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The reviews are in! Well, technically speaking, a review is in.
The Village Voice’s Alan Scherstuhl has posted his review of Cassie Jaye’s The Red Pill, her totally objective documentary about the Men’s Rights Movement that was funded in part by some of the people featured in it and that will be opening in theaters a theater Friday
Let’s just say he didn’t like it:
[F]or two agonizing hours, Jaye tumbles slowly down America’s stupidest rabbit hole, discovering that Men’s Rights Activists are actually just dudes who have been dicked over by a culture that punishes masculinity. …
Jaye acknowledges in the opening and closing minutes that MRAs sometimes spew nasty garbage online, but she never presses them on this in her many interviews. Instead, she lets them moan about how hard it is to be a dude in 2016, endorsing their anecdotal complaints about unfair family courts, incidents of men being tricked into being fathers and — I didn’t quite follow this one — one father’s conviction that the women who had custody of his son were systematically trying to make the boy fat.
One can only assume that they are fattening him up before they EAT HIM.
Confused MRAs, apparently unable to understand how anyone could possibly hate a film they’re pretty sure they’re going to just love, have responded to Scherstuhl’s review by crying “conspiracy.”
In a comment on the Village Voice, MRA David King (presumably the same David King who is the “Chief Information Officer” for A Voice for Men) suggests that “[s]omething definitely stinks, and it’s not the film under review.”
He submits these, er, facts to a candid world:
• September 29, Cassie Jaye tweeted “Events surrounding The Red Pill documentary are getting curiouser and curiouser”, the same day Scherstuhl tweeted that he’d “agreed to review” TRP, the same day Scherstuhl invited a well-known anti-male MRA antagonist to DM him via Twitter.
Just FYI, the “well-known anti-male MRA antagonist” in question is apparently little old me, though I’m pretty sure I am not actually anti-male. I didn’t DM Scherstuhl, though I think I retweeted a couple of his Tweets.
King continues:
• October 4, HP and Village Voice publish this hit piece using present-tense language (“this movie is playing in two American theaters”) strongly implying that the author has seen a film which doesn’t debut for another 3 days on October 7,
HOW ON EARTH DID A FILM REVIEWER SEE A FILM BEFORE IT WAS EVEN OUT oh wait that’s how film reviewing works.
• so Scherstuhl has not seen it at a theatre and cannot have seen it anywhere else unless either a) invited to by CJ (in which case HP and Village Voice, at which Scherstuhl is an editor, have violated the embargo such previews usually carry) or b) he has acquired a copy illegally.
Since both HP and VV have published this review already, since embargoes on unreleased films are the norm, and barring decent evidence of mismanagement on the part of CJ and her team, that rather heavily points at the latter. Whichever the case, violation of contract (best case) or breaking the law (worst case) doesn’t look good for either HP or Village Voice.
Yes, because films are NEVER reviewed before they hit theaters oh wait.
• If the author has not seen it, then he’s lying through his teeth both in the article’s content and about its provenance. He misrepresents the review as being based on an alleged viewing post public release but, owing to an editorial screw-up, the copy got released days before it should have been, proving that his article is a premeditated and contrived attack motivated by political animus.
• There are numerous tells in the language used in this article that strongly hint at an agenda and a prior conclusion (read: closed mind) so it almost doesn’t matter whether Scherstuhl did see it or not because the actual content of the film would make no difference to the content of the article.
King blathers on for a while along these lines, and even mentions me by name once! It’s good to be noticed.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, the lovable Dan Perrins seems to suggest that I might have actually paid Scherstuhl for his review.
A ? for the lawyers.
I'd also suspect some payola for the review as well.
Given @DavidFutrelle lack of integrity— Dan Perrins (@BlackBeard20096) October 4, 2016
Apparently Dan lives in an alternate universe in which men are oppressed and I am filthy rich.
