So the regulars in the Men’s Rights subreddit are currently discussing one of the most important — if often overlooked — issues of our time, which is: How come nobody but us sees that the ladies aren’t oppressed any more? Or, as paranoiarodeo497, looking hopefully towards the future, has chosen to put the question: “What future event/tragedy do you think will happen that will make people realize not only are women no longer deprived but in fact equal to men?”
Alas, the Men’s Rightsers aren’t hopeful that anything will wake up the snoozing sheeple. BrambleEdge, for his part, worries that men will remain oppressed forever.
![BrambleEdge 17 points 15 hours ago (18|1) Seeing as men are deprived and far from equal to women, and people don't see it now, I doubt they ever will. I sometimes fear that gynocentrism is biological and not cultural. [–]Demonspawn [-1] 1 point 52 minutes ago (1|0) gynocentrism is biological Treating women as human beings and men as human doings? Yes, it is biological. It's also why "equality" isn't, and seeking it creates a system of female supremacy.](https://i0.wp.com/www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bramble.png?resize=573%2C230&ssl=1)
Shrekem, meanwhile, turns to the work of eminent historian GirlWritesWhat for evidence that women were never oppressed in the first place:
![Shrekem 9 points 13 hours ago (12|3) The problem is that women were never oppressed or deprived, they just had different roles. Women are certainly not "equal" to men today, they receive special treatment and are immune to many laws that would get a man locked up for life. I recommend you watch Karen Straughan's video on "When female privilege backfires". permalink source save give gold hide child comments [–]villevillakulla -4 points 11 hours ago (4|8) I guess it depends on how you define oppressed or deprived, but it kind of sounds like you're full of shit, and "different roles" can be a blanket statement to mean anything you want it to mean. permalink source save parent give gold [–]Shrekem 5 points 8 hours ago (6|1) I would define oppression as "the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner" just like everybody else. I challenge you to come up with one example of women being oppressed in western society in the past few centuries. The treatment of women is nothing compared to real oppression like that of blacks during slavery.](https://i0.wp.com/www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/shrekem.png?resize=567%2C377&ssl=1)
IHaveALargePenis, in addition to being highly confident about his relative penis size, is also a bit more optimistic than his peers, suggesting that the irresponsibility of evil slutty single moms will eventually end up annoying not only single men but other women as well and thus, I guess, help to spark a new wave of antifeminism:
![IHaveALargePenis [+3] 5 points 12 hours ago (6|1) Government taxing bachelors to sponsor single moms/women in general. If shit keeps going the way it's going, everything women need will be provided by a government, while working less and claiming there's still a pay gap. It won't take a genius to put two and two together and realize that the benefits women get from the government, plus the benefits they get from working are huge compared to what men pay/get out of it. But that's not when things will change, not yet. What we're going to see is a rise of single, irresponsible moms who breed and have their lives paid for by taxpayers. And part of those taxpayers will be other women, who can't find men willing to "breed with them" or marry them, etc. These women will be working 40+ hours a week easy, will sacrifice greatly, miss their chance to have kids, and realize they're paying for all these irresponsible women to have their cake and eat it to (our society is pretty good at rewarding the irresponsible). That's when things will change.](https://i0.wp.com/www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ihavealarge.png?resize=580%2C276&ssl=1)
But Scoundrel, a more pessimistic sort, can’t imagine any scenario that would get the evil femmies to admit that men are oppressed:
Sorry, IHaveALargePenis, but you’ve been outvoted.
Meanwhile, loose-dendrite, off on a bit of a tangent, warns those who might otherwise be susceptible to feminist-think that seeing similar numbers of men and women in positions of power would not be a sign of gender equality — but rather a symptom of FEMALE TYRANNY!
Huh. I was unaware that high IQ was a prerequisite to power in our society. Did anyone tell George W. Bush?
In conclusion, MRAs have once against shown that they can use any and all evidence to “prove” what they already believe. Another flawless victory over the forces of reality.
