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!
Badass feminist witches fighting against the cruel and entrenched patriachal gods sounds like the best thing ever, I would watch the hell out of that.
“In the name of gender equality, I punish you! Feminist power make up!” *sparkle twirl* *curbstomps patriachy with the glittery pink power of love and justice*
(I may have read some Sailor Moon recently…)
I’ll bring hot dogs!
I originally learned English knitting as a child. The first time I tried continental was a double-knit panel in my current project (I did it with a strand in both hands). Obviously right now I’m much faster with English, but wow, I could see getting really speedy with continental! Much more efficient movements! Though I agree, wordsp1nner, purling is a pain.
Don’t listen to Prester John, he’s probably using Christianity as a guise.
My current pattern is k2-p2 and it’s 76 stitches long, so just avoiding all of those yo’s would make my life so much easier. I don’t want to change to continental now though, because my tension will be all funky and it’s a present.
Around here the pointless argument is usually steel-cut vs rolled oats.
@Viscaria That’s understandable. I’m doing k2p2 in sets of 21 rows, with a 12-stitch cable on the 11th row of each set, but I started with continental, so by God, I’m going to finish with continental. 😀
Is there any room for workers-in-training under Great Old Ones for the Goddess Club?
Your anger at the truth doesn’t make it any less factual. You need to accept Jesus Christ into your heart ask him to forgive your sins. Once you do, the truth won’t be so hard to swallow.
Look dude, we’re not angry, you’re just annoying. We would like it if you would go away on your own so we don’t have to devote extra energy to specifically ignoring you.
I swear, this Prester_John guy is going to say something like “If God doesn’t exist, then why does a banana fit in your hand perfectly?”
Nope, I’m certainly not angry. Too bad your rage wank failed, bro.
So, are we a cocktail crowd or beer/wine?
I really wish I had some mormon missionaries to unleash on john. Maybe then he would understand how stupid and annoying it is to witness to people.
Ignore PresterAl.
Shiraz: I need to know if I need to bring good tequila or good beer/wine to this shindig!
You’re full of shit, sorry. Your beliefs are just as nonsensical as those of the religion I used to follow.
Hmmm. Maybe beer/wine, hellkell. It covers more tastes, I think.
hellkell: I’m gonna vote for one bottle o’ that good tequila
Is this the same man, Munib Sajjad, who said in a video that he was afraid he would be targeted? An MRA on AVFM called this disingenuous, calculating, and manipulative in the comments section.
So now they are targeting him.
*facepalm*
What’s next, posting his address and phone number?
Quote: “I certainly hope the viewers will see the “I’m afraid I’ll be targeted” line for the disingenuous and manipulative statement that it is. The kid came off as calculating, rather than genuinely worried.”
http://www.avoiceformen.com/a-voice-for-men/we-are-winning-the-pr-war/comment-page-1/
Why do they view themselves as “winning”? Winning what? Are they just delusional? They don’t even have a following on facebook.
Furthermore, I don’t think there were any “winners” that day in Toronto. Plus the news video seemed neutral, although I disagree with how the female new anchor seemed to be chiding feminists as hypocritical by falsely saying we view male rights activism as in opposition to women’s rights. The reverse is true: anti-feminists view women’s rights as detrimental to society and men, which is silly. In fact, real male rights activism is a good thing. The problem is that the title “male rights activism” has been hijacked by non-activists who in reality are just anti-feminist…. Also hateful, ignorant, misogynist, sexist, chauvinistic, and even racist, such as AVFM and the MRA reddit. We’re not against activists, we’re against these websites that bully and target people, promote sexism, and glorify violence.
Prester John bores me. Judith, Job, or GTFO!
And I’m still a staunch atheist. I simply find it comforting to imagine myself having a transactional relationship with a spiritual patron, since the past year has been intensely rough, and as long as I clear my spiritual debts, everything’s square.
As far as pointless arguments, do we REALLY need to debate the proper plural of ‘octopus’ again? (Hint: the answer is ‘no.’)
Real or Poe, that Prester_John’s an annoying git.
Reminds me of Angry Kid 🙂
Important things first: Malitia, I melted all over my keyboard when I saw the pic of your tabby kitten overlords!
Or the milk argument. That’s my personal bugbear.
Also, omfg, the ‘holy alter of vagina.’
Prester, you really, REALLY don’t know any multis, do you? Because that doesn’t mean what you think it means…
(I might, MIGHT have considered getting one of those cheap mispelled ‘alter boy’ T-shirts for the pun. But nobody would get it.)
(PS from Mac: “God save us all, but save the alter boys for last!”)
@LBT Just fyi, ‘altar’.
I’m gonna have to find out what’s the difference between English and continental knitting before I can take part in that argument … I have no idea what I do. English, I imagine.
Say, can a Spirit-queen be part of the goddesses and assorted demons group? I’ll be totes misandrist and get the Mister to whip up some of his pies.
Hey Fake Prester Al, even if you were a real Christian (as in believing it, not as in actually trying to practice it) I’d laugh in your face and tell you to go jump with your gender essentialist nonsense, and your waffle of Satan. The OT-derived god you pretend to worship is all the evil that’s needed. I don’t give a shit about the tales told by generation after generation of self-serving men. I’m on a direct line to LOVE and that’s something you, Mr Al, will never experience until you purge the toxicity from your personality.