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 was lucky growing up because, for me and my sister, nothing was marked as a “boy toy” and thus off-limits. We had (still have) a huge collection of Matchbox cars and quite a few videogames for the latest Nintendo console alongside our Barbies and other dolls. I never heard any of this “Star Wars is for boys” bullshit when I confessed my Star Wars obsession (movies and toys only, no larger canon for me). Everyone always thought it was either cool or too obsessive (my mother, some friends). Even now, I love our Ninjas Turtles and Videogame action figures as much as I love my BtVS figures and no one has ever commented. (My collection of children’s books has led people to believe I have kids and some people assume all the figures/dolls are mine and not my boyfriend’s which is irritating as we basically collect together, but otherwise, my life has been remarkably free of gender-proscriptive bullshit.)
“my life has been remarkably free of gender-proscriptive bullshit.”
That’s truly a great thing.
I remember a vulgar, but amazing Youtube comment on a song by the band Xiu Xiu. It said: “If this is gay, then someone put a dick in my ass right now!” That’s such an awesome way of putting it. Superficial labels like that shouldn’t matter. All they do is keep people in tiny boxes.
As to the parenting thing, I really haven’t tried to do the online parental controls. For one thing I’m too much of a Luddite and I’d probably tear out half my hair trying to figure it out, and my plate is pretty full just trying to limit his computer time to begin with : /
But I do really keep an eye on what he’s watching and talk to him about it. And frankly, how could I keep up with knowing what out there is kid-safe by my own standards and filter it for him? I mean, you can’t filter for misogyny or by value; I don’t care if he sees a naked body or hears a cuss word. I certainly don’t want him watching something where a fully clothed woman is being humiliated verbally because she has big tits and more courage than the protagonists (one anime scenario I walked in on and had to shut off, and he explained the justification for the scene and I told him why I wasn’t ok with that). He pretty much treats boys and girls the same, I’ve never gender-directed his play or interests or appearance. He’s at that “OMG sex is disgusting KILL THE KISSING WITH FIRE!!!” stage, but I know that won’t last. He spends most of his computer time playing Minecraft, building amazing things and blowing up creepers and spiders. I allowed him Skyrim for Xmas, but he knows things like GTA are verbotten. He hates the comments on YouTube, and I guess I’d rather take him to task for using the word “fag” than pretend he’s never heard it and delude myself that blocking comment sections will protect him from human ugliness. He has a pretty good sense of what is kind and fair, and what is just shitty and bigoted.
As a parent, I’ve tried, as he’s grown, to help him develop his own filter, and kept a close relationship with him where we can share interests and discuss values together. Kids learn better to be their own person when the authority in their life isn’t made with a Parenting Magazine cookie cutter. It’s not easy; but I think it’s easier to raise a kid you can trust more and more as they get older, rather than try to control every aspect of their development. Because you can’t. You just do your best.
“one anime scenario I walked in on and had to shut off, and he explained the justification for the scene and I told him why I wasn’t ok with that.”
Is it Naruto? It has to be either Naruto or Bleach. Both of them have those stupid “OMG lol big bewbz” jokes. I stopped watching Bleach for a while because it got on my nerves so much.
@heathenbee
It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job. I agree that developing their own filter is important for kids, but it still would be nice to be able to ease them into it. Sometimes it seems like the internet doesn’t really allow for that, but I’m sure that it is a lot different for today’s kids than it was for me being asked to “cyber” at 13.
I agree with Some Gal, heathenbee. It’s great that you go out of your way to make sure that your kid develops tolerance. It’s something that’s severely lacking these days.
“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.””
As a 4-y-o, my aunt admonished me for running around topless in the summer like the boys by asking me “Don’t you want to grow up to be a lady?” I was flabergasted at the idea, especially if “being a lady” meant not getting the same benefits as being a boy : P I had dolls and a dollhouse, but spent at least as much time with my brother’s Legos and Hotwheels. Mostly I read, made art, and hung out in the bushes studying bugs. When I grew up I was often mis-identified as a lesbian for years (actually, probably still am, despite the shaving and lipstick lol). A lot of men have expressed intimidation of me, but I’m pretty sure it’s because I think and act the way it’s admired in, and acceptable and expected of *men*, but criticized in women.
So kids are brought up to believe acting “like a girl” is an insult (to boys *and* girls), and acting like a boy is a compliment, but girls are not allowed.
“When I grew up I was often mis-identified as a lesbian for years (actually, probably still am, despite the shaving and lipstick lol).”
Mis-identified by stereotypers; don’t want anyone to think I’m stereotyping….
“When I grew up I was often mis-identified as a lesbian for years (actually, probably still am, despite the shaving and lipstick lol).”
Well it’s an interesting thing. For decades homosexuality was stigmatized and stereotyped. Gay men did things considered “feminine,” while lesbians did “manly” things. It was another way to scare people into the traditional gender roles.
Now, however, homosexual people are more accepted than ever and that tactic is starting to lose its effectiveness. It still works with MRAs and the frat-bro types, but the average person is less afraid of being labeled a homosexual.
