So @benschoen, the putatively feminist co-founder of feminspire and the former co-host of a popular Harry Potter podcast, is having a bit of a meltdown on Twitter at the moment.
Well, more than a bit of a meltdown. He’s flying apart like the washing machine in the video above, announcing and quickly canceling online “press conferences,” lashing out at critics with bizarre “jokes” and weird threats, and generally acting like a giant ass.
For example:
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633325425272451072
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633712589265088512
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633715930883846144
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633468512250535940
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633461383309475840
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633422642805084162
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633398579042865154
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633322695397142528
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633715165054267393
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633382676746121216
In addition to joking about menstruation and comparing himself to woman-beating pro football player Ray Rice, he’s also made some super-funny jokes about committing suicide:
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633322086551953408
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633342393815842820
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633382587113820160
Oh, and for some reason he keeps mentioning Hitler.
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633716053026205696
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633397429820354560
https://twitter.com/benschoen/status/633390461143654400
The whole thing started yesterday when Buzzfeed writer Grace Spelman posted screenshots of some Tweets and messages Schoen had sent her — first hitting on her in an exceedingly creepy manner and then reacting with fury and additional creepiness when she politely told him she had a boyfriend.
After Spelman posted her screenshots, other women came forward who said they’d had their own weird experiences with Schoen, including the co-founder of feminspire and a former writer for the site, both of whom evidently left the site because they couldn’t deal with Schoen’s creepy ass any more.
You can read more of the details over on NYmag.com, or on Jezebel, or on Spelman’s Twitter timeline. Or watch the continuing horrorshow live on Twitter.
Are there any lessons to be learned from all this? Why, yes, there are. Here are 8 Ways to Not Be a Male Feminist Creep, inspired by Schoen’s meltdown.
1) If you’ve never spoken to a woman before and the only reason she knows who you are is because she was a fan of a podcast you were on eight years ago, don’t be surprised if she doesn’t respond to a completely out-of-the-blue tweet to her.
2) And for god’s sake don’t try to force her to respond by going all stalkery on her.
3) And if she doesn’t respond to your stalkerish Tweets, don’t write her an even creepier Facebook message, I mean what the fuck were you even hoping to accomplish with this, dude?
4) And if she actually responds politely to all this creepiness and gently suggests you move on (see above), don’t send her a series of angry, insulting Tweets.
5) And then don’t write her a furious 1500 word diatribe that you don’t send, then write an, er, “apology” that you do send that starts off by mentioning the furious 1500 word diatribe you didn’t send.
6) When the woman you’ve thoroughly creeped out with all of this shit posts screenshots to Twitter, don’t dig your hole deeper with an endless stream of awful Tweets (see above).
7) And when your meltdown becomes so spectacular that it actually attracts press coverage, don’t send a message to one press outlet declaring that
I have done more for the cause of advancing women’s rights than any of the people who are criticizing me.
Because, dude, you haven’t.
And even if you had, it still wouldn’t justify any of this.
But, you know what, you don’t need to remember all of these rules if you can just remember the following:
8) If you send a message to a woman you’ve never spoken to before in your life and she doesn’t respond, just move the fuck on.
How hard is that?
I found Cats Against Feminism trivializing. I did not feel like he approached the issue of the female anti-feminists with the same seriousness that he does blatant misogynistic MRA trolls. I did not like the symbolism of comparing the largely female group to cats as it reminds me of other memes, which are misogynistic. I didn’t like the people who ran amok with the meme and used it to be misogynistic. confusedcatsagainstfeminism.tumblr.com
I did politely ask why. I still really want to know.
And stop gaslighting me as if anyone responded asking why. I was attacked immediately, called a man, an MRA and a troll. Get over yourselves.
Oh, okay. Thank you for answering. That was really going to bother me.
@isidore13 (idk how to comment to someone)
I found Cats Against Feminism trivializing. I did not feel like he approached the issue of the female anti-feminists with the same seriousness that he does blatant misogynistic MRA trolls. I did not like the symbolism of comparing the largely female group to cats as it reminds me of other memes, which are misogynistic. I didn’t like the people who ran amok with the meme and used it to be misogynistic. confusedcatsagainstfeminism.tumblr.com
There is no way to comment specifically to someone, @username is the best way to make sure the person knows you are responding to them. Thank you again for answering.
Let’s look at this “innocent comment”, shall we?
You still have yet to explain how this is “problematic behavior”, and people only pointed out that this is satire and was making fun of a silly anti-feminist hashtag.