If I as a goth/metal/punk kind of girl can learn to cope with bright colors then these guys can learn to cope with their favorite sports team making pink jerseys without throwing a tantrum about it (the big whiny babies).
Serendipity: last night we watched a random Time Team ep, where they were split into two groups for a dig in two villages. The idea had been to have the teams in yellow and red tees, but it was killed by the team leaders refusing to wear ’em. Tony called Helen “Queenie” and she said “Yellow’s not my colour.” He called Sam Giorgio Armani and pointed out that with the dire bucket hat he was wearing, he had no right to a fashion panic. 😛
The baby goths of Melbourne had trouble coping with seeing Hilary of Mortisha’s in a floral (okay, floral on black) full-skirted 1950s tea dress in the summer. Granted she wore it with biker boots and the most amazing spiderweb makeup, but FLORAL!!!! On a goth icon!!!!
Up until the friggin’ late 20’s pink was for boys and blue was for girls. Pink is more bold and vibrant and blue is more subtle and dainty, so everyone thought “pink is manly, blue is girly, duh!” For shit’s sake MRAs, who’s making anyone wear breast cancer shirts anyway!? Just don’t wear one if you don’t want too.
…And I’m not even touching all the I.Q. bullshit, there is just so much wrong with it.
I have to say, I am glad there are at least two people in the original thread who are trying to talk sense into these idiots. I mean, I know it’s pointless, but still. Good for them.
Maybe these croutons are scared they’ll turn into Barbie if they wear pink. It’s a pity they wouldn’t. It’d be a step up in every respect.
Oh Ed Wood preserve me, I just ran across a fight on tumblr about artists and fictionkin.
I just… I think I need a cold compress for my aching head, and then I’ll lie in bed and wonder what the fuck is the deal with tumblr and people on the Internet. WHY IS THIS EVEN A FIGHT.
Sort of off topic, BUT, I actually bought a pair of pink pants the other day. They are stupendously bad and I love them.
An ex boyfriend of mine was kinda known in highschool as the “pink shirt guy,” because of his favourite shirt ever. Dear lord, was he ever gorgeous. I’ve loved men in pink ever since.
Fictionkin?
Ermagerd, is this one degree further on than otherkin?
I bet Mr K would wear pink if it suited him, but his skin tone’s a bit too olive. Philippe looks great in it, though.
(Mac, I can hear you grinding your teeth y’know!)
@LBT
Now I’m curious.
I don’t shave (except for the back of my neck), don’t wear makeup (or, ok, I recently started, but only for work/special occasions, and it’s very subtle), and only wear flat shoes. It doesn’t feel particularly demeaning. In fact, I think I look pretty awesome, and if anyone disagrees/is repelled then they wouldn’t have been my friend anyway. Reading through this thread, I see I’m not alone in these thoughts or habits. Have we cured cancer yet?
Damn, but these assholes are stupid. And not in the “I.Q.” sense (echoing what everyone else has already said about that).
RE: Kittehserf
Fictionkin?
Ermagerd, is this one degree further on than otherkin?
Fictionkin = someone who identifies as someone from fiction. So if you met someone claiming to be the reincarnation of Bugs Bunny, that’s a fictionkin. (I guess Mac would qualify? Though he makes this horrified face at the idea.) I’m quite familiar with the multiplicity form, haven’t really run into it in singletdom.
RE: hometeampaper
*sighs* Here. Maybe it’ll make more sense to you than me. I just feel weird, like, “Is this what I as an artist/writer SHOULD be caring about?”
For those who care what goney/gunni/gunny/hessian is like, think burlap/potato sacks.
Inadequate protection from the elements in damned near all conditions (you could probably sunburn through that right? Idk, I don’t exactly burn), totally the same as wearing pink.
Seconded! 🙂
I can generally see where the “government kills random men” idea came from in MRA-land: If an MRA decided to point out that, say, most victims of assassination are male, then a feminist would quite rightly reply that it’s important people who get assassinated and a higher proportion of men are put in roles considered highly important.
