Yesterday, we looked at 6 memes from A Voice for Men’s “meme team” and decoded what they really meant. Today, some memes from AVFM’s Pinterest page that are a bit harder to decode, because they really make no sense at all. I’ll do my best to try to sort them out.
1) TALK TO THE HAND
What might it mean? “Ha ha girls talk too much, well joke’s on you because I’m GOING MY OWN WAY and later I’ll go home and make a poster about how I imagined I might I totally really did put that bitch in her place.”
I mean, that is what this poster is saying, right? It’s illustrating the notion that men and women should listen to one another by depicting a dude just up and leaving because he’s tired of listening?
How exactly does this advance any “men’s rights” other than the right of men to act like petulant children?
2) BREAKING BADDIE
What might it mean? Well, the quote itself makes sense. What doesn’t make as much sense is why alleged “human rights activists” would want to publicly identify themselves with a rage-filled amoral meth-maker and murderer who fucks up the lives of everyone around him through his own pigheadedness. I mean, Walter White is not really a good person, when you come right down to it. That made for great television, but as a role model for a “civil rights” movement, no so much.
3) VENUS MAN TRAP
What might it mean? That the person making it is very, very confused about a lot of things. This one starts off with ridiculously simplistic — and provably incorrect — premises. Men’s attitudes towards marriage haven’t undergone a 180 degree turn since the start of feminism; they weren’t that rosy(as it were) in the prefeminist world, and they aren’t so negative now.
But it’s that final statement that the real puzzler. Feminists aren’t blaming “patriarchy” for men not wanting to get married. That’s completely backwards. Marriage began as a patriarchal institution and is still steeped in patriarchal symbolism. The only thing that this poster makes clear is that the people behind it don’t know anything about feminism, patriarchy, or marriage.
4) HAVE A KNIFE DAY
What might it mean? That the person making the poster has a very vivid imagination. Once again, the folks at AVFM picture their feminist enemies as violent oppressors. This has zero basis in reality, but makes it all that much easier to justify their antifeminist hatred. The projection is strong here.
5) SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP
What might it mean? That AVFM’s antifeminists don’t realize that feminists aren’t actually interested in chivalrous providers?
6) WHO’S THE PIG NOW?
What might it mean? That AVFM meme-maker “John Galt” — clever name, huh? — hates women, fat men, and good graphic design.
7) DUH NUH NUH NUH NUH NUH NUH NUH BATMAN
What might this mean? That AVFM meme-maker “John Galt” not only thinks he’s an Ayn Randian ubermensch; he also thinks he’s Batman.
Is Christopher Nolan’s Batman really the best role model for an alleged “civil rights” movement? I mean, I suppose he’s a step up from Walter White, but, seriously dudes, maybe try to model yourself on people who don’t solve problems with violence?
8) STUPID PATRIARCHY TRICKS
What might it mean? I have no idea. Seriously, what the hell?
I’m loving that they’re willing choosing to associate themselves with Walter White – a narcissistic, possibly borderline abuser. A man who is so selfish he puts his own family at risk to pursue his morally questionable ambitions. An egotist who’ll inflict narcissistic rage on anyone who questions him. A man who threatened, almost raped, stalked and abused his wife. A man who has put people in the grave; and has shown no remorse or empathy over it.
I suppose it makes sense, so much of White’s character is rooted in self-perceived martyrdom. I mean, like, he totally had to give up his dreams for that (totally feminist, y’all) bitch Skyler and the brat she gave him? Poor man. He ought to go his own way.
And Batman is a conflicted, brooding loner who puts the people he cares about in danger. I guess it just shows how they perceive themselves – deep, emotionally complex, sacrificing heroes. Unfortunately, they seem to mistake “emotionally damaged” and “aggressive, dangerous individuals” for those things. Yeesh.
normalpap:
Yes, exactly! Which gives one a good sense of what is really meant by the term “alpha.” Many of the worst people I’ve ever known would probably qualify as well. I think that’s why I find a lot of MRA/Redpill/PUA stuff so disturbing; if the men that are being sold this crap actually attained their goal, they’d become pretty damaged and damaging people.
