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Cloudiah found this amazingly awful rant — from a prolific manosphere commenter and Spearhead supporter by the name of Jacob Ian Stalk — in the comments section to a piece on feminism in The Tab Oxford, a student paper. She posted it in the comments here on Man Boobz, where it’s already generated a good deal of discussion (see comments here, here, here, and here for starters). But I thought it deserved a post of its own.
So without further ado, I present Jacob Ian Stalk’s “12-Step Program for Recovering Feminists.”
Equality is equality. Feminism is about the unbridled pursuit of power for women. Got that?
Uh, no, actually, because it’s not true, but please continue.
The age of feminism is over, thankfully. The comments here that support feminism are from the rats that refuse to leave the sinking ship, thinking there’s sustenance still to be found there somewhere. Sorry to disappoint, but there is nothing nutritious left.
So the ship is sinking at the very moment it’s run out of food that rats can eat. That’s quite a coincidence! Or is it sinking because it ran out of food? Were the dudes on the ship using rat food to plug holes in the hull?
Men the world over are waking up to the damage wrought by rampant feminism and they’re shocked to realise it all happened while they were asleep. Well, they’re asleep no more. Bleat all you like about feminism being about this or that, but the truth of it’s evil is written all over the once noble institutions of the world and the wishful bleatings of solipsistic girl-children can’t erase it. It is done. The cailphate is establishing its power base once more and Sharia law is spreading.
Huh? Because of feminism? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Feminists have destroyed the family and have eschewed child-bearing in favour of credentialism and the illusion of success, killing their unborn children and robbing men of their will to be fathers and husbands. The laugh is on you, Western feminists, as Western birth rates have at last fallen below their replenishment rate and the Muslims are laughing all the way to the maternity wards.
Oh, dear, you got some racism in your misogyny. Two terrible tastes that taste worse together!
The best you can hope for, Western women, is to abandon feminism entirely. Abandon that idiotic notion of ‘equality’, as it will never happen. All it has earned you is the disrespect of men and an increasing number of women the world over. Feminism doesn’t make you strong. It doesn’t make you powerful. It doesn’t make you free. And it sure as hell doesn’t make you equal. It just makes you despicable.
Wait, weren’t you just complaining that feminism is about female supremacy? Now you’re admitting that it’s actually about equality – and you’re preaching male supremacy in its place?
Abandon feminism. Here’s a 12-step program for recovering feminists. There are others.
Ok, here we go.
1. Don’t be narcissistic. Never think you’re more important than men or children. Marketing departments delight in exploiting the feminist fallacy that you are. They promote ‘women’s only’ this and that, and women have bought into it. This appears sexist but it is really a marketing ploy that works because most women are narcissistic. Companies know they can charge more for goods and services by using the words ‘women only’. Narcissistic women are easily exploitable women. Be neither.
Huh. Isn’t the Men’s Rights Movement all about exploiting the narcissism of men who think they’re more important than women? (And children – at least in the case of the MRAs who whine endlessly about how unfair it is they can’t financially abandon their kids.)
2. Don’t let others make choices for you. This should be self-evident but for most of your life you’ve allowed yourself to be told what to wear, what to buy, what to eat, how to dress, where to go, how to think – in clubs, gyms, magazines, websites, books, stores and by TV talk show hosts. You’ve ‘needed’ a step-by-step guide through life, which you’ve followed with your sisters like sheep. Companies have exploited this need. Behave like a sheep if you must but obey the sheepdog, not the wolf. Better yet, be a woman who can think for herself.
… so long as “thinking for yourself” means “thinking you’re inferior to men and generally thinking the way men who hate women want you to.”
3. Get rid of the self-induced schizophrenia. Don’t insist you’re strong, confident, capable and independent one minute, then weak, frightened and vulnerable the next, especially when you’ve been caught doing something wrong. Don’t chop and change whenever it suits you – learn about who you are and be true. Admit when you’ve done something wrong. Don’t suddenly remember that you suffered abuse in the past or have some kind of mental illness or other instability, then use it to get yourself off. If you never sought help for these problems before you were caught, don’t use them as an excuse afterwards. Accept responsibility for yourself.