And we explained to you that white male privilege doesn’t automagically equal bad, and we’re grateful that David’s using his privilege to move through spaces we can’t to keep us informed of the gross shit anti-feminists/Meninists/MRAs are up to.
He’s being a damn good ally, and I don’t think he ever ID’d as a “male feminist”.
Apparently not as much as you thought you did.
And I’m a 25 year old, female college graduate. I don’t see what this has to do with anything, especially on the internet, no one can really prove such a statement without giving out personal information.
What a coinky-dink then that it spells such a vile word.
Perhaps if you weren’t too busy being passive-aggressive that we dare criticize you for doing a poor job of criticizing someone, then perhaps you could learn 2 dictionary.
Case in point.
Have you really lurked around here for a while? I feel like you haven’t, or else you would have seen that we criticize the fuck out of each other all the damn time, sometimes to the point of dooming threads.
And we criticize David when he’s in the wrong too.
Good, glad we agree.
However, I don’t think that this means you’re above criticism either.
There you go with the passive-aggressive bullshit again.
No one said you can’t have an opinion, for fuck’s sake, we’re just asking you why you think that way because we’re confused as to what your reasoning is you petulant child.
Oh, and props for calling Bina an MRA for disagreeing with you, even though they’re a regular and have been commenting on here for some time, and we happen to know that’s false as fuck. (Oh, and they run their own feminist blog!)
I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say regular idiot, SFHC.
Lol I love how an MRA troll (Scented Fucking High Chairs) is trying to turn around and pretend that I’m the MRA troll. You need to up your game. You can’t pull the ‘boo hoo you’re criticizing a man therefore you’re calling him satan’ card and then turn around and pretend I’m the MRA. Lmaoooooo
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me4ks5A6mq1r61fns.png
“No one said you can’t have an opinion, for fuck’s sake, we’re just asking you why you think that way because we’re confused as to what your reasoning is you petulant child.”
That’s not what happened. Just stop. The comments are still up, you can’t rewrite history and pretend people asked me what I meant.
You’re angry that the author of a blog that mocks misogyny made a secondary site to mock misogyny? Okay. But sure, not being able to read your mind must mean we think David is our god. Are we misogynists or misandrists? I can’t keep up!
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f974a85f90698fad44b7b50ce1963b4b/tumblr_nt57m6O37s1ri36afo1_500.gif
“And we explained to you that white male privilege doesn’t automagically equal bad”
I NEVER CALLED HIM BAD. YOU PEOPLE NEED HELP.
“You’re angry that the author of a blog that mocks misogyny made a secondary site to mock misogyny? ”
Jesus Christ. No, I just found the way he did it problematic. Which is what I said.
Did it…have to be said?
“Oh, and props for calling Bina an MRA for disagreeing with you, even though they’re a regular and have been commenting on here for some time, and we happen to know that’s false as fuck. (Oh, and they run their own feminist blog!)”
You’re calling me an MRA and I’m a fucking woman of color. If you all can call whoever you want an MRA, I can too. Apparently the term means nothing here.
Katz, did it kill anyone that it was said?
I love it when people try to pull bullshit like we can’t just fucking scroll up and see that it’s a lie.
Also, again, learn 2 dictionary. Gaslighting doesn’t mean what you’re trying to imply it means.
Also, kind of hard to tell who has what gender in a fucking internet comment section. And it’s not like we haven’t heard this same shit from a bunch of MRA trolls looking to get a stupid fucking “gotcha” on us.
Get over yourself first, then you can come and talk with the adults.
Someone’s got a bad case of “repeat what the grownups say like it’s a magic word.”
They are. Good thing I did ask you what you meant, and I can repost it as many times as you like.
Care to try again?
@eugenicides
May I point you, once again, to the comments policy, as “you people need help” also falls into the ableist insult category? I’m not saying you yourself are ableist, to forestall that — but you probably should read the comment policy.
I think part of the problem is that you came in criticizing a blog you’ve now admitted you’ve barely read, assuming that your issue hadn’t already been addressed earlier when this blog is years old and has hundreds of posts.
> Implies we’re just supposed to know that she’s a woman of color
> Comes in all high and mighty and says that David’s problematic, then snaps at everyone in a highly passive-aggressive manner when we ask for clarification
> Calls regulars who’ve been commenting here for years MRAs, under the excuse of “NO, U!”
Yup. You’re totes being the rational one here, and we’re totes in the wrong.
Can someone shine the WWTH-signal?
As our resident Trollsmeller Pursuivant, I’d be interested in what her instinct say about your new friend.
http://forums.oce.leagueoflegends.com/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=10843