So the self-described “human rights activists” at A Voice for Men have found three more women to harass. Here’s the story, which for many of you will have a depressingly familiar ring:
Members of Men’s Rights Edmonton, a small group that is for all intents and purposes a local chapter of A Voice for Men, has been putting up pictures targeting Lise Gotell, the chair of women’s and gender studies at the University of Alberta. The pictures, which seem inspired by “Wanted” posters of yore, feature a large portrait of Gotell and the caption:
Theft isn’t black. Bank fraud isn’t Jewish. And rape isn’t male.
“Just because you’re paid to demonize men doesn’t mean rape is gendered. Don’t be that bigot.
Gotell’s crime? She was involved in what appears to have been a remarkably effective rape awareness campaign focusing on date rape and featuring the slogan “Don’t Be That Guy.”
A Voice for Men took exception to the campaign because, even thought it did deal with the male victims of rape, it didn’t devote equal time to the problem of evil, false-accusing “girls.” No, really. Men’s Rights Edmonton Activists put up “satirical” versions of the campaign’s posters with the slogan “Don’t Be that Girl.” Now, MR-E and AVFM, at least according to the “argument” advanced on their new poster, seem to be upset that the campaign didn’t devote equal time to the problem of female rapists. [Note: this paragraph has been corrected; see note at end of piece.]
Gotell spoke out against the posters, and now Men’s Rights Edmonton and AVFM are doing their best to smear her as a “bigot.” Because she doesn’t believe that women are responsible for half of all rapes.
Since this is not actually true — more on this in a later post — it’s hard to see how this makes her a bigot.
As a rule, I don’t support tearing down the posters of one’s ideological enemies. Free speech and all that. But these posters are different: they’re slanderous personal attacks designed to harass an individual. Were they posted in my neighborhood I would tear them down.
And evidently that’s what some people in Edmonton have been doing.
Indeed, one recent night, several members of Men’s Rights Edmonton claim to have caught two women doing just that. While they don’t seem to have video footage of the women tearing down the posters, the MRAs filmed themselves following the women down the street and angrily confronting them for this alleged crime.
They posted the video to YouTube, and AVFM posted it as well, under the typically overheated title “Men’s Rights Edmonton confronts fascists.” They screencapped images of both women from the video and announced their intention to uncover their personal information:
MR-E would like to know the names of these two women so that charges of destruction of property can be laid against them. Also, the world should know the identities of those who seek to silence and censor messages advocating for human rights.
Of course, this is ridiculous. Tearing down a poster that was almost certainly posted illegally in the first place isn’t “destruction of property.” No one is going to be prosecuted for this. The police have better things to do.
But of course that’s not the real intent here. The real intent here is to scare the shit out of these women and other feminists by exposing them to harassment online — like the woman labeled “Big Red” and countless other women who have been targeted by AVFM and other MRAs (sometimes completely erroneously).
AVFM’s Paul Elam gave the game away with an “editor’s note” added to the post:
[A] woman who vandalizes man’s property and then flips him off when he confronts her about it on a dark street at night only acts in this manner because she is certain she has absolutely nothing to fear. Feminists terrified of MHRAs? My ass.
Elam could not have made it any clearer: the main point of this kind of “activism” — which has become AVFM’s bread and butter — is all about intimidating women, not helping men.
AVFM, where terrifying individual women is “human rights activism.”
Here’s the appropriate response to that:
CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: I rewrote the paragraph starting with “A Voice for Men took exception,” which confused AVRM/MR-E’s current objection to Gotell’s views with its original “argument” against the “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign.
@ Ally he is ignoring everything we write so why bother trying harder.
I’ve never been to cons. I’m not THAT geeky over fandoms, although I do enjoy science in general and whatnot.
What opposition?
We’re not ideological, geographical, political, economical or virtual enemies. We are not fighting, we are not engaged in any kind of thing where the phrase “Oppoosition” applies. You’ve stated your position to be that men and women should be equal.
Nothing more to it, then. We’re done here. Have a fantastic life, and experience joy.
You agree with us, and so you agree with feminist thought. We’re not opposites.
We’re equal.
And that’s real.
I really want to go to Geek Girl Con this year because I’ve heard its better about dealing with harassment.
But I don’t know if I’ll be able to go……
@Jason
You failed to engage critically with a mountain of information given to you. Listen, I try to be nice, I really do, because no human being is worthless.
But, dammit, you are making rocks look like eager learners and sweet personalities.
I’ll wear a low-cut top. That always attracts exactly the kind of people I want validation from.
The Schwyzer article was him, after being pretty much run out of the movement by people who were disgusted with him, claiming that he was concealing his efforts to mansplain feminism to women by pretending to direct his comments to other men.
