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a voice for men gross incompetence MRA paul elam

Internet Nightmare: “Paul Elam would like to stay in touch on LinkedIn”

Yaaaaghh!
Yaaaaghh!

So this showed up in my emails today:

	   Paul Elam would like to stay in touch on LinkedIn.         Paul Elam	   Paul Elam Founder and Publisher at A Voice for Men Houston, Texas Area     Hi David,   I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.   - Paul

 

Someone else told me they got one of these from Paul today as well. I think Mr. Elam must have accidentally clicked something on LinkedIn that sent this message to everyone who’s ever exchanged email with him. The internet is hard!

Anyway, here’s my response to Paul, in the form of a Gary Numan song.

Actually, I have no idea what’s supposed to be going on in the lyrics of that song, though the opening lines do sort of capture what it feels like on the very rare occasions I log into LinkedIn.

The alarm rang for days
You could tell from conversations
I was waiting by the screen
I couldn’t recognise my photograph
Me, I disconnect from you

In any case, you should take this as a no, Mr. E!

Also, when I went to An Ear for Men today to grab that lovely image of Elam to use in my little photo illustration at the top, this is what I saw:

The pen is in your hand

The penis pen is in your hand!?

I guess the Men’s Rights movement is just one big circlejerk.

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Bazia
Bazia
9 years ago

Hahahahahahah! The penis in your hand!!! The world’s most incredible freudian slip!!!!

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/mouth.gif

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH have no idea what LinkedIn is, but now I have interest in joining the site.

magnesium
magnesium
9 years ago

“The pen is in your hand”

What, uh, what kind of webcam service is Paul offering, again?

tesformes
9 years ago

OMG DELETE ALL ACCOUNTS FLEE THE COUNTRY CHANGE YOUR NAME OPEN A BED AND BREAKFAST

brooked
brooked
9 years ago

Random description of LinkedIn:

LinkedIn, a professional networking site, allows its members to create business connections, search for jobs, and find potential clients.

Why on earth did Paul Elam join LinkedIn?

weirwoodtreehugger
9 years ago

Did anyone fall for the pen 15 club prank as a kid? That’s what this reminds me of.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

@brooked

“Professional”, “networking”, “business”, “clients”?

I don’t know either.

A.A. Wils
9 years ago

Elam is wanting to connect with you on LinkedIn? Weird…I’m sure the AVFM (or Ears for Men) explanation is forthcoming.

Eh…probably not.

FYI, LinkedIn is a sort of a Facebook-like career networking social media thingie. Especially useful if you looking for employment. Or so I’ve heard.

JetGirl
JetGirl
9 years ago

That’s horrifying. I am so sorry.

zoon echon logon
zoon echon logon
9 years ago

I’m going to use this as an excuse to post Grace Slick’s version:

Featuring Sly and Robbie! And, goddamn: that album cover.

zoon echon logon
zoon echon logon
9 years ago

Damnit. Grace Jones, rather.

Bazia
Bazia
9 years ago

OMG. Grace Jones. Corporate Cannibal. A Goddess. never will something like this be seen again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgMn2OJmx3w

PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
9 years ago

Why does Elam look like he’s striped wearing pajamas in the penis “pen is in your hand” photo?

PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
9 years ago

Critical markup failure! penis “pen is in your hand” photo, rather.

PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
PussyPowerTantrum, the Lousy Flouncer
9 years ago

Also, “wearing striped pajamas…” Argh. I give up.

EJ (The Other One)
EJ (The Other One)
9 years ago

LinkedIn is Facebook for professionals. It’s a sort of online CV, and is increasingly where white-collar people get hired.

Which is to say, brooked’s question is a solid one and I would like to know the answer too.

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
9 years ago

… Wait. That’s his new logo? It looks like a cross between Anonymous and a Gentleman from Buffy.

Auntie Alias
Auntie Alias
9 years ago

I’m not so sure the invite was an accident. Elam is desperately trolling for cash and will grab at any chance of circulating news about his latest scam activism.

Snickle
Snickle
9 years ago

Is he seriously channeling Natasha Bedingfield?

Auntie Alias
Auntie Alias
9 years ago

The head on that logo looks like a blue beehive.

Lady Mondegreen
Lady Mondegreen
9 years ago

Comedy gold.

I’d hypothesize Elam did the “pen is” thing deliberately, in hopes it would have a subliminal effect on his phallocentric followers. But I don’t think he’s clever enough to have noticed.

weirwoodtreehugger
9 years ago

comment image
comment image

Thanks for the nightmares SFHC!

brooked
brooked
9 years ago

Elam has updated A Ear For Men’s “services”:

Self-respect – Elam has a short spiel for his “personal coaching”.
High-conflict relationships – blank
Surviving Divorce – blank
Anxiety – We learn Paul lacks even a basic understanding of mental health.
Anger management – blank
How we kill johnny – WTF?

Turns out “How we kill Johnny” was an old essay Elam posted on AVFM in 2010. 15 years earlier, Elam learned that Johnny, a former patient at the “last residential treatment center he worked for”, murdered his girlfriend and the man “she was sleepin’ with”, then committed suicide. Elam uses it as a springboard for an essay about male suicide that focuses a bit too much on the feminist crusader bitch co-worker Elam hated and pretty much ignores the murder part of the murder/suicide.

Elam simply recycles the essay, including this part:

I know it is obligatory. I can’t write a piece like this and not include some resources for men to call in in times of crisis, such as those paltry resources are. So I will include something at the end. But I would still like to think, that somewhere, at some point in time, we can quit offering Band-aids for men to put on tumors and start helping them with their real problems.

Elam still includes a link to National Suicide Prevention Hotline website at the end, even though he’s supposed to be describing the services he will personally provide to his paying clients.

If Elam is pitching this as “life coaching” then it shouldn’t include diagnosing or treating mental disorders. After the disastrous “Anxiety” section it was clear Elam was overreaching, but if he’s encouraging men who are suicidal to call him then he hasn’t give one thought to the ethical guidelines for counseling while brewing up the “Narrative Coaching for Men (NCM)” scam. Elam doesn’t even bother to write new material about men most at risk; he doesn’t even name this section “depression” and/or “suicide”. Is that a way to avoid liability?

This fucking guy.

FYI, Since Elam had already left the treatment center in this story, it’s been 25 years since he last worked as a substance abuse counselor.

YoullNeverGuess
9 years ago

You just need to take one space out: “The penis in your hand” and then, a picture of Elam.

Also, Elam, button up your shirt, you hussy.

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