Categories
a voice for men a woman is always to blame are these guys 12 years old? domestic violence empathy deficit evil sexy ladies evil women men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA

A Voice for Men boldly opposes respect for women

Hardly a controversial message, you wouldn't think.
Hardly a controversial message, you wouldn’t think.

If you live in New York state, you may have seen the poster above plastered on a bus shelter; or you may have seen it posted somewhere on the internet. The message is pretty simple, and it’s sad that it has to be said: kids are pretty impressionable, so teach your sons to treat women with basic respect.

The purpose of the ad campaign, sponsored by the New York state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, is pretty clear as well: teaching boys respect for women lessens the chances that they will abuse women as adults.

Numerous studies have found that men with sexist attitudes towards women are more likely to try to control their wives or girlfriends with physical abuse. Indeed, one recent study even found that brief exposure to sexist jokes made men more inclined to brush off violence against women, at least amongst men with sexist attitudes to begin with.

Speaking of which, the sexist jokes over at A Voice for Men have unveiled a hilarious new “meme,” which just happens to be inspired by the “awaiting instructions” PSAs we’ve been discussing. And here it is:

From A Voice for Men. I've blurrred the women's faces.
From A Voice for Men. I’ve blurrred the women’s faces.

The logic here is airtight: because some women get drunk and urinate in public, women don’t deserve respect.

I guess men never get drunk and urinate in public, or ever do anything vaguely embarrassing that gets caught on camera?

Is it really asking too much to respect people as people, foibles and all?

413 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Bina
Bina
10 years ago

I think you kinda missing the point sure the meme is a bit overboard but the general idea is sound and true nobody should be automatically given respect. Respect is something you earn and if it is taught to be just freely given away it will mean nothing anymore. The whole idea of pre training young boys like this is just wrong and is deffinatly something any civilized society shouldn’t even consider doing.

Respect isn’t “earned”, it’s LOST. And you won’t be getting any from me for this.

LBT
LBT
10 years ago

I love how assholes just LOVE to pontificate on and on about WHY they refuse to give respect to folks. Seriously, it seems to be something they adore… despite the fact that nobody else cares.

cassandrakitty
cassandrakitty
10 years ago

I don’t respect people who’re willfully ignorant, so Reyoko is shit out of luck as far as that’s concerned.

Octo
Octo
10 years ago

Well, it’s certainly true that respect is not earned by one’s gender.

A modicum of basic respect should be granted to *everybody*. Not outstanding respect. Not “I respect that guy/gal very much”. Just basic respect. Common human decency. And that’s exactly what the campaign tries to achieve.

Plus, of course, the slut shaming and collective “guilt” thing AVFM tries to use as “arguments”. Blergh.

cloudiah
10 years ago

Another necro troll? So cowardly.

Brooked
Brooked
10 years ago

Yes, why should a civilized society encourage young people to respect the human dignity of all people? Checkmate, common humanity!

LBT
LBT
10 years ago

RE: Octo

Well, it’s certainly true that respect is not earned by one’s gender.

Well, yes, but that’s kind of a red herring, seeing as the post is about pretty much how even common decency is apparently too much to ask.

Seriously, I wonder how these assholes interact with strangers on a daily basis.

“Hello, sir, may I help you?”

“YOU HAVE NOT PROVED YOUR WORTHINESS TO ME”

FromAfar
FromAfar
10 years ago

@ reyeko et al

These are for you (the last one isn’t a cat, but I couldn’t help myself:

http://malialitman.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/palin-cat-slap-the-stupid-out-of-you.jpg

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5156123392/h857F04B7/

http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/f1d/2f9/b9d/resized/diagnostic-house-meme-generator-stupid-isn-t-a-disease-but-if-it-was-you-would-have-it-2f0be0.jpg

And allow me to fix your post for you.

“I respect women because I am not a sexist.
Automatically giving respect to all demographics of people is basic human decency.
I extend common courtesy to my fellow people but I do not respect an individual if they demonstrate (via being a total asshat) that they don’t deserve respect.
Women’s expectation to be respected for no reason other than the fact they are human beings is nothing more than a product of a culture that teaches women to earn respect but also that they deserve respect because they are human beings.”

Is that what you meant?

LBT
LBT
10 years ago

It’s like these people can’t tell the difference between respect and veneration.

Well, that explains a lot, if they complain women don’t “respect” men enough…

Octo
Octo
10 years ago

Hahaha, LBT. Nice observation.

