In an apparent attempt to prove that they’re not misogynists, the folks at A Voice for Men have decided to take a temporary break from their practice of vilifying individual female activists to vilify a male activist – University of Toronto Student Union VP for University Affairs Munib Sajjad.
As far as I can tell, the folks at A Voice for Men decided to target Sajjad, perversely, because he told Toronto’s CityNews that he was afraid he was “going to be targeted” after announcing publicly that he thought a campus Men’s Rights group should be banned. The A Voice for Men post about Sajjad is a typically long-winded, and largely content-free, rant from the excitable John Hembling (“John The Other”).
But what’s more disturbing than Hembling’s empty bloviating on Sajjad is the way A Voice for Men has framed the attack. “Munib Sajjad, it’s your turn in the barrel,” the headline declares, and Hembling repeats the phrase “your turn in the barrel” in the post itself.
I wasn’t familiar with this phrase, so I looked it up, and found that it derives from a rape joke. Here’s the definition of the term, from Urban Dictionary:
To say someone is “in the barrel” or “taking a turn in the barrel” means it’s their turn to do an unpleasant task or to suffer an unpleasant experience.
Click on the “definition” link above to see the gang rape joke it’s derived from.
Rape jokes aimed at men — even men you don’t like — are certainly a, well, counterintuitive way of showing “compassion for boys and men,” as the A Voice for Men slogan has it.
EDITED TO ADD: Looking again at Hembling’s piece, I realize I hadn’t noticed his, er, argument that the term “mansplaining” — which I find useful from time to time — is somehow equivalent to the incredibly offensive term “[racial slur redacted]splaining,” which Hembling has just made up. (The slur in question starts with an “n.” You can figure it out.) This is ridiculous on its face, not to mention that it’s frankly racist not only to compare the alleged oppressions of men — who are not systematically oppressed — with those of black people — who are — but also to use a racial slur in doing so. Of course this isn’t the first time that A Voice for Men has used the n-word in an attempt to suggest that men, collectively, have it as bad as a historically disadvantaged and still systematically oppressed group.
Rape jokes and racial slurs: A Voice for Men has it all!
To be fair, Johntheother doesn’t seem to be very educated/smart and certainly not one to doublecheck idioms and words he uses, so I’d suggest he might not know this is a rape reference?
MRMs aren’t compassionate to anyone unless it fits their interest. They shame men and women alike.
shigekuni, you are a kind, generous person to think that. But JtO knows exactly what he’s referencing. Every time they reach bottom over at AVfM, they find ways to keep digging.
It’s certainly possible Hembling doesn’t know what it means. But then I wonder what he DOES think it means. In the barrel of a cannon to be shot? In a barrel about to go over Niagra falls? I can’t think of any variation that doesn’t involve something horrible happening to the person in the barrel.
A fish in a barrel waiting to be shot?
And there was me thinking they’d gone all highbrow, I suppose this means they weren’t referencing Diogenes?
Why do they come up with such horrible stuff? I mean, I’m all for getting rid of every type of sexism…misogyny and misandry alike. But surely they understand that writing/endorsing this does nothing to further that cause? *sigh* The deeper into sex/gender issues I go, the less sense they make.
I thought of the horrible Grimm’s story where the evil stepmother is put in a spiked barrel and rolled downhill. I don’t imagine JohntheOtter knows that one, but it’s a horrible enough image for the MRM to salivate over if they do.
If anyone wants a laugh at JohntheOtter’s expense, I recommend cloudiah’s collection of Manboobz art:
http://artistryforfeminismandkittens.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/johntheangryotter-posters-many-images-gifs-in-this-post/
It is a shame that North American universities have become cesspools for sin and perverse ideas like feminism, which defiles the Godliness of women and their role to serve men.
David, I would be interested to read/view the original interview with Munib. I can’t find it on google.
“Rape jokes aimed at men — even men you don’t like — are certainly a, well, counterintuitive way of showing “compassion for boys and men,” as the A Voice for Men slogan has it.”