And for everything bad that men do as well, as manospherians repeatedly insist. If men are violent, it’s because women (allegedly) like dating violent men. If men brutalize the women in their life, it’s because the women provoke them. If a man arms himself with high-powered weapons and massacres children, his mom is to the real villain. For manospherians and MRAs generally, “responsiblity” means “a woman is always to blame.”
4. Don’t let the law take responsibility for crimes women commit. Speak out against women routinely receiving shorter sentences than men for the same crimes. If the law punishes women as it does children, treat them like children and encourage others to do so too. Don’t call these women ‘victims’ and say “they’ve suffered enough” because they’re women. Believe in, and stand up for, equal justice on the basis of gender.
Women do tend to receive shorter sentences than men for the same crimes. But this isn’t the fault of feminism. Indeed, female judges are slightly more likely to give women harsher sentence than male judges, possibly reflecting paternalistic attitudes on the part of male judges.
5. Don’t believe everything women and feminised men in the media tell you. Many serve up slop by the bucket – celebrity gossip, slimming tips, sex tips, man-shaming tips, rape and abuse lies, etc. TV shows like Oprah and Dr Phil are filled with advice on how women can transform themselves into victims and blame everything on men, while constantly ridiculing them. Partake of more nutritious fare than this. Get your infotainment from equitable programs. Be aware of the cultural status quo from both perspectives.
I have no idea what Jacob here would consider an “equitable” program, but, really, no one of any gender should be getting life advice from Dr. Phil.
6. Don’t fake solidarity with other women, especially in public. Don’t pretend that all women are your best friends when everyone knows nothing could be further from the truth. Openly acknowledge the reality that women despise each other unless there’s personal advantage in not doing so. Most good men can see through these attempts at deception, so lies won’t travel far. Don’t be a liar, especially not an obvious one.
I have no idea what the fuck he’s going on about here. “Don’t fake solidarity with other women, especially in public??” Do women who hate each other march around Jacob’s neighborhood arm-in-arm, pretending to be BFFs and singing the Lady Internationale? (“Arise, you prisoners of menstruation … .“)
7. Don’t seek equality with men. Masculinity and femininity are inherently different. They are neither equals nor opposites, but different parts of the sexual continuum that can’t be defined from each other. Actively separate masculinity from femininity, and separate both from the sexual politics that keep them in healthy tension. Don’t claim women can do anything men can do until you start producing your own sperm.
Um, what? Is Kate Bush not a brilliant musician because she doesn’t have balls? Is Joan Didion not a brilliant writer because she can’t jizz into a sock?
Not every sperm producer is sacred.
8. Don’t demonize male sexuality or the male sex. Both sexes can be evil, both can be virtuous. Empathy, wisdom, grace, mercy, compassion and love are all as masculine as they are feminine. Don’t invaginate our boys by shaming or medicating the masculinity out of them before it matures and don’t impregnate them with the corrosive lie that being a woman is like being a man only better. Male sexuality is a pearl to be cultured. Suffuse your sons egos with promise if you want your daughters to have good men to love.
Uh, “invaginate?” Invaginate means to “be turned inside out or folded back on itself to form a cavity or pouch.” I’m pretty sure that teaching boys not to rape their dates does not in any way, literally or figuratively, turn them into a pouch.
9. Respect the sanctuaries of men. Men are judged much more harshly than women so they need their safe retreat. They don’t have the same opportunities for emotional support as women so they need a place where they can express themselves free of judgment and ridicule. This place must be respected. Take care if you venture there as your feminine narcissism is the enemy. Don’t draw attention to yourself and don’t expect protection if you do. If you must speak don’t attempt to control the dialogue or steer it towards you. Don’t censor language to suit your sensitivities. Male sanctuary is sacred – treat it as you would a cathedral.
Dudes, if you want to start your own little clubhouses where you can call women “cunts” in peace and quiet, go ahead and do it. Just don’t pretend they’re about anything more than misogyny. And if you put these allegedly sacred sanctuaries on the internet, don’t be surprised if some people take offence. Oh, and don’t claim that, say, video games, or STEM fields, or atheism, or whatever male-heavy thing you’re into, is a “male sanctuary” that need to be protected from evil girl germs.
Some male spaces can be totally awesome:
Others, not so awesome.