Though I have used the “Respect is earned, not given” line in the past. Sometimes some people do demand *extra* respect they have no right to. But… well, it’s very much obvious this campaign isn’t about that, but about *basic* respect! Well, obvious to anyone with two working brain cells, so I guess not to our dear friends at AVFM.

travis
travis
10 years ago

Ok Sparky lets start with this the whole movement and ad campaign around this awaiting instruction is based around a sexist notion. That’s why I disagree with it it labels boys as if theirs something wrong with them and that they need to be fixed and they are innately bad because they are male. I will never support or respect in the slightest something that labels one whole group of people as something negative based on their beliefs. Secondly I don’t think you understand what respect is your mixing it up with basic humanity. I am a human being and as such I look towards every person I meet with a level of decency and recognition of their humanity. Respect is extra its on top of that humanity is innate respect is earned though maybe this is what they meant to say on poster, doesn’t matter much. The point is the meme created is unflattering and should not have been made but it doesn’t change the fact that the poster and the campaign is still flawed and should not exist.

cassandrakitty
cassandrakitty
10 years ago

Did punctuation and proper sentence structure do something to offend you?

travis
travis
10 years ago

Yes they offended me when they were born lol

cloudiah
10 years ago

“Awaiting instruction” actually implies boys are morally neutral until instructed, not that they are innately bad. Once could argue that the ad campaign should include girls too (I would agree!), but pretending that it implies boys are bad or less than human is not something supported by the evidence.

Also, it appears that you are lacking in commas. Here are a few you can use to make your next post semi-intelligible: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

cassandrakitty
cassandrakitty
10 years ago

Behold, the birth of the semi-colon!

;

Octo
Octo
10 years ago

” I will never support or respect in the slightest something that labels one whole group of people as something negative”
Well, that’s good, that means…

“based on their beliefs.”
…what? So your objection is not with the portrayal of *boys* as ‘innately bad’, but with the portrayal of those who don’t respect women as human beings as innately bad? I’m sorry, but that *is* innately bad.

And it seems clear to me the ad campaign aims at basic respect, “reconition of humanity”, not extra respect.

The whole “awaiting instructions” thing is IMO a bit unfortunate. I’m… not quite sure what they actually intented with that. But I’m prrretty sure it’s not meant as a symbol of female supremacy over boys or any of that sort.

Bina
Bina
10 years ago

I don’t respect women because I am not a sexist.
Automatically giving respect to a demographic of people is stupid.
I extend common courtesy to my fellow people but I do not respect an individual unless they demonstrate that they deserve respect.
Womens expectation to be respected for no reason other than the fact they are women is nothing more than unabashed entitlement, a product of a culture that never teaches women to earn respect but rather teaches them that hey deserve all kinds of special treatment because vagina.

I don’t respect you, because you ARE a sexist. And a fuckwit.

travis
travis
10 years ago

Again fuck commas but on the side note do you not think that innately framing the whole idea as only needed for boys. And then you could also consider it demonizing to young boys because its also claiming that they do not have that base layer of humanity or respect or whatever you wanna call it. So I think it can easily be viewed as demonizing young boys when it is basically claiming that they one don’t have humanity and then two that its only them.

LBT
LBT
10 years ago

Wait, do you feel this strongly about children being told to respect their elders? Is that also claiming that something is wrong with boys?

sparky
sparky
10 years ago

That’s why I disagree with it it labels boys as if theirs something wrong with them and that they need to be fixed and they are innately bad because they are male.

Teaching boys what’s right and what’s wrong, in this case, it’s wrong to abuse women, is saying they are innately bad because they are male. ‘Cause, y’know, I call teaching your child(ren) not to be total assholes “parenting.”

I will never support or respect in the slightest something that labels one whole group of people as something negative based on their beliefs.

“I have the right to beat up and abuse women” is not a belief system the way, say, religion is. So yes, I do indeed judge people who believe that they have the right to beat and abuse women. Those people are assholes.

Secondly I don’t think you understand what respect is your mixing it up with basic humanity.

You’re the one who is willfully misunderstanding the ad campaign means. It’s about treating people with basic human respect.

Respect is extra its on top of that humanity is innate respect is earned though maybe this is what they meant to say on poster, doesn’t matter much.

That is exactly what the poster is saying. Treat women with the same basic respect you treat men with. Why do you have a such a problem with this concept? It’s not that difficult to understand. This isn’t rocket science here.

The point is the meme created is unflattering and should not have been made but it doesn’t change the fact that the poster and the campaign is still flawed and should not exist.

The meme is not “unflattering.” The meme is saying that because these women urinated in the street boys should not be taught to treat women with basic respect. And again, what do you have against an anti-domestic violence message?

kittehserf
10 years ago

Travis, is it realllly too hard for you to fathom that the campaign’s about teaching boys to treat girls and women with exactly that basic humanity, instead of the implicit and explicit teaching they get now that women are lesser and are there to please and serve them? You’ll doubtless squeal about this but it is the core of the messages our society sends.

Brooked
Brooked
10 years ago

Respect is extra its on top of that humanity is innate respect is earned though maybe this is what they meant to say on poster, doesn’t matter much.

What is happening in this sentence?

sparky
sparky
10 years ago

Missed a blockquote. 3rd paragraph is travis’s.

cloudiah
10 years ago

Children are born fully programmed, and don’t need to be taught anything. Arguing anything else is insulting to children.

cassandrakitty
cassandrakitty
10 years ago

Stop teaching kids not to lie or steal! You’re stigmatizing them by implying that they’re thieves and liars.

1 8 9 10 11 12 17