And he seems to think this was a good thing.
So yes, Jason, Schmarmer is a douchecanoe. We all know around here that he’s a douchecanoe, and have been pretty solid in that opinion for quite some time. So when you come in and talk about how Hugego is a douchecanoe, and then claim that this disproves the sincerity of all male feminists, we tend to look at you like some dipshit who bursts into a room screaming that water is wet, and therefore fire is cold.
Now, DANCE FOR ME, MONKEY!
Jason,
It keeps coming back to you complaining that it’s soooo hard for straight men to attract women. Way back two pages ago you said
You’re jealous of Princess Toadstool for sitting in Bowser’s castle, waiting for Mario to come rescue her. I think it’d be great if there were a game where a woman rescued her boyfriend. That would be a great change of pace, to see the woman as the hero and the man needing and accepting her help.
But you know how a lot of guys would react to Peach saving Mario? They’d whine that it’s annoying to see a strong woman showing “grrrl power”, because of course women can’t take charge and beat the villains. Or they’d say it’s degrading to see men shown as weak and needing rescue. They’d say “This is pc feminist nonsense run amok!” or “She defeated Bowser? That’s not realistic!”
You know what else? There are plenty of straight women who have trouble finding boyfriends. Men decide these women are too old, too fat, too ugly, too opinionated, not submissive enough, etc. But they don’t look like Princess Toadstool so they don’t even exist.
Jason’s wanking about the “opposition” not being impressive when he’s too stupid to cite or let his big ol’ SCIENCE brain figure out basic HTML.
Jason, you’re a chucklefuck who deserves what you’re getting.
HE IS NOT IMPRESSED.
HE DOES NOT RESPECT US.
I beg your pardon?
You can’t be serious.
@thebionicmommy Super House Of Dead Ninjas.
Ok, it’s not quite the woman saving her boyfriend, though she does save her dad from an eternity of service to an unspeakable horror from the great beyond and finally allow him his final rest… or, perhaps, damn him to deeper hells… there are options. It’s only one example of course, but it’s a bloody good example.
THE BALL WAS IN!!!
marinerachel: that was more or less his second comment in this thread.
@Athywren,
I’d never heard of that game, but it sounds great. It’s also a neat change of pace for her to save her dad. So not only was it a twist for a woman to save the man, but the two people weren’t love interests either.
You could not possibly have understood “Don’t Be That Girl” less than you claim to have in this “article.” 30 seconds actually researching the issue, which you appear to be allergic to, would have shown you that it was about false rape accusations–not “female rapists.” Since I have to assume your publisher requires at least a minimal amount of investigation on your part, I think it’s safe to say you knew that and deliberately misrepresented it. You are disingenuous, irresponsible, a liar, and a shitty excuse for a journalist.
Jason, what do you, in general terms, look like? I’m drawing you into a comic.
Let’s see… okay build (or at least up until recently, I got in an accident and haven’t been working out but you should still draw me as buff as possible ;P ) roundish face, slightly upturned nose, small wire-rimmed glasses, dimples, wavy hair (fairly short…)
Show me when you’re done!
Thanks!
Unsurprisingly, I am not caught up (on anything besides pecunium’s booze cabinet, which is quite an extensive selection I must say)
But!
“I really should just keep a tally of fallacies.”
Anyone here is welcome to guest host Spot! That! Fallacy! while pecunium and I are off being social in person. One point per fallacy with a five point max for any particular fallacy, game show style wording preferred but not required.
Fade — try bustiers // corsets, they hold everything up from your hips and lower torso instead of over your shoulders. And a good one will keep your back straight (ergo my corset love). A custom corset will set you back AT LEAST $200, but a cheap bustier is like $20-30. (Do not, I repeat do not, buy an unboned costume corset and expect it to be anything more than showy, you want the boning as it’s a bit like underwire but supports everything without fighting gravity and your shoulders)
If you have a relatively standard size, jcpenny’s or anything of that nature should have what I mean so you can try it on (idk on target, but if you’re there anyways might as well look right?)
Is there a point in this thread at which Jason stops wanking and the conversation becomes more interesting? Because if not I’m not reading the rest of it.
I was being utterly sarcastic. I’m quite aware Jason has no respect for women who aren’t full of self-loathing or anyone who does respect them.
To those new to Hugo. Fucking. Schwyer. — so many trigger warnings (seriously, SO MANY) — http://arewomenhuman.me/2012/02/21/on-hugo-schwyzer-accountability-not-silencing-dissent/
Katz — pecunium’s beloved was introduced to Pierre earlier and quite amused, just so you know, since I know y’all have met!
Icky…..