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.
How could MRA Bronies possibly exist? It blows my mind.
And is it my imagination or is the MRM becoming even wackier….
Lumi: Just run your fantasy book cover through this, and you’re totally good to go!
@katz
Narrative is the story and all the elements that make up the story (characters, setting, plot, props so to speak, etc.) This is to seperate the narrative elements from the ludological.
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I had a panic attacks that took up all of yesterday evening.
*a panic attack, just the one was enough thanks.
I don’t like the concept of “bronies.” We have enough media. For god’s sake, we should let the girls have something! And then let them have more! Until there’s plenty of girl-oriented media that isn’t solely about how they can make themselves attractive for boys!
@Some Gal: Sorry to hear about your panic attack. All is well now, I take it. Hugs!
@Falconer
Thanks. I cuddled up and tried to distract myself with “In Plain Sight.” So far this morning has been much better.
Oh! And
MISANDRY!!!!
Now, you feminists are trying to ruin that bastion of masculinity MLP.
“I don’t like the concept of “bronies.” We have enough media. For god’s sake, we should let the girls have something! And then let them have more! Until there’s plenty of girl-oriented media that isn’t solely about how they can make themselves attractive for boys!”
I’m the opposite. I like that boys and men are watching MLP because it breaks down the whole idea that boys are supposed to like a certain set of things and girls are supposed to like another set of things. I love that. Why should anyone be limited in what they’re allowed to like?
That’s also why the idea of MRA bronies confuses me. Why would you be fighting gender roles for yourself while, at the same time, building them up for others. It’s complete hypocrisy.
@atomicgrizzly
Isn’t that their unofficial motto?
“Isn’t that their unofficial motto?”
Pretty much. Mens Rights is like a giant double-standard onion.
I’m all like, yeah, bronies are great. It’s awesome that guys are watching a show aimed at younger girls.
IF THE SHOW CATERS TO THE BRONIES, THEN IT PREVENTS THEM FROM FULLY CATERING TO THE GIRLS AND ONCE AGAIN MEN HAVE COOPTED SOMETHING GRRR SNARL RAGE.
But I have Opinions.
atomicgrizzley: Yeah, I think guys being able to watch and enjoy MLP sincerely is a huge step forward, since it’s evidence that more shows starring girls or having feminine trappings can appeal to the same broad audience as shows that are “default male”.
That said, there is an undercurrent of the same sexism in the brony fandom which I worry about. I mean, seriously, the last thing anyone needs is a show for little girls being taken over by 30 year old dudebros wondering which pony they’d like to bang. •n•
There also seems to be a lot if sexism in that media coverage of the fan phenomenon. Previously, it seems like coverage of adults interested in “kids” cartoons was just that. Adults, men and women, love Spongebob or Invader Zim or whatever. Now, there is a lot more media coverage and it almost all seems to focus on adult male fans, never adult female fans. Either far fewer adult women are interested than men or there is sexism at work (and heteronormativity since a lot of the articles seem to take a freak show approach to the men interested in a feminine thing).
I get male fans banning together in the face of the general culture, but the exclusion of women is also a bit dicey.
“IF THE SHOW CATERS TO THE BRONIES, THEN IT PREVENTS THEM FROM FULLY CATERING TO THE GIRLS AND ONCE AGAIN MEN HAVE COOPTED SOMETHING”
That’s an interesting point. Catering to bronies kinda defeats the purpose entirely.
“being taken over by 30 year old dudebros wondering which pony they’d like to bang.”
That’s disturbing, but I don’t think creepy guys talking to each other about sexing up ponies ruins the show for anyone. You can always avoid those websites and watch the show as you normally would.
I shudder to imagine being a parent and helping your child fan navigate fan sites though.
(I agree with you on the whatever floats your boat attitude toward banging ponies, just it has got to be hard.)
“I get male fans banning together in the face of the general culture, but the exclusion of women is also a bit dicey.”
It should be “people can watch what they want,” not “men can watch what they want.”
But also keep in mind that not all bronies are like this (not all of them talk about having sex with ponies either, that’s a common misconception that’s shared with furries).
It’s also true about the media coverage, especially news coverage. Then again there’s a LOT I want to change about news.
“I shudder to imagine being a parent and helping your child fan navigate fan sites though.”
Those certain pictures are probably found in more specialized sites. I don’t think your average MLP fan site hosts things like that.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/
This one is the most popular, and there’s not a speck of pony porn to be seen anywhere.
@atomicgrizzly
Maybe my general shuddering at being a parent is making the task seem harder than it would be if I were prepared to be a parent.
“Maybe my general shuddering at being a parent is making the task seem harder than it would be if I were prepared to be a parent.”
Maybe I’m also being too dismissive. Google safesearch isn’t perfect after all. (It’s gotten a lot better though).
I’m no stranger to rule 34; and I have no problem with it as long as it’s kept to the proper areas.
It’s the takeover of those marginal spaces like YouTube comments that concerns me. (Do parental guidance software packages allow you to block all YouTube comments? If not, they damn well should these days. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy, indeed.)
“I’m the opposite. I like that boys and men are watching MLP because it breaks down the whole idea that boys are supposed to like a certain set of things and girls are supposed to like another set of things. I love that. Why should anyone be limited in what they’re allowed to like?”
Personally, I hate the gender-directing of toys and media, have since I was a kid. As a girl I would have *hated* MLP (the color pink and squeeky über-fem characters send me running from the room). But when my 12-y-o took break from his anime noir and I walked in on him watching MLP I was pretty chuffed. I couldn’t help a raised eyebrow though, and he explained about the bronies. I always felt everyone should like whatever they liked, regardless of their genital configuration.
Personally, the MRA bronies thing confirms my suspicions that MRAs are mostly just guys who had their Inner Little Girl humiliated out of them in childhood, which made them in turn ideate women into either unattainable fantasy goddesses or crushing fascistic manipulative magical hags, rather than regular human people. And instead of just embracing their broniness and going with the text of MLP, they have to invent this whole subtext to hide behind while maintaining the MRA party line. And probably subconsciously; these guys are true believers…
YouTube itself should offer this as an option if they don’t already. (I am pretty sure that the best way tonavoid comments is to go mobile, but that shouldn’t be the only solution.)
*to avoid
“It’s the takeover of those marginal spaces like YouTube comments that concerns me. ”
Didn’t think of that. Fantastic point.
“Personally, I hate the gender-directing of toys and media, have since I was a kid. As a girl I would have *hated* MLP (the color pink and squeeky über-fem characters send me running from the room).”
Interesting. I was always the opposite, attracted to colorful and shiny things (even in regards to clothing) as a boy. It led my parents to start questioning my sexual orientation. I even recently got a nyan cat bumper sticker and had people tell me “You know that makes you look gay, right?”
Whenever people tell me I seem gay now I just say “good.”