Men’s Rights activists have discovered something that Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps and the rest of his gang at the Westboro Baptist Church learned a long time ago: outrageously offensive signs can mean media coverage.
Canadian MRAs associated with A Voice for Men recently got attention in Edmonton for posters mocking a date rape awareness campaign. Now some of their compatriots have captured the attention of the media with posters in Saskatoon.
This time the MRAs toned down the offensiveness in favor of simple outrageousness, combined with a healthy dose of incomprehensibility. The most incomprehensible of the current lot is probably this one, which comes straight from the A Voice for Men poster page:
But my favorite is this one:
I was originally going to write a sort of rebuttal to this, pointing out that by most measures Canada is, generally speaking, a rather unfrightening place for men (and women), what with its high standard of living, decent health care, relatively low crime rate, and so on.
I mean, if I were to pick a frightening country to live in, as a man (or a woman), I would probably pick someplace like, you know, Somalia, North Korea, Sudan or South Sudan, someplace like that. Syria’s probably not a great place to visit at the moment either.
But then I was thinking: Canada’s main problem, in terms of its international reputation, is that people tend to think of it as boring, not frightening.
Maybe Canada should embrace the whole “most frightening place to be a man” thing, and take advantage of this silly quote from Erin Pizzy to promote itself as scary, edgy, intense, EXTREEEEEMMME!
Maybe with some posters like the one at the top of this post?
I don’t know. I’m not that great at photoshop. Perhaps some of you would like to have a go at it? I know we’ve got some talented MRA poster-parodists here.
From that linked article:
Well maybe God doesn’t want the signs going up, ya ever think about that?
@sarahlizhousespouse – ::applause!::
With the rape fantasy – yeah, a person can have very dark fantasies but know they’re fantasies and have no desire to act them out, or if they want to act them out, do it in a BDSM consensual context. Either way, it’s not in the same territory as fantasising about wanting all women enslaved and raped, let alone having the damn thing put up as a perfectly acceptable public face for their so-called movement.
I think there is a difference between having kinky rape fantasies, and instituting a POLICY OF RAPE as an act of revenge or punishment against political enemies. And by posting this story to a Men’s Rights Site, they are crossing the line between fantasy and policy.
Forgot to add that a person can have such fantasies and have no wish to act them out because they know it would be wrong. Ethics and suchlike, something MRAs sorely lack.
I kind of concluded that the Conservapedia editors get the good shit.
I’m sorry if I presented this as “Creationists say ….” when I meant to present it as “Look what Phyllis’ boy’s up to today.”
Yay, katz made a Word poster! And Bodsy’s are hilarious.
In my state of mind, I should not be reading r/mr, but David if you need material for a post you might want to check the thread that had the following comments:
48 Points!
41 Points!
There’s also stuff on Game of Thrones, the huge amount of money feminists get from rape, porn leading men into the clutches of females, etc.
Oh, are we playing with software not meant for this, cuz iPad — http://instagram.com/p/cFz6s4I9vc/
“Serious” creationists believe much more reasonable stuff, like that the flood made continental drift speed up so that the continents were just barreling along at freeway speeds XD
There’s a blog post somewhere in the tendency of creationists to disbelieve well-accepted scientific theories in their basic state, but then believe them in a wildly exaggerated state when it’s convenient for their position.
I’m sure I could work out a suitably MRMish caption for how misandricishisty Queensland is for this, but in the meantime, a winter morning in Queensland.
oh, argenti! I’d love a shirt with that! xD
No worries! To tell the truth, I’m a little disappointed that theory isn’t more widely believed. I suppose it would be bad form to try to promote it among creationists?
Will they have to get ’em microchipped?
“What do you think “enthusiastic consent” is really about? Feminists get off on making men beg.”
Mental gymnastics ahoy!
Argenti, I’m afraid that’s downright stylish. I love you handwriting.
Ally – looks like “enthusiastic” is another word they don’t understand, doesn’t it?
That, or they really don’t want women enjoying sex at all, just not being permitted to refuse. Which is my suspicion with all these types, now.
Argenti – yup, katz is right. I’m afraid that’s way too stylish, succinct and well-designed to get a pass. Why, it’s downright misandric!
Plus like pineapplecookies said, it’d look great on a tee shirt.
I think we should make shirts, coffee mugs, and other silly things from this and our earlier poster contests, and then award them as prizes for something. There are so many talented artists here.
On the other hand, we have some less talented artists here too, and to make you feel more comfortable sharing I am posting my own very inexpert poster:
http://i.imgur.com/GxOLVup.jpg
I don’t know where all that white space came from, but I just decided to leave it. XD
“What do you think “enthusiastic consent” is really about? Feminists get off on making men beg.”
If someone is giving “enthusiastic consent,” isn’t that more like THEM “begging?” I’m confused, as always, r/mr.
WRT dark fantasies: Help me out here, peoples. I don’t want to be policing anyone else’s inner thoughts or anything, but I can’t find any way to think about fantasies where one is the instigator of violence (real violence, not like spanking) that doesn’t seem really, really wrong. Even if one knows perfectly well that it would be wrong IRL and has no intention of ever doing it, it just seems like an awful thing to think about or be turned on by.
But I feel like I’m missing something here. Thoughts?
Oh one more from that same r/mr thread:
I love it when their racism gets upvoted on the internet for all to see.
Cloudiah, nice use of negative space.
Aww, too simple and thus too stylish, I fail at anti-feminism *hangs head in shame*
I’m glad you like it though!
@katz I think the problem is in wanting non-consensual violence or having violent fantasies for revenge, both of which seem to be the point of that story/website (I skimmed it, can’t do it). People into really hardcore BDSM know what consent is, and part of the fun of hurting is the trust needed and the aftercare (and of course the fact that you’re both into it so it’s not
…If that makes any sense? I’m not explaining it well, obviously you get the difference already. I think it depends on if those fantasies need whoever you’re acting them out on to enjoy it or not as well.
(and of course the fact that you’re both into it so it’s not
… really “hurting someone.” I am having a bad typing day.
Got me a new lid.
Total raw peacockin’ bro.