If the Men’s Rights movement is looking for a celebrity endorser, I think I’ve found just the guy for them: the mixed martial arts fighter, and erstwhile porn actor, War Machine, currently sitting in jail on charges of brutally beating and attempting to kill his ex-girlfriend, porn star Christy Mack.
Men’s Rights activists should be able to look past these criminal charges; after all, as they remind us all the time, women are forever falsely accusing innocent men of all sorts of terrible things.
And in so many ways War Machine is perfect for them. An MMA fighter, he’s already only one letter away from being an MRA. A misogynistic asshole with rage issues, he’ll have no trouble fitting in with the Men’s Rights crowd. And, especialy important for a movement that has a lot of trouble getting any good PR, he’s a bit more comfortable on camera than the Paul Elams and Dean Esmays of the world, with experience on television (on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra), and in seven films (albeit pornographic ones).
Best of all: he’ll need no ideological education from what A Voice for Men likes to call Fuck Shit Up University. War Machine – real name Jonathan Koppenhaver – is already an outspoken proponent of many of the Men’s Rights Movement’s core beliefs.
Consider these selections from a little Men’s Rights manifesto War Machine wrote a few years ago during a previous stint behind bars, serving time for felony assault after two bloody bar fights. His rant, which a friend posted to the internet, would fit right in with the sort of stuff we’ve seen regularly posted on the Men’s Rights subreddit, or The Spearhead, or A Voice for Men. I’ve bolded some of the Men’s Rightsiest bits:
The oppression of MEN is worse than oppression of Jews in Nazi germany, worse than the slavery of Blacks in early America…
There has always been the oppressor and always the oppressed. Before, it was blatant … NOW the oppressor has learned to disguise his evil. You can see man, but you can not see MEN. How easy it is to oppress a minority that is invisible to the eye! How genius of the oppressor! And what a better target too! …
Men challenge injustice from Government, MEN fight for their Constitutional rights, that are slowly being taken away every year. …
And they don’t just oppress us by making more laws and taking away more freedom, they are far more clever than that! Ask yourself what your REAL dream was?? If you gave up on this dream, why? Because of the brainwashing of the Government, that’s why! They taught you to “play it safe.” They told us a responsible man has ONE wife, a house, good credit, good job, and kids. How are you supposed to chase your dreams while maintaining all of that!?
Men are supposed to take risks and be aggressive! What accomplishments have ever come of a man scared to risk it all!? None!? Where would the world be? Still ‘flat!’ Still ‘Earth at the center of the universe!’
If any of you have your Men’s Rights Bingo cards out, I’m guessing you might already be close to scoring a bingo. We’ve got a comparison to slavery that could have come straight from the pages of A Voice for Men, a marriage-is-death-to-male-dreams rant that could have been borrowed from any MGTOW forum, and an evo-psych-esque argument that men are the true risk-takers and the world’s real innovators.
And I don’t think War Machine would have much trouble with Paul Elam’s “Bash a Violent Bitch Month,” either.
[I]t’s Christmas day and I’m laying in my bunk wondering “Why in the hell do American men get married!?” … If your wife is being a bitch you can’t slap her, if your wife is yelling at you, God forbid you yell back … Next thing you know it will be illegal to fuck your wife! LMAO! Maybe then, MEN in this country will get the fucking hint and MOVE! This country forces you to be a bitch!
In another online posting, War Machine touched on another Men’s Rights hobbyhorse, the notion that the justice system is stacked against men:
[L]ook at the prisons, they are FULL of MEN, not women. Are men “evil” and women not? Or do the laws target and attempt to restrict NATURAL MEN’S BEHAVIOR? How many of the HEROES in American history would avoid prison if they lived today? Davey Crockett? Thomas Jefferson? David Bowie? General Grant & General Lee? Shit, George Washington. … Laws target MEN and men’s behavior. Women want to bitch and cry about their rights and equality… LMAO! MEN are the ones locked away like animals, while women run free!
Someone might have to explain to War Machine that David Bowie is not actually a famous American HERO but a famously androgynous British musician who once recorded an album called “Heroes.” (Mr. Machine may be thinking of James Bowie, a well-known 19th century American frontiersman and slave trader, and the guy the Bowie Knife is named after.)