And indeed, if the government (or anyone else) was killing off a bunch of men, then there would be some reason why they thought the men were of critical importance and needed to be eliminated. Yes, MRAs would like to imagine men getting put into concentration camps as undesirables, but yeah, the group that runs most of the government generally doesn’t label themselves as undesirables.
Just “Henry VIII”. “The” is just spoken.
/history pedant
Years ago, I made the conscious decision to never express surprise over ANYTHING anyone told me, as far as subjective experiences went, and instead respond as to whether people give me the creeps or not. It just seemed to work out best all around. You’re a god? Okay. You’re a reincarnated fairy kitty from Mars? Cool. You’re a dead monarch? Sure thing.
I’ve discovered a lot of people loosen up a lot when they aren’t treated as walking bizzarities. And those that seem offended that I don’t care quickly get put on my, “not worth socializing with” list.
RE: Kittehserf
I can’t hear his name without my brain AUTOMATICALLY conjuring up the Herman and the Hermit’s song. Sometimes I hate my predecessor for being into novelty music.
LBT – oh, thank you VERY much for reminding me of that song!
Vagina voodoo – zombie sex?
Not that the modern-day zombies would be interested in MRAs. Not enough brains to be worth their while.
I stand corrected on the flying squirrel picture!
But really, it’s hard to keep track of all the different perils faced by men that come in the form of attacks by tiny animals.
See, David, you knew about the Furrinati even before we dared speak the name.
Thx kittehserf! You haven’t even seen my undercut.
… That sounds weird.
David: yes, this is clearly why you/we/I/same diff choose to take the form of ferrets. aka vicious weasels in sneaky sneaky masks (except for the albino ones who have no masks).
Not sure that this IHaveALargePenis understands that a lot of paranoia about “X is stealing our tax monies!” where X is some visible social group doesn’t necessarily have much to do with to what extent X actually are taking your tax monies (!). Even if single women were to suddenly start taking some great amount of money from their country’s governmental Free Money for Any Single Women program, that wouldn’t necessarily push the public into thinking more about women as drains on society, and if women were to start receiving less money from Free Government Money for Women programs, as has happened in Australia recently with the slashing of the single parent benefit for children over 8 (presumably this would be classified as that sort of a program by MRA types), it wouldn’t necessarily shift the discourse towards thinking that single women aren’t moochers.
RE:pink, I think there’s another class-based element at play. In the US, for example, hegemonic masculinity seems to get wider the more money you have (or possibly making money is a part of hegemonic masculinity and if you’re doing a lot of that your other obligations are diminished) – wearing “feminine” colours like pink is probably associated most with either East Coast preppy/old money types or those trying to emulate them more than with any specific group of “effeminate” men. Cam’ron wearing all pink and getting the custom pink Range Rover in the early 2000s to reflect being above the rules other poorer or less talented or famous men (and black men in particular) might have to follow to fit into traditional masculinity. Cam’ron’s heir to the poppy-but-respectable-Manhattan-rapper-from-a-heavily-hyped-mixtape-outfit throne A$AP Rocky’s self-selected nickname of “Pretty Flocko” and interest in fashion that goes a little beyond the most famous and prestigious designer brands, including some avant-gardey leather stuff and skirts, is probably a similar form of bragging at some level.
guffaw-ferrets – I know, I thought I’d say it from the older pics anyway! 😀
It occurs to me that the flying fanged squirrels in that pic are all David. This is what happens when the
catferrethuman mask slips!When you’re used to society favoring you over others, it’s easy to see that arrangement as the norm, and then see any attempt at creating *actual* equality as an affront against you.
I don’t know who wrote this and where or when, but I think this sums it up: It’s like when you give one kid a cookie and another kid only half of a cookie. You then give the second kid another half of a cookie to even it out. But then the first kid whines about how it’s unfair that the second kid gets “two cookies.”
Another example is a Tumblr post about how a teacher tried to give more equal attention between the boys and girls in class. The boys were upset and saying the girls were being favored too much, even though they were *still* getting to talk more than the girls.