I was going to write up something today about International Men’s Day, the me-too what-about-the-menz holiday that’s so meaningless that even Men’s Rights activists can barely remember to celebrate it. Do we really need a day to “celebrate [the] achievements and contributions” of men? Don’t we get quite a lot of that already? Do we need a day given over to “highlighting the discrimination against [men]” as if this is really a thing?
But then I discovered that today was also World Toilet Day, and realized it was probably more worthwhile to promote this event, as the lack of toilets and proper sanitation — a widespread problem in parts of the developing world, particularly in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa — can have devastating public health consequences.
Some disturbing facts, from the UN, which I clipped from this CNN story:
- 2.5 billion people — one in three people in the world — do not have a toilet or access to sustainable sanitation
- Diarrheal diseases are the second most common cause of death in young children in developing countries
- They kill more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined
Learn more at the official website. Also, Al Jazeera has a useful infographic.
And just a note to the MRAs who have somehow concluded from this post that I am comparing men or men’s issues to toilets (!?), let me try to make my point very clear: I am contrasting a sharply focused activist campaign aimed at a very real problem — lack of toilets and proper sanitation in large parts of the developing world — with large consequences — disease and death, of adults and children alike — with a badly thought out International Men’s Day that seems largely driven by jealousy that “women get a day so why can’t we have one too.”
How halfassed is International Men’s Day? Here’s a screenshot of the International Men’s Day website’s “resources” page.
Generally speaking, you would expect a “resources” page to list facts and figures and possibly link to relevant other groups. All you get at the International Men’s Day site are some posters made from stock photos.
What I found on the site’s “about” page was much more troubling. The site was put online by a group called the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation, working with the founder of International Men’s Day, Dr Jerome Teelucksingh. The Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation, as I discovered with a bit of Googling, turns out to be a virulently homophobic and transphobic organization that is also behind a site called Gendermatters.com. A quasi-manifesto on the site titled 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters asserts, among other things, that:
Transsexuality signals a deceptively fierce disorder. Elective castration, mastectomy, hysterectomy, etc., are futile non-solutions. The cruel, permanent disfigurement of so-called gender reassignment is not the answer. Transsexuals need psychological and spiritual insight that frees them to celebrate the chromosomes they received at conception.
So, yeah, a halfassed men’s “day” that’s associated with transphobic assholes. Not exactly a winning combination.
Look, if you’re concerned about making a difference in the lives of men, pick the issue that matters most to you, and work on that. If you want to increase funding for prostate cancer research, work on that. If you want to raise money to help male victims of domestic violence, work on that. Actually do the hard work of activism. Don’t just have yourself a “day” and pretend that it means something.
EDIT:Â Rewrote part of the first paragraph and added all the stuff after the Al Jazeera link to clarify the point of this post, because clearly some people have missed the point entirely.
This comment: Two shots, including one for misusing “defunct.”
So someone said that, only today. Who was that, now?
This comment: Two shots for defending the misgendering.
This comment: Two shots, assuming kitteh wasn’t in any legal trouble, which I don’t think she was.
LOL at defunct asshats.
and unless your going to take my comments seriously, go through it and read it to debate the subject matter than you are just trolling.
LOL you don’t know the difference between laughing at your idiocy and needing to “get over something”? Also priceless. See, that’s part of your problem: you don’t get it when people are laughing, both at you and amongst ourselves.
Legal trouble? Nope, sorry, you’ve got the wrong person. Again.
How’s Uncle Monty doing?
This comment: One for misusing “did.” (Seriously?)
And I’m also adding a shot every time she defends herself about a shot, so one more.
Just fuck off already.
Bored now.
In this edition of “ALICE BASHES TROLL”, we have this lovely gem, from our beloved Moma Sita, who has been melting down since the night before.
Here is the whole post, so that you can see that I’m not leaving anything out:
Whew! Can this get any hotter?
Now, for the bashing!
Poisoning the well and loaded question. Strike one and two!
Because everyone here is on an ego trip EXCEPT Moma! Strike three!
Because let’s add on some classism and stereotyping into the mix! Strike four!
Obviously we’re trolling. Trolling means saying “hey, your post was racist and this is why”, right?
Strike five!
Because apparently calling everyone else mentally ill welfare queens isn’t an attack. Strike six!
Oh my gods! Saying that you’re wrong on one issue is equivalent to violent acts such as domestic abuse, homicide, and the like! Strike seven!
Obviously Moma doesn’t comprehend what she’s saying. We got “using mental illness as a pejorative”. “welfare queens leeching off the government”, and “everyone here has daddy issues” in this one post. Strike eight, nine, and ten!
And strike ten for inability to follow Matthew 7:3-5!
That’s it for now everyone! Stay tuned for another episode of ALICE SMASH TROLL!
This comment: One shot for misusing “trolling.”
Thanksgiving break? Are you in college? That would explain a few things, no offense to our younger posters who are not defunct asshats.
Boston Baby?
Alice: Whoops, in that comment people should finish their drinks yet again for accusing us of attacking her while attacking us!
Oh, this is the best pic I could find for viperous jackals. It’s a pretty cool drawing.
http://www.wallsave.com/wallpapers/1366×768/monster-inc/417725/monster-inc-dog-twigs-snake-fantasy-photo-on-the-417725.jpg
defunct asshats, the decontruction
You are suffering from chronic constipation, which is uncomfortable, and you thought that a nice festive hat placed over the affected area might make you feel better, but sadly it didn’t work. Defunct asshats!
I’m just waiting for us to be called a defunct jalopy viper clique.
If that happens, drink a whole bottle.
AND! Moma, you need to address this post, where I already established WHY your post was racist. Apparently you never got to that point, and this is the fourth time I had to link back to it.
Moma Sita, enough. I’m putting you on moderation and won’t be letting anything of yours through for awhile, because of the gratuitously nasty personal attacks and the continual talk about how everyone here is “mentally ill.” I’ve deleted a few of the nastier comments as well.
Kitteh, that drawing is awesome.
Let’s all just move on.
David, we could talk about toilets.
Or Thanksgiving dinner. Your choice.
Well, anyone who was doing the drinking game will be over a toilet by now.
I have my great grandmother’s recipe for plum pudding ( I mention this since it’s stir=up Sunday, this weekend). Sadly, I don’t like plum puddingso shall be creating my famous “dried fruit haters’ Christmas pudding” at Christmas (steamed lemon & nutmeg sponge with treacle & pecans in the base)
It is a great drawing, isn’t it?
So, Thanksgiving. I guess turkey’s on plenty of menus. What are the vegetarian/vegan Manboobzers having? D’yall have special dishes you like for Thanksgiving?
Mincemeat pies! Mr C doesn’t get why I feel like they’re an essential part of Xmas.