So this is … interesting. Last night, Saturday Night Live did a sketch, featuring guest host Lena Dunham, about Men’s Rights Activists. Alas, it wasn’t actually funny, or particularly on the mark, and it was kind of, sort of, maybe, a little bit racist (well, ok, a lot), but it did at least give a pretty good impression of what people in the real world think of the MRAs we know and loathe so well. I can’t embed it here, so go take a look at it on Hulu.
The folks in the Men’s Rights subreddit are up in arms about it, and have started not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six threads on the subject. (There may be more; that’s all I noticed.) Well, it’s not often they get this much attention, so I guess their excitement is understandable.
Given that the sketch was actually pretty crappy in a lot of ways, the MRAs did have some legitimate complaints to make against it — like the fact that the women in the sketch mocked the MRA character for being an unattractive loser. But naturally the Men’s Rights Redditors managed to undercut even this perfectly reasonable criticism by attacking the women in the sketch for being uggos. (Oh, misogynists, why do you hate Lena Dunham so much?) Here’s a rather delightfully ironic snippet of the discussion:
![SNL manages to misinterpret MRA arguments, shame man who are less physically attractive than others by implying they are somehow lesser, says that all MRAs are only MRAs because of bad love experiences, and accuse the MRHM of being pro-life, which is a blatant lie. (hulu.com) submitted 7 hours ago by Feminists_Are_Jelly 29 comments share source save hide give gold report hide all child comments sorted by: hot navigate by: submitter | moderator | friend | admin | IAmA | images | popular | new you are viewing a single comment's thread. view the rest of the comments → [–]MockingDead 16 points 6 hours ago (27|11) A bunch of unattractive unfunny women impugning a man for being not an apex male. permalink save source save give gold hide child comments [–]ugly_duck 5 points 5 hours ago (16|11) A bunch of unattractive unfunny women impugning a man for being not an apex male. Imagine if the genders were reversed. permalink save source save parent give gold [–]Grubnar 6 points 4 hours ago (12|6) I am trying ... and I can't. Men are not usually judged by their attractiveness, but by their wealth.](https://i0.wp.com/www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ironymrastyle.png?resize=536%2C556&ssl=1)
Indeed, I’ve rarely seen irony so thick as in the outraged comments of MRAs in these threads. Here’s another angry Redditor:
Heavens! Sexism and shaming! MRAs NEVER engage in either of those things!
Oh, wait. That’s pretty much the entire basis of their movement.
Ruwanimo, you say you can’t imagine how it would look if the genders were reversed? You don’t have to imagine. All you have to do is go to the Men’s Rights subreddit, or A Voice for Men, or any other prominent (or not-so-prominent) Men’s Rights site. Or you could read through the Man Boobz archives. Ta da! Literally hundreds — make that thousands — of examples of MRAs directing “flagrant sexism and shaming” at women. (Also note: this shaming is directed at women, not only at feminists, whereas the SNL skit directed its shaming only at MRAs, not at men in general.)
You’re welcome!
The AgainstMensRights subreddit is also all over this thing, though they’ve limited themselves to four threads — here, here, here and here, which is where I found that first discussion I screenshotted.
Reblogged this on Iconography ♠ Incomplete and commented:
Yeah right men are not ranked on their attractiveness but their wealth really? Which one is less offensive? — If my manhood is only how much mint I have Vs. my casual references to plastic Ken how can I survive really :/
I did, zippydoo, but I also got one that said over 80% of women eventually marry and they just aren’t marrying 20% of men so I had to throw the other one away. I have to keep it logical with facts for the superior MRAs.
If 80% of the women were only marrying 20% of the men, wouldn’t that imply polygamy was back?
What’s funny here is if it had been a skit about how obviously sexist and man hating feminists are and will always be, there would of been a surge of bra burning psychopaths writing “patriarchy” this and “glass ceiling”. The difference is that feminists hide behind the facade that they are fighting for equality and therefore everyone thinks their sexist ways are acceptable….now that’s what I call funny….
They keep marrying them and divorcing them for alimony and child support? I guess? Who can tell. Women are a mystery.
