Every Friday is Memeday here on We Hunted the Mammoth. Today, we’re taking a look at some terrible antifeminist cartoons. But not just any terrible antifeminist cartoons: terrible antifeminist cartoons done in the style of old-school editorial cartoons. You know, the kind with stuff all labeled and shit.
I ran across the cartoon above on Reddit yesterday, and it’s an excellent example of this particular genre. My only real disappointment is that the artist didn’t take the time to label the five different balls ‘n’ chains set that poor Louis CK — I assume that’s supposed to be him — has attached to his legs and, in a clever twist, to his right arm.
Given the odds against him he seems weirdly cheerful.
UPDATE: As various people have pointed out, this is an MRA-ized version of a cartoon intended to highlight male privilege. I’ve posted the original at the end of this post, along with a translation of the caption helpfully provided by the original artist.
Next up is a cartoon that’s been floating around the manosphere for a while; I found it on the Twitter timeline of Hannah Wallen, one of the Honey Badgers and possibly the strangest “thinker” in the Men’s Rights world. (Well, alongside her fellow Honey Badger Alison Tieman.) I think she is the, er, artist here. I may be wrong, but the bizarro world logic of the cartoon is right up her alley.
This next one comes from her blog; presumably she’s the “artist” here as well.
You kind of have to admire the diligence in labeling almost everything in the cartoon that could possibly be labeled. But why not go all out and label absolutely everything? The pants should be labeled pants; the shirts should be labeled shirts; the shoes should be labeled shoes. (If those lumpy things in the foot area are indeed supposed to be shoes.)
I’m a little puzzled as to the meaning of the cartoon, though. Is is supposed to show that women have a harder time on the job because their weirdo bosses make them stand on boxes?
There are fewer labels in this next cartoon, by a Twitterer called @AntiFemComics, but the effect is just as confusing.
Apparently the evil feminists have tied up some mothers, and are sending them down Feminism River to certain death over Life of Regret Falls. What all that is supposed to mean I couldn’t tell you.
And given that the mothers are already tied up, why did the evil feminists need to take their paddles, too? It’s not like the mothers could do any paddling anyway. Feminists are just mean, I guess.
Let me end with a cartoon I found a couple of years ago. Sure, I’ve posted it here at least once already. But it’s a stone cold classic!
Take that, “Today’s Lace Curtain Dominated Media!” How dare you try to silence ALL MALE OPINIONS by hanging these opinions (which are also a dude) while wearing boxes on your heads! During what appears to be a total eclipse of the sun!
Maybe instead of trying to produce editorial cartoons, MRAs should just stick to what they’re good at. Which is nothing.
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https://twitter.com/Emanu_G/status/688668767694499840
Wait, that first cartoon lists “domestic violence” and “sexual harassment” as obstacles for MEN?
As for “higher standard,” that’s been tested repeatedly: send out identical resumes with male and female names, and the man gets the job offer – and at a higher salary.
Tara the Antisocial Social Worker
You have to understand the way they think* in order to parse this. What they mean is that they have to “overcome” the odious and unfair obstacle of *being accused* of these things, which to them is worse than being the target of them because reasons.
Obviously, to append the lable with the word “accusations” would somehow spoil the satiricalness of the cartoon. Or something.
*Ewwww!
Edited to add the second paragraph
@ hambeast
Don’t rule out the interpretation that they adopt that scale that ‘proves’ men are disproportionally the victims of DV.
You know…. that second cartoon… my initial impression was of a terrible accident involving a hundred-foot-tall woman, two electricians, and a ruptured electrical power line.
Same with all the other impressions after that one too. I mean, I have to work to see anything approaching a puppet theater. Nope. Ruptured aerial power lines all over, and they’re getting electrocuted, and Queen Kong figuring into it somehow and…
*trails off, fascinated* Wow.
@Banananana dakry
Your interpretations are much more fun than the actual cartoons.
(PS – Judging by your nom de net, I’m guessing Pterry fan?)
In China Tiger penises are aphrodisiacs but apparently you have to kill them first!
@Victorious Parasol
Thank you. I need to get seriously revved up on caffeine and/or sleep deprivation for the really fun stuff though.
And yes! Hallelujah, someone got it! Sometimes you just can’t stop spelling ‘banana’.
@Deborah Hitchens
That’s very sad. I say, let those tigers keep their penises. Men can muddle through life — and sex — somehow.
@Banananana dakry
As Alan Robertshaw and I have been discussing, a serious lack of sleep can lead to hallucinations. That’s when I know I Have to Go to Bed. (But I don’t necessarily do it. Deadlines!)
Grrr, I really hate the trade in animal parts for aphrodisiacs and other pointless ‘remedies’.
In some locations they’ve taken to poisoning rhino horn. That doesn’t harm the rhinos but it hopefully does deter people from using it as an aphrodisiac (they colour the horns so people can’t complain that they weren’t warned)
Unfortunately there’s no way of doing that with tiger penis, bear gallbladders or similar.
For people interested in a very fine woman who’s doing something to stop poaches I recommend you read up, and if possible support, Kinessa Johnson.
@ kat
Ha, I was actually able to pause from work earlier this evening, but in typical style, I’m now beyond sleep.
Did mean I could have a fascinating series of discussions with pandapool and others though.
I just wanted to give a heads up that the top photo used was originally created by Swedish illustrator Emanu who actually made it a feminist meme. His logo has been wiped off and the illustration has been edited to the worse.
The first picture is a really bad photoshop of a feminist cartoonist work named Emanu.
The characters are looking at each other in the original, that the man is looking out of the picture in this edit is so weird. The obstacles are copypasted and there is still residue of the shackle the woman wore in the original.
Here’s the original https://www.facebook.com/EmanuSatir/photos/a.1448285185400430.1073741829.1447146102181005/1483678588527756/?type=3&theater
And here is the article it was illustrated for http://fulskratt.blogspot.se/2014/05/positivt-tankande-kan-inte-andra-pa.html
@Saphira:
As far as I know, women who don’t fit into one UND PRECISELY VON neat box are committing misandry. If you’re a mother then you should stop having red hair and cease your feminism. For shame.
/s, needless to say.
@Banananana dakry Spelling it or saying it. (And have you ever imagined how much fun Nanny Ogg would have with MRAs or PUAs?)
@Victorious Parasol
Ohhh yes. I just thought of the idea, and all I got back from my brain was ‘EPIC MINDFUCK’ in gigantic flashing letters. Epic, EPIC mindfuck.
Granny Weatherwax would just put the fear of herself into them, because often the gods just didn’t follow through on that.
@Alan Robertshaw
So much of this makes me so angry. So many beautiful animals being poached and pushed to the point of extinction, just so some impotent rich guy gets a fraudulent cure for his boner.
@Kat
I am a chronic night owl. My body simply doesn’t seem to know when to sleep sometimes. Reality gets in the way most of the time, but sometimes the good thing about late nights is you can drown out the voices that hinder creativity, both externally and that damned internal self-censor.
@ Bananana….
Yeah, I’m able to keep a sense of detachment on just about everything but stuff like this, grrrrr!
I can’t really discuss this any further without breaching the site rules, but you can probably guess my feelings.
Rannvá: Don’t worry, people already noticed that. (Although David might want to put a note in the OP.)
Contrapangloss: Yes, indeed! I am a huge fan of The Thirteen Clocks! 🙂
Politics aside, I will always love incompetent cartoon edits. They just try so hard to make sense, and fail. Look at those copypasta crocodiles resized and placed more or less at random in the first one. And the composition of the first clipart collage is actually pretty awesome, even if I have no idea what the cartoonist is trying to say.