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.
@Janet
Feminism’s perceived reputation for man-hating is so strongly stigmatized and blown out of proportion that even many feminists themselves don’t openly call themselves feminists. I think that says a lot.
And no shit are feminists going to talk about patriarchy when they see stuff like that. The vast majority of anti-feminist thought is rooted in a defense of patriarchy.
@kittehserf
Yeah I must admit it gives me pleasure too lol. Mostly just annoys me though. I mean how miserable do you have to be to complain so much about what women wear? Get a hobby.
I have Delusions of Gender but haven’t read it yet, soon. Soooooon.
Sports bras are nice too; they’re like maternity bras. They also make tank tops and camis with built in bras that are soft.
The most important thing with a bra is a good fit. Bras that fit can be uncomfortable. Bras that don’t fit can be excruciating.
@kitteh
Ooh, I’m really fond of this idea. I prefer wearing loose clothes, and I think that sounds really cozy and convenient, even in warmer weather.
Bras and tampons* – things I missed out on learning about. It’s a complete revelation to me of how much well made and well fitting brassieres can cost.
*Including napkins, sponges and other menstruation related technologies.
Um, it would be technically possible for me to not wear a bra when it’s hot, but it wouldn’t be very comfortable, especially when I’m walking fast.
None of my bras are uncomfortable. I’ve owned ones that were in the past (Wonderbra brand, why did I ever buy you?), but once I found the brands and styles that worked for me (and the right size) that wasn’t an issue any more. Still can’t quite figure out why some women find them super uncomfortable and others don’t.
I guess many folks have a different sense of comfort. I know people who are totally comfortable sitting on their knees, but it’s extremely uncomfortable for me to do so (part of why I hated praying as a Muslim). A similar thing may apply to bra-wearing.
At a G cup I can only wear uncomfortable bras unfortunately. As soon as I walk in the door, I take off the bra and shake my boobs out. It’s like when a sexy librarian takes her hair down.
That was probably TMI. Sorry!
Different body types, maybe?
I actually have a Wonderbra that’s one of the most comfortable bras I’ve ever owned.
Thing is, I probably wear the same kind of bras you do (I’m an E cup, prefer Freya bras, won’t wear anything without an underwire), but for some reason I don’t find them uncomfortable. I can’t figure out if the difference is a fit issue, body shape, just being used to it because I started wearing bras so young, or whatever. The only relevant factoid I can think of is that I was a competitive swimmer as a kid, so my back and shoulders are pretty strong.
That might be it, you know. Wonderbras felt like tiny sateen torture devices for me, but the same basic style (push-up plunge) in a different brand is fine.
I’m not worried about the price of bras. My ex-husband’s child support money gives me an endless supply! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Although I usually prefer my old and comfortable T-shirt bras (which are more like oversized and loose sports bras with removable padding for when you wash it), I have been curious about the bralettes I see whenever I pass by Victoria’s Secret.
@transcommie I would suggest trying out all the different types and see what you like. For example, I can only wear the super plain cotton ones. If they have lace or underwires I feel really uncomfortable as I have an issue with layers and thing touching me. Underwires and lace etc. don’t seen to bother other people though, so if you can work out the thing you don’t like, there is very likely a bra that doesn’t have it. Whatever makes you the most comfy/happy. 🙂
There is always the bandeau too. I hate anything strapless, but my (relatively small boobed) co-workers seem to love them.
Given my mom was very open to me about feminine issues – I’m used to it! No problem for me… 😛
That always seemed like an important factor, from what I know.
I’m that way with items like boxer-briefs and socks. They’re not as comfortable new as they are when I’ve worn them for a bit.
It’s not just me, then! I can’t sit cross-legged or sit comfortably on the floor at all, and as for kneeling, no way, now. It wasn’t comfortable before my knee went bung and as for now … ouch.
AL3H – I’m with you on that one. No scratchy nylon lace touching me, and definitely no seams across the nipple (WHO came up with that idea???).
Robert – here’s a sanitary-stuff factoid: they get slapped with the 10% GST (goods and services tax) here, because the government that introduced the tax decided they’re cosmetics.
It was a conservative government, of course.
Oh, and Viagra doesn’t get taxed.
*head explodes* wait, something approximately half the population needs for a good portion of their lives is more optional than a pill that is rarely used for anything truly needed? Cuz face it guys, not being able to get it up is waaaaay less a problem than using, idk, old rags? for a week a month for 30+ years.
On topic, no, I’m not touching that. I think that means it’s not my cow, but I’m admittedly lost on what this Not My Cow thing is.
Various assorted trolls — learn to read PLZ!
It’s just Pratchett again. How have you not yet been assimilated?
I have no idea. Turns out my new partner’s read most of Discworld, so I really am missing all the jokes! We need a ungendered boy/girlfriend term, it feels weird calling him my boyfriend when my pharm student and I don’t use the gendered terms (soon to be pharm resident!)
/randomness
Zefriend? Would that work? Or does it sound to close to the friend?
(Just making things up, of course…)
That’s Not My Cow is a picture book Vimes reads to Young Sam at 6pm, without fail, when Young Sam’s a toddler (in Thud!). Doesn’t matter what else is happening, he gets home to read it on the dot, because if he’s a minute late, soon it’ll be five, and ten, and half an hour, and …. and if there’s a good excuse to be late, sooner or later there’ll be a bad one.
So he’s never late.
Anyway the book’s about a dude looking for his cow, and he sees all sorts of other animals and only knows the diff when they go Neigh! or Baaa! and so on. Vimes does all the sound effects, of course, because for Young Sam this is the greatest book in the history of ever.
Does anyone actually do this? I mean, I’ve heard references before but dismissed them as a joke. You could maybe see the difference in tight pants but then it would seem to be really uncomfortable. And do women (or men) really that commonly look at men’s crotches?
I know some female-bodied people “pack” their underwear, but thought it was more of a conceptual thing. As in, you want to have stuff there but not really show it outwards? Again, in this sense, packing wouldn’t seem so relevant to male-bodied people.
Same thing with using socks (lubed?) for masturbation. I can see how it could work as an improvised masturbation sleeve but it sure seems impractical and expensive (can you wash and reuse the socks?). Lubed condoms should be much better, if you can find loose ones, but nobody ever mentions this possibility. Also, I wonder if I shouldn’t overthink this at the risk of grossing people out…
LOL the sock-wank thing makes me wonder too, Arctic Ape. I’d never heard of the idea BM (Before Manboobz). I just think “Wouldn’t that be scratchy and kind of unpleasant, not to mention a waste of a sock?”
Maybe it’s just a meme about grotty basement-dwellers. It’s certainly easy to imagine Doosh V’s scuzzy apartment littered with old socks. ::hurl::
I dunno about anyone else, but I’ve never been one for looking at men’s crotches. On the rare occasions I’ve seen the shape of the bits showing through cloth – more on the ‘net than in person – my reaction is more “Eww put that away will you!!!” than “Phwoarrr!”
The whole bra-burning thing is a myth. Back in the ’60s, in Atlantic City, some women were protesting the Miss America pageant and threw some stereotypically feminine items into a trash barrel (mops, aprons, bras, etc.). One of the reporters covering the scene likened it to draft-card burning, and an urban legend was born. Since then, bra-burning has become lazy shorthand for people who equate feminism with angry, irrational terrorists working towards the downfall of civilization.
Most women I know wouldn’t willingly part with their bras, and how flammable are dacron and spandex, really?