Our old nemesis Fidelbogen — the Would-Be Counter-Feminist Philosopher King — has taken on a dire, if altogether hypothetical, threat to the men’s rights movement as we know it today: the danger that actual activism that benefits men in the real world will get in the way of the feminist bashing that he thinks is job #1 for all good MRAs.
As he argues in a recent post:
Doing good things for men – opening DV shelters, men’s centers, passing male-friendly laws, and so on – is all very excellent and fine, but it does not attack the root of the problem.
This is kind of a remarkable statement for him to make, given that the Men’s Rights movement that Fidelbogen has attached himself to — or at least its very vocal online contingent — has so far succeeded in opening precisely zero DV shelters and/or men’s centers and has successfully lobbied for zero “male-friendly” laws.
Indeed, it’s only in recent months that any MRAs active online have managed to raise even a miniscule percentage of the money it will take to open much less operate a single shelter for men.
But apparently Fidey is worried that even these paltry efforts from MRAs will get in the way of the noble task of yelling about feminists. As he puts it, in LARGE BOLD TYPE so you know he’s extra serious:
Fidey, I don’t think you need to worry for a minute that MRAs are going to actually accomplish anything in the real world. And you can quote me on that,
Aaaaahahahhahahahhaha…!
We’ve all known this for quite some time, but I certainly didn’t expect them to just come out say ‘we’re not about helping men, we’re about hurting
womenFEMINISTS.’This is Falconer’s complete lack of surprise.
I wonder how fast PaulE will backpedal to get away from Fidelbogen?
Yeah, if you absolutely HAVE to waste your time helping men, at least make sure you name that male DV shelter “The Center for Hating Feminism and Feminists because Feminism is BAAAAAAAAD (oh and also you guys who’re being abused we might have a bed for you and some other assistance) So Let’s Keep Our Focus on How Much We Hate Feminism”
Wow, that’s a mildly unexpected amount of truth about the aims of MRAs. Not that we didn’t all know what their aims were. I just didn’t expect any of them to come out and admit it so bluntly.
Are they even trying to be credible any more?
I just looked at his blog, and over on the right he has two photos posted under the following text:
Male manboobzers, I hope you are enjoying your spatial feelings!
I guess I don’t enjoy any spatial feelings. It’s a good thing I do enjoy open spaces, otherwise I might be jealous of all the males and their capacity to enjoy spaces.
I wonder if the folks doing that upcoming story on 20/20 on a A Voice for Men will pay any attention to what one of their writers is writing here.
Oh, don’t worry, they’ve seen this blog.
MRA outrage commencing in T-minus 5…4…3…
NOT ALL MRAS THINK THAT! STOP TREATING US AS A MONOLITHIC IDENTITY! Typical feminists.
YEAH BUT FEMINISTS KILLED EARL SILVERMAN!
Ad nauseum. Great work, chaps! You’ve demonstrated why you’ll never be considered activists.
Spoken like someone who feels absolutely no fear of ever being abused, and who couldn’t care less about anybody else.
I cannot wait for that 20/20 piece. Does anyone know when it will air? will we live chat it?
You’re such a tease. 😀 Can you say more?
I wonder if David gets lots of media inquiries along the lines of “are these people you write about for real? pls explain”.
Creating a DV shelter takes, like, effort and commitment and stuff, and there’s no way you’re going to get that from MRAs, certainly not the current crop. Slagging off feminists, on the other hand, is something pretty much all MRAs do already, and enjoy immensely. By saying he is encourageing something that is happening already and requires no futher coordination or effort instead of something that isn’t ever going to happen, Fidelbogen can pretend that what MRAs are doing is the result of a tactical decision, and not because of their “leaders” complete inability to get them to do anything productive.
It’s called making virtue of necessity.
You know, I always know when a column is going to make me snicker, because it contains “Fidelbogen” in the title. He’s the gift that keeps on giving, like herpes and black mold.
As frequently and publicly as possible.
By their own admittance, their philosophy is one of hate. They don’t support men so much as they hate feminists. Sad, but not surprising. Many conservative movements are based around that kind of thinking.
Not just a “lazy, muddled fool” but a “lazy, muddled fool with his head up his ass” indeed. Because – as is well known – hysterical, tautologous over-emphasis is a substitute for an argument.
I never expect the Spanish Inquisition, but I sure as hell expected someone in MRAland to eventually admit it.
Ckoudiah, I will have to save the details for the next meeting of the Gynocralluminati.
… So, uh, is this Fidelbogen admitting that the problem he has with feminism is that women have choice, rights and upward mobility? I’m not trying to put words into his mouth, I am genuinely curious. If “Feminism” is a systematic problem at all levels that must be ceaselessly rooted out, then that’s what he’s arguing – else I assume he’d just list specific examples that are terrible, but he doesn’t, so everything feminism stands for must be wrong and evil and bad?
Oh, what’s that? Only Siths deal in absolutes? Hey, if he can do it blatantly, then I can too!
You’re all over this.
Fiddlesticks has a quote in his sidebar that reads, in part:
One doeth good to oneself by giving up social intercourse and dwelling alone in solitude.
Dude, this includes the internet. Just stop the intercoursing & start the solitude bit. We will miss you, but we will manage somehow.