10. Don’t use shaming tactics. Don’t accuse men of having anger management issues when they’re angry at injustice. Don’t accuse them of being a threat when they call you out for being a bigot or a tyrant. Don’t accuse them of having a fear of commitment when they’re merely making a choice between bravery and stupidity. Don’t assess the merit of their arguments on the basis of their attractiveness to you. Don’t attribute their views about women to past disappointments when it is merely an objective assessment of your sex. Shaming tactics are remnants of childhood so leave them in the nursery if you want to be taken seriously.
I think this one just broke the irony meter. It’s not like manosphere dudes ever use shaming language aimed at anyone.
A word of warning here. The next paragraph is the worst one in the whole manifesto, and, honestly, one of the worst things I’ve run across in my more than two years of doing this blog. TRIGGER WARNING for rape apologia.
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11. Be honest about sexual harassment. If you assert that you have the right to dress as you please and that men should be able to control their sexuality, honour their right to be shielded from yours. If you don’t want men to control themselves but instead want to control their loss of control for your own enjoyment, be prepared for the consequences when things go awry. If ‘harassment’ – the stares, sexual innuendos, sly touches, and even rape – magically cease to be harassment and become the foundations of a passionate new romance occasionally, admit that you don’t really want men to control themselves. Don’t expect men to know when it’s right to ‘harass’ you and when it’s not. Don’t treat Man one minute as an exciting and courageous hero and the next a monster intent on tyranny and abuse if you’re inconsistent in your sexual intentions and desires.
Woah. Let’s take another look at that especially terrible comment in the middle of that mess:
If ‘harassment’ – the stares, sexual innuendos, sly touches, and even rape – magically cease to be harassment and become the foundations of a passionate new romance occasionally, admit that you don’t really want men to control themselves.
I’ve got no jokes for this one. You honestly think that RAPE can be “the foundation of a passionate new romance?” What the fuck is wrong with you?
12. Speak out against misandry. The main reason for its proliferation is that women have remained silent. Silence in the face of injustice is cowardly. It has allowed loud, obnoxious women to preach hatred with impunity, which has reflected badly on all women. When you speak out against misandry you do all women a favour. Don’t be a misandrist, don’t be a coward and don’t be silent.
At this point, I really don’t think I need to bother to point out the hypocrisy here.
Fibinachi — well of course it does, as you said, reduced redundancies for better clarity (for the less astute among us)
In other, honestly more interesting, things…what is with this weather!? Rainy yesterday, 70+ today!
Why yes, I am complaining about New England weather.
But what if I have my best interests at heart and I am capable of leading myself.
OH SHIT LOOPHOLE I HAVE SUBVERTED THE SYSTEM I CAN SEE THE MATRIX
It has always struck me as odd the way people go round asserting ownership and control of other people’s spaces with this sort of posturing. I’m guessing they have no clue how foolish they appear to those they are attempting to assert dominance over.
Or maybe just young and ignorant.
thebewilderness — I think it’s a sort of self reinforcing feedback loop —
I’m more right than you and you don’t even know it
You’re an idiot
See! You don’t even know how wrong you are, let me tell you again
Ok fool, go away
Don’t you see how lowbrow // stupid // misandrist you are?
Fuck off
See! Misandry!!!
Ok, sorta channeling Steele there towards the end, but you get the picture. (And dear gods was he a master at that shit, 1,000+ comments on the definition of misandry *bangs head into wall*)
@augochlorella:
No! NO! Quick, take the blue pill or your risk becoming self-aware! A self aware free person would completely and utterly point out how strange the entire lopsided system of thought is, and how queer it appears that people insist that others must be lead by others again!
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, now look at what you’ve done with all your… independence and wit. Bah, humbug.
@thebewilderness
It’s just puzzling to me. “I’ll be polite and mildly smug and indicate that you’re helping me with your words! Have any questions? Ask them! I’ll clarify, because I’m such a swell dude and ha ha, I wouldn’t want you poor lost folk to miss my unique perspective! Accept my authoritaaah!”.
Puzzling. How are we supposed to react? Being polite now doesn’t change everything he has already written.
@ Jacob- It is ADORABLE when people like you pretend to be reasonable. It really is. Especially when we have your earlier words to prove that you are a bigot.
@augochlorella- I know right?! I was just thinking about all of the amazing things that I have accomplished while single (traveling, taking up new hobbies, getting into a selective grad program for my dream job, learning to love my body no matter how it looks) and how many of those things would not have been possible if I’d been under the guidance of the last man who “loved” me. Feh, I say feb!