But other than that, he seems ready to go.
There is, of course, that whole attempted murder charge to deal with.
It’s true the Men’s Rights Movement has had few problems in the past rallying behind men with histories of violence. But War Machine might be a harder sell as a Men’s Rights hero. His alleged attack on Mack left her with a cracked rib, a ruptured liver, numerous broken bones, missing teeth and her eyes swollen shut. (See here for photos of her injuries; obviously this link is NSFW and could be triggering.)
While Mr. Machine denies attacking Mack, he joked to a TV host last year that if she were to leave him “I would just kill her” and get a tattoo saying “Rest In Peace” above the tattoo of her name he has on his neck.
And several hours after allegedly trying to murder her, War Machine tweeted this lovely message about his ex:
https://twitter.com/WarMachine170/statuses/497663075831787521
War Machine does seem to be at a low point in his life. Even aside from the charges he faces, and the time he seems likely to serve, his career in porn is almost certainly over. The “Alpha Male” clothing line he helped start wants nothing to do with him. Nobody but the prison system seems to want this guy.
In other words: Men’s Rights activists, this is your chance! War Machine may not be the, er, hero you want. But he’s certainly the hero you deserve.
@ Bina
I’m not sure, but if I do get off my ass and do something I’ll most likely be looking for a kung fu class, since I liked it before.
I’ve considered trying kendo, too, since I used to do fencing and liked it but would prefer something a bit more physically taxing, so if anyone has done kendo and has feels about it, want to share?
Because the punchbowl is invariably empty when that happens. And invariably, it is they who emptied it.
Cassandra: I would suspect that its extremely common and it was one of my first thoughts. Steriods have some pretty fucked up side effects.
Pallygirl: I think we’re pretty close to agreeing. The MMA made a huge mistake in continuing to allow him to fight sanctioned matches after his previous assault convictions. However… even if he was shunned and not able to fight MMA, this world has no shortage of shitbag, ‘roid raging assholes. Also, the MMA doesn’t cultivate and train the fighters. They train, they compete in local, low level events and then move up to higher profile matches, if they’re successful. All that MMA can do is ban him from fighting, not bar him from training.
@pallygirl:
I saw the pictures. 🙁 I wish I had some spare money to put in her medical fund, since things are kind of tight aroud here. And speaking of punching bags, the only companions assholes like this should have are punching bags…actual punching bags from the sporting goods store. At least they’d only be hurting themselves. :angry:
Oh boy, what did Dawkins do this time?
Oh no, what did Dawkins say now? I swear, he gets worse every time he talks. I suppose that’s what happens when you have a bunch of ardent supporters that will defend every stupid thing you say, though. Thunderf00t is the YouTube equivalent and I wish he would disappear, ESPECIALLY if he’s going to open his big fat mouth about this story…
@Nova: I can only imagine the tantrum he may have thrown if they HAD banned him from fighting. It’s a double-edged sword, I think…
@Lee and sorceressensorcelled:
This. Basically after a discussion on twitter about Downs Syndrome, he basically tweeted that not aborting a fetus known to have Downs Syndrome given the opportunity is immoral.
For everyone wondering what Dawkins said this time, here you go. Trigger warning: Eugenics, and sanctimony, and general fuckuppery.
Oh, so now he’s on a eugenics kick? Classy. 😛
The guy was a time bomb, according to people who knew him. Who knows what would have happened if he was banned from cage fighting. Apparently, when he was caught, if was because a hotel guest called 911, because he was beating up yet another woman.
Prison for life. That’s all that’s going to stop him.
Whoops, ninja’d.
@Bina:
No worries, your link actually gives more context on the inevitable Dawkins Double-Down.
I’m absolutely shocked* that Dawkins thought people were taking issue with the idea that fetuses with Downs Syndrome should be aborted at all, rather than him classifying one option as immoral.
*Note: not shocked in the slightest
Okay, is MMA being used as a parallel to “baseball” or to “the MLBA”? There’s a bit of a difference there, and it’s worth noting.
