You may remember the embarrassing spectacle a couple of months back when Warren Farrell asked the readers of A Voice for Men to help him pick out a cover picture for a new ebook version of The Myth of Male Power, the 21-year-old crackpot bestseller that more or less provided the, er, intellectual foundation for today’s Men’s Rights movement.
It wasn’t just embarrassing because AVFM is a noxious hate site that regularly calls women c*nts and whores and helps to organize informal campaigns of harassment directed at individual women. It was also embarrassing because all three of the pictures were sexualized images focusing on specific female body parts. You can guess which three, and you’d be right: tits, ass, and vagina (the latter tastefully covered in a merkin made of moss).
Well, Farrell ended up rejecting all of these images in favor of … a different picture of a woman’s butt. Yep, the screenshot above features the actual cover of the recently released ebook version of The Myth of Male Power. (You can see it in its full sized-glory over on Amazon.)
The implicit message of the cover couldn’t be clearer: men may seem to run the world, but women can control and exploit them through the power of their sexuality. Male power is undercut by … butt power.
Am I reading too much into a cover image? Farrell doesn’t really believe this nonsense, does he?
Well, in the introduction to the ebook, Farrell writes:
In case you’re wondering, “genetic celebrity” is Farrell’s term of art for any attractive woman.
But golly, you say, the fact that a dude feels “powerless” because he can’t have sex with every woman with a nice butt that happens to wander across his field of vision doesn’t actually mean that men are powerless or that male power is a myth. Well, Farrell has an answer to this as well. And by “answer” I mean, well, whatever this is:
Got that? I’m not sure there’s anything there to get; it’s nothing more than hand-waving to distract attention from the nonsensical nature of his previous statements. In case any Men’s Rights activist ever brings Warren Farrell up as an example of a respectable, “academic” MRA, you may wish to point out that almost nothing Farrell writes ever actually makes any fucking sense.
In the book itself, Farrell repeatedly suggested that male power can be undone almost completely by the sexual power of women. In one oft-quoted passage, he wrote about the effect that a “secretary’s miniskirt power, cleavage power and flirtation power” allegedly has on their male bosses. (Myth of Male Power, p. 21)
While that statement has earned a certain notoriety for its sheer ridiculousness, Farrell went further elsewhere in the book, essentially arguing that men are as addicted to female “beauty” as drug addicts are to the drug of their choice — and as helpless.
“Sexually, of course, the sexes aren’t equal,” Farrell wrote. “[M]any men feel ‘under the influence the moment they see a beautiful woman.” (p. 320, emphasis in original.)
This sort of temporary “intoxication,” Farrell argued, leads men into shackling themselves to these temporarily sexy tyrants for the rest of their lives — thus agreeing to support them (he suggested implicitly) even after they get old and ugly. (p. 85.)
In Farrell’s original book, this “argument,” such as it is, was merely one of many that he thought undercut the alleged “myth of male power.” Now, with the butt on the cover, he’s put it front and center. Or, more precisely, rear and center.
Warren Farrell, you’re an ass, man.
Oh, awkward segue here, I just wanted to show off the cover to the new edition of my classic book, The Myth of Human Power.
It will soon be available for one million dollars in cash in unmarked bills, upon delivery of which I will sit down and write it for you. It will probably be pretty short and not very convincing.
So, do we think that buddy doesn’t understand the aims of Farrell’s book, or do we think he’s being disingenuous? Cynicism says it’s the latter, but I suppose it’s possible that he really is shallow and self-absorbed enough for it to be the former.
That still doesn’t mean that men are oppressed or that women have all the power
Budmin, what the heck do you even want? What are you trying to achieve from this conversation? What is your desired result of arguing here?
Since he seems locked in a place of definitions…how do they work, I think it could actually be the former
I feel like assuming he’s being disingenuous is actually the more charitable option here, because if he’s not then wow, that’s some epic stupidity right there.
I understand and I’m glad you aren’t promoting deriving self worth from the opinions of others. But Farrell is wrong about the power dynamic and so are you. Women are far more likely to find men’s desire for her to be a danger rather than a benefit in any way. All wolves may desire fresh meat. That does not mean that prey animals hold sway over the wolves or benefit from their desire. Meanwhile, both genders are mutually attractive to one another (in the case of heterosexuals and bisexuals). So in no way is a man somehow disenfranchised by being attracted to women. Nor do women gain any power by that attraction. Farrell is not a social scientist and his opinions are not in line with known facts. He’s a misogynist and child rape apologist who starts with what he wants to believe and retrofits his “facts” to suit them. If you believe him, you have your reality back to front.
Bud,
If you use Firefox or Google Chrome you’ll find that they have built in spellcheckers. I find them immensely helpful. No offence. Just say’n.
leatapp – I’m glad you mentioned Farrell’s child rape apologia; I’d reached the point where “Why are you defending an incest advocate?” was going to be the next question.
If nothing else, it’d be interesting to see denial in flood.