@atomicgrizzly, he says it was Desert Punk. At the time he explained it was an anomalous scene, and I didn’t forbid him from watching it. I’d rather have to drill it into his head why that kind of thing is offensive to me than just censor his watching it.
@Some Girl, I think one of the improvements in cyberland in the last 10-20 years is that it’s so common-place for kids to be involved with it, they check in with each other as to what’s cool at *their* level, there’s a lot more available for them where they can feel comfortable rather than having to tough it out with the big kids, if that makes sense. Often the older ones or adults look out for them. And the online world has mainstreamed so much, rather than being the venue of hardcore and fringe-culture geeks. Obviously there’s some ugly scary shit out there, too, and probably more real danger. But I think the Lord of the Flies aspect of old school internets has diminished considerably.
“it was Desert Punk.”
Wow, okay. WAAAAAAAY worse than Naruto or Bleach.
@heathenbee
It’s hard for me to see exactly how (and how much) the internet has changed because I did so much changing at the same time. I attribute probably too much to my skill at navigating improving and my understanding of myself/what I want to be doing on it and not enough to the internet itself and everybody on it. Fallout from the self-centeredness of my teenage years, I suppose.
“the average person is less afraid of being labeled a homosexual.”
Extremely true. I mean, just driving by a city highschool when it lets out, 30% of those kids would get their asses kicked daily in my day because their appearance would have labeled them as “gay”. It makes me happy to see them.
@Some Girl, it’s people like you that made the modern internet what it is now, self-attribute away 🙂
Michael Ian Black always jokes about being called gay. He actually said this in an interview:
“I am so comfortable in my sexual skin right now that if somebody wants to stick something up my ass, that’s fine. Just give me the drugs. I’ll be fine. I guess what I’m saying is, I will willingly trade drugs for gay sex.”
Needless to say, Black Magic is awesome.
I don’t mind ’em watching it, either, it’s the pushing-out of women’s voices in the fandom I object to.
Sorry if I pushed GENDER NORMATIVITY buttons. 🙁
I don’t mind ‘em watching it, either, it’s the pushing-out of women’s voices in the fandom I object to.”
No, I get it. even the name “brony” suggests that it’s a “guy thing.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/07/the-saddest-graph-youll-see-today/?tid=pm_pop
cloudiah posted the graph yesterday. It’s the comments that
are worth readingwill make you vomit. MRAs in abundance.“NWO was the one who first brought fringed flags to my attention. That and CAPITAL LETTERS creating a binding contract. Man, that was a fun night.”
More things I did not know about NWO!
“*tips head* So… any ideas? All I have said on this thread is “wut” when Dingus The Dim claimed to be a high-school teacher.”
Totally missed that, and am also going wut?
“So kids are brought up to believe acting “like a girl” is an insult (to boys *and* girls), and acting like a boy is a compliment, but girls are not allowed.”
And now if your random EA moment of the day —
That’s my take, too. I think bronies are a sign of a very significant positive development because, historically, gender neutrality always stemmed from girls and women assimilating male things–virtually never vice versa.
The undertones are pretty bad: Boys’ stuff is good because it’s for boys, and so it seems rather natural for girls to want it (and when they’re discouraged, there’s an implication that they’re not good enough for it, eg, science), but girls’ stuff is essentially defined by being too uninteresting to attract boys. There’s no historical trend of boys/men taking over girls’ cartoons like Strawberry Shortcake or Rainbow Brite, because it was assumed that boys’ cartoons were better. There’s also the male-as-neutral theme: Boys’ stuff is for boys (and girls if they’re interested); girls’ stuff is for girls, only, ever. Blue and pink as gendered colors are good examples.
Consider naming: Names move from being always male to being gender-neutral as girls start being given those names (Elliot, Riley), because girls with male-sounding names sound cool and empowered, whereas boys with female-sounding names will get teased and called sissies. Eventually, originally-male names stop being given to boys and become entirely female (Ashley).
So I think this is a positive trend regardless of the actual behavior of the bronies. In fact I think their bad behavior is largely a backlash against this very problem: The conditioning that boys and men shouldn’t like girl things is still there, so they justify themselves by reinterpreting MLP:FIM as being for men.
With any luck, the existence of bronies will help remove that conditioning from younger boys and they’ll be more able to like girl-oriented stuff without worrying that it isn’t masculine enough.
Freitag, those comments are … predictable. But terrible.
Speaking of terrible, did the following article get posted here? I am behind on my reading, so apologies for any duplication.
FEMINISM KILLS 27 AT US HIGH SCHOOL.
Oh, FFS. What a crock of shit. Only true MRAs can connect dots that don’t exist and come up with bullshit like that.
Not to mention that Lanza was 17 when his parents split up. We must not mention that, because it shoots great big holes in their pet theory.
I can’t give credit, because I can’t remember now where I read it, but someone sarcastically noted that that just proves how efficient feminism was at f*%&ing Lanza up. That’s why I thought maybe it was posted here — we’re pretty good at the sarcasm thing.
My god, what CAN’T feminism do? I need a nap, I’ve been busy.