I sometimes say that the only “activism” that the Men’s Rights Movement is any good at is harassing individual women. But perhaps I’m being a bit too stingy here: following on the heels of the Father’s Rights activists who dress up like superheroes and climb up buildings and bridges to show that, well, I’m not sure what they’re trying to show, Men’s Rightsers seem to be developing a knack for poorly conceived media stunts that make them look like idiots.
The latest incredibly poorly conceived Men’s Rights media stunt come from Men’s Rights Edmonton, the A Voice for Men sister brother group famous for, among other things, chasing women down the street in the middle of the night and claiming that the women they chased were the bullies.
Anyway, the loudest and most obnoxious dude in the group, Nick Reading (a.k.a. “Eric Duckman”) has decided to run for Edmonton City Council on — get this! — the Patriarchy Party ticket! Oh no he didn’t!
Oh, yes he did. I suppose that the Patriarchy Party’s supposed platform — including a pledge “to end antiquated laws regarding women’s sexual consent” and provisions to instruct teachers “to snatch things like toy trucks out of the hands of little girls and replace them with dolls or tea sets” — probably inspired a chuckle or two amongst the folks at A Voice for Men, but the trollery here is really too inane to offend.
Whetever, dudes. You can find their badly designed pamphlet, with traced-photo “artwork” presumably by the noted FeMRA artist TyphonBlue, here.
You guys just have to take a look at the picture “Mens Rights Edmonton” uses for the home page. Its like the guy running it actually wanted to make his party look evil. That guy looks devious.
I don’t know… I honestly don’t know. As far as I can see there are three options.
1) They’ve just been pretending to be capable of reasonable investigation of the available facts.
2) They’re still capable, but care more about hating women than reality.
3) They’re right.
1 & 3 are demonstrable false… and I honestly can’t deal with 2. It makes me physically sick to think about it. They are rational, reasonable people. Show them the facts and they will adjust their views. I’ve seen it done, I’ve done it, it’s worked. But regarding feminism they dismiss the facts. They repeat things that are obviously false – things proven false with mere minutes of research – throw fallacies around like confetti…
I hear a lot about how isolating it is to be an atheist in places like America… I live in England, I’ve never had to deal with it, I keep quiet around my aunt because I don’t want to upset her, but otherwise nobody’s going to act weird around me if I tell them I don’t think there’s a god. Since finding out about the existence of the MRM, I know exactly what they mean. It’s like I’m surrounded by pod people. They’re smart, and rational, and decent people, and then you change the subject and it’s like someone else takes over. Do I do that too? Is there some secret issue that I’ll switch my brain off to defend? What is it, and how can I stop it from happening to me? Who needs horror movies when you have thoughts like that? It’s like all sense has been turned inside out, and whatever it is that allows them to switch off their reason, I know I’m not immune.
And yet, I still have a positive outlook on life… maybe that’s where I’m turning rationality off?
I don’t know why, but the dude on the pamphlet reminds me of a Bond villain. They’re just as cheesy as them anyway.
Oh wow, the Overton Window is really a thing? I only know it from that time I found Glenn Beck’s novel of the same name at the library book sale. I still regret not buying it for the lulz.
So. MRA’s have ruined Batman, Military Rations, and Politics (and the lives of men). Are there any other innocent bystanders they have damaged while aiming at women, or is my count accurate?
Cognitive dissonance gives me a headache. 🙁
But isn’t that how patriarchy works? It runs on unexamined assumptions and biases being accepted as truth by otherwise sensible people. The non-humanity of women is a ridiculous assumption when you think about it, but too many people don’t ever think about it.
In happier political news that would make the Patriarchy Party want to puke, it looks like it’s a done deal that Wendy Davis is going to run for TX governor.
Given MRAs’ misogyny tends to go with all the -isms and -phobias one can think of regarding other people, I’d be really surprised if any of them could be called reasonable on any subject. The fact that they see other human beings as sexthings and property is enough all by itself to wipe out any claims they have to reasonableness. They don’t see women as human. That’s about it, as far as I’m concerned.
Isn’t Wendy Davis the filibusterer-type person?
(If yes, cool! If no… who?)
Athywren, yes she is the filibuster goddess!
emilygoddess – that’s why I specified MRA-level misogyny. I’m well aware that bog-standard, unexamined, “harmless” misogynistic assumptions appear everywhere, including in reasonable people. I’m talking specifically about the virulent hatred of the MRM, the ones who upvote the idea of cutting baby girls’ larynxes out.
Athywren: that is correct.
I agree… but I’ve seen them being rational. I really have! I can’t have just imagined it, can I? I must have, but cannot have done. I hate paradoxes.
Athywren, I have seen trees drip a huge amount of water down the open neck of somone’s clothing in the spring thaw. It just *looks* purposeful. Same applies.
It’s a double bluff. That’s what the Plantinati want you to think.
I guess any publicity is good publicity, as far as they’re concerned.
Damn those pervy plants. And damn the MRM. Logic and reason before emotion, bollocks. Logic leads here, only bullshit leads to their misogynistic crap. George Lucas should take note – this is what falling to the dark side looks like, none of that whiney teenag-… oh, never mind. Lucas had it right.
I was going to make a joke about a bunch of racists running in elections in the US South on a platform of bringing back Jim Crow … and then I realized that it would probably do pretty well. 0_o
cloudiah – Oh dear. This says something about US politics… -_-
gillyrosebee — ah ok, they haven’t improved then. And room temp palak paneer is perfectly edible, room temp cardboard meat is not (idk on the paneer, being a dairy product and dairy and I disagreeing)
Katz — some people just shouldn’t cook. My father simmers fucking peas for six hours. Thus proving that you can, in fact, fuck up heated a canned vegetable.
I mean, I get that “wife who can’t cook” is an anti-woman cliche, but yeah, some people just can’t (and, flip side, some men totally can, have you had pecunium’s cooking?)
Word to the wise: canned vegetables either go on the stove at a medium-ish heat until an acceptable temp, or in the microwave for 3~5 min, depending how hot you want ’em. Never simmer them for hours! Well, except in a crockpot, but those keep the juices in.
It took me ages and ages to realise that was the purpose of the crows in Dumbo….
Speaking of racism and anti-women things, does anyone know where the anime insult of calling a girl uncute/not-cute comes from? I’ve only recently started watching them and I was wondering about it.
That’s how I read gillyrosebee’s comment about the cooking, too, Argenti, katz. Not as a “wife who can’t cook” joke, just “this person can’t cook”. Strewth, it’d describe me perfectly, too. I’m what a character on Lewis described as a P&P meals person – Pierce and Peel. 🙂
What exactly is “traced-photo “artwork”.” I’ve noticed it has become part of the MRM’s stylistic “flair,” but I have no idea exactly how it’s made. It kinda looks like lazy use of the magic wand tool and a crappy photoshop filter. But honestly, I’m a bit of a novice at badly conceived images processed through photoshop.