Stick the flounce, Jacob! There’s really no need for you to come back. For real.
And the best part is how, in his clarifications, he agrees with a lot of the things feminists think. Except he’s too blinded on his patriarchal power trip to see it.
Hey, listen up everyone, Jacob’s talking:
“OK, that seems to be all the questions and comments for now. Thanks for your help. I’ll visit this thread from time to time to respond to any further comments and questions.”
Also, he’s having some of his personal mail forwarded here. Remember to gather the mail into neat piles so Jacob will have no problem collecting it during his sporadic visits. Oh, and he may leave some of his plants here too — don’t forget to water them while he’s gone.
This was…well, take a look;
“Of course, illegal behaviour is not encouraged. Example 11 on my list was not a commentary on rape (which our host may have overlooked in his critique), but on the inconsistency of sexual response. We’re not very good at read each others minds (the animosity between feminists and MRA’s is sufficient evidence of this), so good and consistent communication is important. It seems wise, then, that both men and women should be concerned for each others good shepherding in sexually charged situations, which was the aim of Example 11.”
It’s up to women to keep men from raping us by providing consistent sexual responses. I’ll repeat that, consistent sexual responses — which are the opposite of “inconsistency of sexual response.” We need to shepherd each other during sexually charged situations as well.
What in the ever-loving-fuck?
People are robots, you see. All of our sexual responses have to happen in a set way — and must also be followed-up by percise sexual actions because Jacob said so. Though I can’t imagine anyone who’s actually had sex prattling on about “inconsistency of sexual responses.” Maybe he thinks being turned down a lot should be considered a social injustice. Well, no…
@ Fibinachi
It’s too late, I swallowed the red pill. Morpheus and I are going to go on super cool adventures now and enjoy being self-aware individuals with control over our own lives. There will also be robots.
@ M Dubz
Your life sounds awesome! It’s almost as though women are capable of running their own lives despite possessing hormones. Hmmmm…
@augochlorella- It is pretty great, thanks! Although your fun and egalitarian times in the Matrix sound pretty neat as well.
The fact that you think women should be lead by their husbands shows how awful you are.
Because it is impossible for men and women to have the same capabilities. Completely impossible. /unnecessary sarcasm disclaimer
*sigh* which qualities do you code masculine? Which ones do you code feminine? Will any of this tie into the usual misogynistic idea that men are naturally leaders, women naturally followers, men naturally protectors, women naturally nurturers? Enquiring minds want to know
So, which planet were you living on where men and women are in equal positions of power, paid equally for the same rate, refferred to both as “stud” when they got laid and women were not referred to as “slut”, men do not consist of the majority of rapists and women the majority of rape victims, men and women are expected to do equal amounts of housework, and women are assumed to be just as capable of men? I would like to go to that planet, please
Stalker is that plantation owner from every civil war novel and movie ever who talks about how slaves are just happier being enslaved and it’s their natural state.
“Whaiy I say, Sir Manb, I do declare that your fanciful theories of the equality of the sexes are most amusing to me. You see, the “female” is much, much happier when being led by the male. It is… The natural order of things. Did we not discover the vile sickness of drapetomania? Surely, there must be a like plague of the mind that so ravishes our young, our tender, those delectable specimen of the fairer sex to cause them to think that they somehow possess the neccesary faculties to live on their own.
It is only so much hogwash, my good Mr. Oob! Surely you MUST be joking when you think that women can perform the same general tasks as men? The natural order simply means that men are sheepdogs and women are sheep. I mean nothing by it, clearly, the little darlings in the suffragete movement must merely be confused. We’ll give them some knitting, and then they’ll settle right down as female folk are wont to do.
Now now, whatfor is all this ire? Is that a red sock in your hand? Where are you going to stuff that, I won– drrdree blh! Ghrha!”
“Oh, and he may leave some of his plants here too — don’t forget to water them while he’s gone.”
Ok, I am entirely positive I have no more room for plants. At least not ones that require any real amount of sunlight anyways.
Fibinachi — I applaud thee and tip a top hat in recognization of your fine logic! Alas, knitting shalln’t settle these ladies, for they’re gone and tried to use the mental capicities which only a fine gentleman such as yourself is capable of, and, sure as the sun rises in the sky, this has lead to the hysteria that feeble minded women are so prone to acquiring. I fear the only cure at this point lies in the fine asylums. Perhaps the Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls?