@kittehserf I’m more concerned with paternity fraud regulations, amicable child support laws, affordable housing for single men, ending make explotation, employment opportunities and due process for those falsely accused of rape.
That doesn’t mean I’m preventing you from advocating for the causes you believe in.
Correct that to “Ending Male exploitation”.
Mistakes happen.
And now the true motivations come out. So I was correct – not stupid, disingenuous.
Correct on disingenuous, but he’s also stupid.
Well, that was a nice little laundry list of MRM talking points.
Yeah, “both” is definitely an option here.
Budmin, those are not significant problems in the world. If you can find a way to fix them, then kudos. And affordable housing is always a good goal to work for. (Amicable child support laws are already pretty much standard, and I have no idea what make explotation is supposed to be.)
But paternity fraud and false rape accusations happen very rarely. I know you don’t believe that, but you are wrong. I’m not even going to drop citations, because those stats have been posted over and over and over again, and MRAs just don’t seem to want to let go of their delusions of victimhood.
The question remains: why are you defending Warren Farrell’s idiocy if you don’t agree with him? He’s demonstrably, fractally wrong. Why, if you’re trying to advocate for something you believe in, are you propping up something you don’t believe in?
Wow, ninja’d by everyone.
How is affordable housing a gendered issue? Why should affordable housing programs only be made available to men? That makes no sense.
What on earth have affordable housing and employment opportunities to do with any of the other stuff you mentioned? Surely affordable housing for single people is an issue for both women and men. And employment opportunities likewise for everybody, not just single adults.
Are you serious? Can you distinguish general social or economic issues from relationships and/or equity issues?
I’m not actually hopeful here, but I thought I ought to try.
Because all women have to do is shake their ass at a man and bam! Some man will give her free housing.
But just the commercially – ecxuse me, I mean conventionally – attractive women. Non-conventionally attractive women are shit out of luck.
Ninja’d again. Oh well.
Some brain bleach awwww moments. Calling all knitters.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/06/wanted-knitters-to-create-jumpers-for-little-penguins
(There’s a link to the pattern at the bottom of the article. Looks like a good way to use up remnants in your stash.)
Oh hey, budmin.
How’s life for ya? You found a reasonable archetype to model your masculinity on? I hope so.
http://manboobz.com/2013/05/11/question-time-backlash-frontlash-the-end-of-men/comment-page-10/#comment-302110
Because dealing with male nihilism can be so taxing, and I still think maybe Tyler Durden is not the best role model.
I’m a coyote.
Or found a way to deal with the parasitism of women and the weakness of men that allows it to fester?
http://manboobz.com/2013/05/17/warren-farrell-warns-fellas-to-watch-out-for-the-repair-friend-zone/comment-page-3/#comment-303480
or hey, gillyrosebee’s rent money.
http://manboobz.com/2013/05/17/warren-farrell-warns-fellas-to-watch-out-for-the-repair-friend-zone/comment-page-3/#comment-303507
Now that her business has taken off, I’m sure that’s taken care off.
@Thread:
The reason budmin is defending Warren Farrells words is because budmin does not believe in “Human dishrags”, and thinks women in a very large amount of cases uses their powers of flattery to get men to do them favors.
This is just a re-thread of an already stated belief.
What exactly is the debate you hope to be sharing your views on? Seems to me WF believes his sexual lust is equivalent to oppression by the object of his desire. Kind of twisted logic when you consider that “object” likely was in no way soliciting his desire. In any case, his sexual frustrations have absolutely nothing to do with gender equality or the other myriad of things you have brought up like:
In what way do men’s sexual lust for women’s booties effect these things? Also, what is male exploitation? Like how men are expected to pay for a first date?
So, you’re just another MRA dipshit, Budmin.
So-called false rape allegations are no more prevalent than false allegations in any other crime. Look it up.
Try looking up how vastly underreported rape is while you’re at it.
Try reminding yourself of the US politicians who talk about “legitimate rape” and blather fairy stories about how women can’t get pregnant from rape.
Try finding anything men have to endure to compare with the state-endorsed rape, aka. mandatory transvaginal ultrasounds, that women seeking abortions have forced on them.
Show me fields where men are paid less than women for doing the same job, with the same qualifications.
Show me websites where feminists advise each other about how to exploit homeless young men for sex. I’m betting you won’t find that, either – but you’ll find stuff on your MRA buddies’ sites about how to coerce homeless young women (or girls, since so many MRAs are at least borderline pedophiles).
Oh, and don’t bother with the “I’m not an MRA!” whine. You’ve trotted out their standard bullshit. Walks like a duck, sounds like a duck …
Eeeee knitting for penguins! I’ve saved that pattern, mildlymagnificent. It’ll be just the thing for using up remnants, plus it looks simple enough for Mum to do as well, and I’m likely to have lots of time available in the near future.
Have a doggie bikkie!
::gets all excited, pats Fibi’s head::
cupisnique – I wonder if Farrell thinks it’s oppressive for teh poor menz who lust after their own daughters, too. I daresay he does, given his incest apologia.