option in some other countries, why not here too?
(OT)