</sarcasm>
I thought the girlfriend was depicted that way because an MRA would be attracted to a stereotypically sexy foreign woman, and her limited English would keep her from understanding what he was really all about.
They should have made her an Eastern European woman, which MRAs tout as good girlfriend material, but that was just one of many opportunities this sketch missed.
Same here. And I can’t stand her…racist towards Muslims, and clueless about Canadians. (She actually had the gall to call Paul Fucking Bernardo part of our “national identity”. Um, NO. We do not identify with psychopathic rape-murderers up here.)
OMG aside: There is an ad up below the article right now that says “Looking for an Asian wife?”
Google adbot is racist, too!
Dafuq? *googles, and is appalled* For somebody who works in media, she doesn’t seem to get how media works.
Re: google adbot. I get Christian Mingle ads when I check on Pharyngula. I get Plus Size Dress ads on recipe blogs. I get “hook up TONIGHT with hot single chicks in your location” on feminist blogs. I get car ads on eco-blogs. Sometimes I think google’s bots are hilariously ironic, and other times I think they’re just not that effective.
Yup. Pretty shocking for someone from her privileged background to be so…well…ignorant. Luckily, plenty of people called her out for that. Let’s hope she’s learned.
They won’t talk about their algorithm, probably because it’s not very bright. I refuse to put their ads (or indeed any ads) on my blog for that reason and many others…including the fact that I excoriate a lot of right-wing personalities and bad brands, and I don’t want the Googlebot to give them publicity via my site. That’s more irony than even O. Henry could stand.
Also, there was a human trafficking ring that advertised sex for sale on Google until the cops finally broke it, so it’s clear that not only is their algorithm faulty, they also don’t vet their advertisers very well (if they vet them at all, which I somehow doubt). I have a sinking feeling that this was not the only time that happened.
Janet Wilkinson: You know nothing about feminism and you have a crappy sense of humor.
Wow, someone who still thinks bra burning is a thing and who clearly didn’t read David’s post or the comments.
In other words, typical troll.
My bras are much too expensive to burn.
Ninja’d by Sparky.
Damn right.
Why would someone say “glass ceiling” about a skit? Unless maybe there were higher-paid male actors in the skit and women weren’t allowed to participate?
You’re expecting a troll to think about words having meanings?
Misandry!
Maybe it’s a skit about the glass ceiling? The female character in the skit keeps getting passed over for promotions in favor of the male characters.
Hilarious.
Ivy Shoots | March 10, 2014 at 3:16 pm
“They should have made her an Eastern European woman, which MRAs tout as good girlfriend material, but that was just one of many opportunities this sketch missed.”
Yeah, and it would have been as good as the original skit (i.e., not good at all).
As an Eastern European woman, I assure you that Eastern European women are no more interested in dating or, God forbid, marrying nasty misogynists than any other woman anywhere on this planet. Somebody should tell MRAs that already, but I don’t think they’d listen.
A glass ceiling sketch could be funny. Boss keeps hiring more and more unqualified male applicants for more and more transparent reasons while insisting that there’s no gender bias. By the end he’s hiring some guy who just walked by outside, the potted plant from the lobby, an old shoe, etc.
Um…feminists are parodied as man-hating killjoys all the friggen time, The Simpsons has done it before a few times (I still love that show though)
I haven’t seen the clip to this and don’t care to. But it’s no surprise that MRAs can’t take take a “joke” or people poking fun at them, yet they will happily make rape jokes, or defend them, make/laugh at jokes trashing feminists and SJWs…just another thing to add to the already long list of MRA hypocrisies. Bunch of babies like to dish it out but can’t take it when it happens to them.
All the while claiming he has “binders full of women” but they’re not right for the job, somehow.
Patriarchy. Glass ceiling.
I didn’t even need a skit to write those words. It was pretty easy.
Certainly not going to burn any bras, though. Too hard to find a good one.
My favorite has to be Grubnar, who can’t imagine men being judged by their looks, because men are judged by their wealth.
Ah, yes. That explains why so many 12 year old girls have pictures of Warren Buffett in their lockers.
Note who’s doing the judging in both cases here: men.