Note, for purposes of this Victorian conversation, you must be a gentleman, I do apologize if you are elf other gender persuasion. And yes, I did slip an Emilie Autumn reference in at the end there…gods, that’s probably what the likes of the MRM would want too — forced to have sexual relations of whatever nature with whatever client the asylum keepers can charge, forced abortions so dangerous that throwing yourself down the stairs is preferable…*grumbles* (the worst part though? Other than being a mish mash of the worst practices over a century, all of what’s in the AfWVG happened…well, except when, uh, [spoilers!] Time for Tea, happens)
I will now probably think of MRAs as Chasers, which is both terrifying, and apt.
I’m Katz and I approve of this typo.
I totally get it. Jacob is the Leonardo DiCaprio character in Django Unchained. Makes sense.
Wow. I think #9 in this idiot’s 12-step program is my favorite:
“9. Respect the sanctuaries of men. Men are judged much more harshly than women so they need their safe retreat.”
Yeah, ’cause you know how men are judged if they are wearing a short skirt. Or dare to be overweight. Slut-shaming is something that happens to men. Oh, men are judged if they raise their voice and act aggressively too — people call them bitches.
“They don’t have the same opportunities for emotional support as women so they need a place where they can express themselves free of judgment and ridicule.”
Um, what? Women are given more emotional support? But women are judged more harshly on a daily basis. Have you ever seen a comment thread underneath an image of a woman holding her favorite book? Comments range from, “Cunt is looking for attention” to “Why is she smiling, she’s ugly.”
“This place must be respected.”
Fuck off. Where is this mystical “this place” you speak of, anyway?
” Take care if you venture there as your feminine narcissism is the enemy.”
That’s a threat. Take care or else, something negative will happen to you for having pride/self-respect — what these guys call narcissism.
“Don’t draw attention to yourself and don’t expect protection if you do. If you must speak don’t attempt to control the dialogue or steer it towards you.
Don’t censor language to suit your sensitivities. Male sanctuary is sacred – treat it as you would a cathedral.”
What?!
(sarcasm) Holy shit balls, m’lord, please don’t punish me for speaking out, or for saying something makes me uncomfortable, or admitting that I am a human and deserve consideration too. Men are so sensitive, they’ll throw a fit if you suggest they are not the center of the mother fucking universe. Be warned!!!!
The “men need their private spaces” line is part of something you commonly hear from guys who think they’re not at all sexist. “I’m all for equality, but can’t we just have a few places where women aren’t allowed? Can’t I tell one sandwich joke without you getting all huffy? Would it hurt you to act helpless and let me be heroic occasionally?”
The underlying narrative, of course, is that it’s fair and correct for the world to revolve around dudes, generous of them to let women have some of what they want, and only reasonable to want to keep just a small portion of what they really deserve.
Assuming all that’s true…. why aren’t women allowed to be present where men express themselves?
How is it I’m supposed to treat a cathedral anyhow?
“How is it I’m supposed to treat a cathedral anyhow?”
Make out in the narrow bendy staircases and draw the windows…oh wait, that was the Catherdal of Learning…never mind (Pittsburgh, it is awesome)
This typo brought to you by a, for autocorrect, and 18, for the number of headache inducing pages I just filled out because the state discontinued my welfare (for failure to complete a review that they never notified me about, I think cuttlefish are smarter than the state)
Fuckaduck. Stupid bureaucracy.
@ katz and Shiraz- I actually do think it’s important for guys to have guy only spaces for the Manly Bonding, but in more of a gender-role subversion way. Like, give them an opportunity to talk about their vulnerabilities, fears, hopes for the future, etc. and build the deep emotional bonds that are stereotypically the hallmark of female relationships in our society. Men have so few opportunities to be vulnerable with each other, I think it’s a really important part of tearing down the patriarchy.
Sammich Jokes are to be strongly discouraged.
Because lord knows we are not allowed to have the power to stand up to what frightens us. Oh no. We have to let some man come along and protect us from…why another man.
Jackass.
M Dubz, I 100% agree that guys should talk about their feelings and bond emotionally, but why would creating a space defined only by its gender makeup be conducive to such a thing? (I know that most of the people I’ve chosen to emotionally confide in have been men.)