My uninteresting thoughts on the memememememes
1) I didn’t realise ‘John Galt’ was the clever handle of the meme maker, especially as to go Galt is to walk away as the poster is depicting. I read it as ‘if you open your mouth, I’m off, only I may speak, no one cares what women have to say anyway.’
2) As others have pointed out, it was pride that lead to Walter White’s downfall. Also, if you own something surely you can buy and sell it if you choose to? (Not that I can figure out how one would buy or sell ‘pride’). All that can be taken is that death and trauma are just the costs of being a manly-man.
3) There’s a bit of ‘Twilight’ about the whole thing. Red, black and white do work well together but have lots of associations strangely enough.
Implying the patriarchy isn’t a thing = standard dis-ingenuousness.
WHO is blaming men not wanting to get married on the patriarchy?
Most people would see an increase in womens rights (not becoming literal property, being allowed to leave abusive marriages etc) as a good thing. Not being allowed by law to control women is not an injustice against men.
4) Poorly written. Also the existence of this meme and of the MRM in general proves it to be false. Also they happily use REAL pictures of women who have suffered REAL violence at the hands of men yet resort to a confusing stock image to show a man being afraid. Yessss.
5) Either we can be condescending in a nice way (chivalry) or we can be condescending in a crappy way (name-calling) WELL DONE FEMINISTS! Also what has chivalry got to do with provision?
6) Just terrible. Has the pig been eating gold? Is this what women do? Is the silhouette even of a woman? Who is this poor guy who’s image they’re presumably using without permission to illustrate ‘typical unsexy man’? So many questions.
7)I don’t understand. Is it batman/galt addressing whiteknights? Is it saying I might be covered in cheeto dust and wearing a pathetic trench coat but underneath I’m actually…batman? I just don’t know. Internet harassment is heroic though. That’s indisputable.
8) 50% of MRM activism consists of finding funny stock pictures of women. Look at this one, she’s wearing a suit like she thinks she’s people! It’s inherently funny!
Shouldn’t that be ‘mysterious patriarchy’.
And we can all agree higher paid jobs are terrible. Ew, who’d want a higher paid job? Absurd feminists.
Also, it just crossed my mind how awful it would be to have your face plastered all over a MRA poster.
So speaking of roses, my father is obsessed with them and he has spent all of our money on a huge garden with hundreds of roses. And every day in the weekend he sort of lives among them and then in the evening he comes back bloodied and full of scatches from all the thorns and he doesn’t even notice it and when we point it out he just smiles affectionately.
All I get from these is a strong vibe that women just aren’t people in their world.
1) Women don’t listen? Or women listen and don’t agree? I find the latter to be true more often than not, especially of that subgroup of men who feel they are automatically more ‘rational’. They spout some illogical nonsense, assume it makes sense, find you disagreeing, accuse you of not listening, and stomp off like a child.
2) I haven’t watched breaking bad. But it’s funny, because they tell men that respect is something they ‘own’, but will blather on and on about how women need to ‘earn’ respect. And of course, ‘respect’ means two different things: for women, it means basic human rights including bodily autonomy, and for men it means being given things they want at the expense of others.
3) Yes, some men viewed marriage as a bed of roses (minus thorns) before feminism. Probably because marital rape was legal, wife-beating as overlooked, divorce was difficult, and essentially a woman would be shamed if she didn’t wait on her man hand and foot.
4) So many times simple actions women do to protect themselves through legal or verbal means are taken as a direct assault against men. I don’t remember exactly which website it was, but there was a guy adamant that being rejected by women was the same as being physically stabbed.
5) So the choice is between letting men be chivalrous providers or letting men abuse women? Seems like they’re a bit bitter that women are going their own way. Successfully. It takes a certain mindset to not let someone provide for themselves who proves adequately able to provide for themselves.
6) There are greedy gold-digging women. There are also greedy gold-digging men. But it takes a certain type of person to assume it’s only women, and that women can be attracted for no other reason besides wealth.