The sport, itself, can be reasonably claimed to be blameless. However, once you get to the arena of ruling bodies and even organized fandoms, then there is logic behind a guilt-by-association claim. A ‘no felons’ rule for a violent sport seems to me to be a no-brainer; the fact that this is not the case is an issue. Likewise, if a fighter is a known violent felon, and the fanbase still supports his appearances (buying tickets and merchandise, or using the training facilities that bear his name), that’s another black-mark against the community as a whole. Finally, it’s worth examining the fanzines, blogs and the like–do they use a lot of the same alpha male/patriarchal language? If so… again, it’s worth noting and calling out. (See also: Gamer culture.)
Yup…me neither. At this point, I think we can all stop calling him Richard and just go with DICK.
*rages* DAWKINS!!!!!!
This is not a good week for politics and blood pressure. Just saw that Kevin Sorbo, fresh off of making stupid comments about atheists, has now made horrifying comments about Ferguson.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/21/actor-kevin-sorbo-ferguson-unrest-let-black-protesters-be-the-animals-they-truly-are/
I would suggest aikido as a good potential “non- Rambo” martial art. My instructor was a tiny Japanese woman who incredibly nice and fun (though somehow also a little terrifying). The actual art is defensive only; you only learn to strikes insofar as it lets your partner practice their aikido against them. Ego and violence do not really take to that sort of environment.
Does Dawkins do this on purpose? Does he notice that people have stopped paying attention to him at some point and says the most outrageous hurtful things to gain it back? Or does he genuinely think that people with down syndrome don’t have lives worth living?
Oh, who am I kidding? It doesn’t matter. Either way, he’s horrible.
And this War Machine guy just got a whole lot more scary for me. He really thinks that it’s not only his right, but his and other men’s NATURES to beat on women. It’s unreal. I just…
He’s a known violent arsehole. He should have been barred from fighting, and left off merchandising. The MMA organisations should have come out and said that they don’t tolerate this type of behaviour, that MMA is a sport with rules and players who abide by good conducted, and then backed up that talk with action.
That they apparently haven’t says that the MMA industry doesn’t think he actually did anything wrong. That’s a systemic problem that’s bigger than just one abuser.
I know the conversation has moved on, but I’m not comfortable with how Ally’s concerns about the term “scrotosphere” were brushed off. A statement which seemingly includes all men (which Ally moved back from) and a statement reinforcing gendered bodies are not equivalent because men and trans people are not treated equally in most cultures. Ally explained that issue well :
Generalizing about men is not oppressive because men are not oppressed, whereas using language that reinforces the notion of gendered bodies directly contributes to trans people’s oppression.
and I don’t want that to get lost.
Freemage: MMA is kind of like baseball. There’s a general sport with different governing bodies, a fan base, etc. Whats different is that, rather than having organized teams, each fighter is independent. They train themselves, market themselves, etc., much like boxers.
I would support a no violent convictions (not just felonies. 4th degree DV assault is a misdemeanor and is often a plea bargain for people who smash their partners face in) rule, a no doping rule, etc. After serving prison time for multiple assaults, this guy should not have been fighting in any kind of sanctioned event
Half of his rant is stuff that applies to both men and women. Does he think women are not oppressed by government policy? Of course not, he’s a misogynistic asshat.
I’m sicked with the victim blaming I’ve been seeing in the media.
Why is “okay” or “understandable” to want to hurt this much / at all somebody (who, at the time, wasn’t even in the relationship with you) for “cheating” ?
War Machine is a horrible, horrible person. And he and people like him frighten me.
But the society in which victim blaming and “punishment for cheating” are wildly accepted? That terrifies me.
Re: Dawkins
Not only is he advocating eugenics, telling women what is “moral thing to do” and trotting his usual “everybody is too emotional to understand my superior logic!” trick.
He also said this:
So, according to him there are immoral reasons to exercise that right to a abortion.
And probably a hierarchy of moral/immoral reasons. That, naturally, he get to deiced.
For a biologist, Dawkins has a disturbing lack of understanding about Trisomy 21.
The thing that bugs me, there, is he’s implying that having a kid with downs syndrome would be immoral.
Dawkins, go step on all the legos.
I’m not sure if he didn’t realize that saying “most moral” naturally implies that there are other, less moral reasons (because he’s not nearly as good a writer as he thinks he is) or if he was just trying to start a fight so he could once again tell some silly little ladies what to do.