Yeah, it’s almost like they’re liars or something. Weird. Oh, and they’re obsessed with rape as revenge. Naw, not a hate group.
sarcasm off/
I think we have a sockpuppet here. That Prester John comment is either a poe or Mr Al or Pell.
@Pressed-a-john
The reason MRA thought doesn’t thrive in institutions of higher learning is that they place a premium on being able to successfully substantiate your claims. Unlike at avfm, you can’t just write any old crap and expect people to swallow it.
@Prester_John
You are my new favorite troll. Please, tell us more about your fascinating views.
This is completely off topic, but so amazing.
Melody, see this is why I love Manboobz, I laugh, I cry, but it’s all good in the end. Thanks for that. (Sniff.)
You really don’t get out much do you. It’s a very old joke that I heard when I was a kid and I would say it has nothing to do with rape. You feminists are awful sensitive about anything. There orginal joke goes something like this:
“A new Navy recruit is being given a tour of the vessel he shall be manning.. The ships captain is giving the tour: ” this is the crew quarters…This is the mess hall”, etc, etc.. The new recruit begins to think, and queries the captain: Sir, being that we are away at sea for a long period of time…what happens about sexual needs??” “oh” says the captain, “go to the back of the cargo hold and you will see a barrel with a hole..Give it a go. It’ll be the best you ever had!”. Bewildered, the recruit goes to the cargo hold and finds the barrel. The recruit has sex with the barrel and returns to the captain. Full of joy, he says, “You’re right.. Its the best i ever had. I want to do it every day!” the captain replies, ” well you can use it every day…except thursdays” the recruit asks “why not thursdays?” the captain says “Because Thursday is your turn in the barrel!”
It’s more of a joke about men getting assigned very crumby circumstances, often lonely, and your “turn in the barrel” is emblematic of how they cooperate to jointly bear the burden, a turn at the “bad duty” that is part of being a man. But you couldn’t get any page views, and hence ad revenue, could you writing about something like that. Lie and cry seems to be your game isn’t it? Make mountains out of mole holes, no? The only thing disgusting to me is your constant groveling at the holy alter of the revered vagina.
How is that gamma game working for you anyway?
Pester John…define “Godliness” so everyone here can have a good laugh.
@Minter
So it is a rape joke, then.
LOL and MuntyNumpty shows he doesn’t even get what the barrel joke is. D’you think Urban Dictionary is a feminist hangout? Speaking of hanging out, you might want to tuck that stupid away, it’s all over the place. As for gammas … what does it say about you that you hang around on a blog where feminists of all genders laugh at you? That’s some war you’re fighting there, bro.
Oh, this is supposed to make us take you seriously:
“It’s more of a joke about men getting assigned very crumby circumstances, often lonely, and your “turn in the barrel” is emblematic of how they cooperate to jointly bear the burden, a turn at the “bad duty” that is part of being a man. But you couldn’t get any page views, and hence ad revenue, could you writing about something like that. Lie and cry seems to be your game isn’t it? Make mountains out of mole holes, no? The only thing disgusting to me is your constant groveling at the holy alter of the revered vagina.”
Jesus. You might just be a dolt. “Lie and cry” seems to be your line of work. Oh, and don’t use the word “vagina” because I have a feeling that is a word you don’t understand.
“Oh, and don’t use the word “vagina” because I have a feeling that is a word you don’t understand.”
He’s not that good with alter/altar, either. Probably got too many syllables.
“He’s not that good with alter/altar, either. Probably got too many syllables.”
Well, there ya go. 🙂
Perhaps he thinks we’re blasphemous ‘cos we
spake the name of Jehovahdon’t worship the Mighty Peen?Oh which thought, I’m off to commute! 🙂
We were talking about Goatse on the other thread, presumably Minty thinks that’s a misandrist Norwegian folk tale about three goats crossing a troll infested bridge. (Again, please, nobody google Goatse!) (Except maybe you Minty.)