7) Huh? Isn’t that basically saying white knights are GOOD? Because the ‘white knight’ is the man who defends women not because he actually believes they are people or believes what she believes, but because he thinks it’s a good way to have sex. But then they’re saying it’s not his motives, but his actions that define him.
8) Women apparently can’t have their own wants and desires. No woman wants to be paid money for her work. Babies for everyone!
I had no idea Heisenberg was an MRA.
*adding in my own high-five for fellow Alaskans* I still live about a five-hour drive away from Anchorage, though, so there’s no way I could go even if I wanted too.
@zippydoo
No, it’s worse. I think it’s supposed to be saying that defending women is wrong, but manipulating people for sex is all well and good. Eurgh.
Presumably they think that being nice to women is always wrong, even if it’s the not-really-nice-at-all variety (ie. manipulate women into bed, put kindness coins into the sex vending machine, etc).
Batman is a dark knight, not a white knight, maybe that’s why they like him?
For all his faults, Batman will never be as bad as any MRAs/MGTOWs
Not sure if this will work (I’m on a tablet), but did you guys already discuss this meme? Marriage is a man with a strange skin condition chasing a carrot-woman hybrid (also with a weird skin condition) while pulling an old-fashioned Nazi carriage carrying an amorphous bride and a Nazi-dude with a shotgun.
In happier news, yay for Bebop!
The white knight one is saying that even if you think you’re doing the right thing defending women you’re REALLY doing incredible violence to men.
Somehow.
They never quite get around to explaining that part.
Ever.
@cloudiah
That has to be one of the best MRA memes; it was actually clear to me what the message was.
I mean, they’re all clear about who you’re supposed to hate, but…
@weirwoodtreehugger: I’m not even in the Game of Thrones fandom and I heard about what happened on last night’s episode.
Frankly, I think my already-meagre interest in the show just plummeted.
In terms of brain bleach, I have two very cute little models.
Cloudiah: Oh man. In some ways they’re best of all when they have a crack at actual art. I like that he is so proud that he signed and framed it.
Falconer, I think your little boy is plotting something.
He’s pulling on the dividing line in the road…but why?
Sometimes I think MRA posters are secretly Zen koans. It’s not supposed to make sense, you see, it’s supposed to jostle your brain out of its routine so you can see the truth.
I showed my boyfriend the rose/venus flytrap one and he responded with:
“Venus flytraps are fucking awesome! Total upgrade. So what I see is that before you’d get married and you’d get a flower that needed constant attention and not too much sunlight but not too little and just the right amount of water and it’d die in the winter anyways
but now, you get a fully self-sufficient badass plant that can fucking EAT THINGS and can live in swamp water and stuff.”
So, you know. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Seriously, nobody is forcing men to get married. I’ve never attended a wedding that a groom who appeared to be marching to his doom
But Howard, why does the Nazi need both a shotgun and a carrot-woman?
I was wondering that too. And if the Nazi represents marriage, then who’s the woman in the wedding dress? Or if she represents marriage, who’s the Nazi?
Actually come to think of it, both men and women are pressured into marriage at a young age in really fundamentalist religious communities. If MRAs don’t want to be pressured into an unwanted marriage, they be thanking feminism for working to end the social requirement to fit into rigid gender roles. Some part of them must know this. That’s why they vacillate between raging against the concept of marriage and longing for the return for the return of the traditional submissive housewife.
Oh, cognitive dissonance. It’s a hell of a thing.
At a guess (I don’t know why I’m trying to put some sense of coherence into this) the shotgun is because even the “carrot” of an “HB-10”, just out of reach, isn’t enough to make someone pull the “dead weight” of “women” forever.
If I was going to be metaphoric, it represents the “deathblow” of “modern divorce”.
All of this, however, fails to answer the dilemma the dichotomy of the woman in the cart and the carrot before him.
But the whole thing looks very different if you see the shotgun as a bizarre scarf blowing in the wind.