Speaking of films, here is a short documentary about a capybara who jumps into a pool and plays with a pool noodle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291Bry2FlsU
@Rudy
1)I don’t live there. I have no say there. I have a vote here. Jackass
2)Yes, I’m concerned. Not cos it’s hard to emigrate there but cos of what that means. Yes, it makes me hate those places. Not cos of the restrictions but cos of their source. Those are totalitarian regimes who stomp down on those who aren’t like them, don’t conform, or are critical of the ruling class. I’d like my country not to become like those, thanks much. Jackass
@Scildfreja
Word
Expansion. Improper analogy. There’s no flood of million of refugees coming out of China and Saudi Arabia, and there’s no decades-long history of us going over there, pounding homes of our neighbours into rubble, bombing, killing, and raping through a concerted effort to destabilize the region so as to get cheaper oil.
If China and Saudi Arabia had been doing that to us for the past 20 years, and then decided to ban our entry into their countries when we’re fleeing for our lives? You bet your bottom dollar I’d hate them, with a fiery incandescence.
Also interesting that you’re okay with joining the ranks of China and Saudi Arabia regarding liberty of movement. They call the West “The Free World” for a reason. I guess you’re interested in dropping that facade and joining with “The Unfree World” instead?
Finally, I’ll just leave a pseudoquote from a recent tweet from George Takei here for you. Your argument and position is the sort of attitude that put the Japanese into internment camps during the 40’s. “Safety” indeed.
@policy of madness
I don’t necessarily disagree with your aim of reducing the number of men, I just disagree with your methods.
@Roger
Faking earnestness
From such blatant sarcasm
Does you no favors.
You seem to be laboring under the assumption that I give even one shit about what you think. I do not. You can disagree all you like. It is irrelevant, because you are irrelevant. There is a 10% chance that you are a rapist, after all. Why should I care whether you agree with me?
Here it is:
https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/783486112991997952
@Roger, the whole “can’t we do both?” thing is bullshit, because:
a) we’ve shown a number of times that immigrants aren’t a threat to your safety, despite your feelings, therefore
b) you’re just afraid because you’re afraid. No actual reason. Which is a dumb way to decide on policy, especially when that policy erodes freedoms and harms people. And, yes, barring immigration of refugees harms them, because their lives continue to be in flux, in a camp instead of building a life. And finally,
c) since your fears are utterly disconnected from reality, nothing will make you unafraid. No policies will be more than a temporary balm. Fear ain’t rational. You’ll keep on selling off your liberties one by one for a little more security. You can go ahead and do that yourself, but please pardon us if we don’t want to go that way, and will fight you tooth and nail if you try to drag the country in that direction.
(Well, I won’t, I’m Canadian, but I’ll be cheering on my American friends as they fight and win. Which is what they’re doing. Go team!)
@ ooglyboggles
Heh, that was exactly the picture I was about to look for when I read that post.
@ Roger
Yeah, but your solution is more akin to “let’s reduce air passenger deaths by banning flying”.
More like reducing air passenger deaths by banning pickles.
@ ooglyboggles
Courtesy of one of my favourite poets, John Cooper Clarke
“we’ve shown a number of times that immigrants aren’t a threat to your safety”
Sorry, I missed that part.
As far as I’m concerned, crime by immigrants should be near to zero. Certainly a lot less than the rate of the existing population, otherwise what is the point in bringing them in?
Just destroying people’s lives for no good reason.
Hah hah, I’ll let someone else take this one. The short version is that this has already been addressed in the thread and even I saw it, coming in late. You are such a fucking idiot, in addition to being possibly a rapist.
@POM
I didn’t know that statistics existed on this.
I find this fascinating because — much like Roger claims to — I’ve experienced a lot of fear in my life. In my attempt to manage my fear and enhance my safety, I’ve created my own nonscientific statistics, based on my reading of the world.
And one in ten men is a rapist is the figure I came up with.
I based this on what I knew for a fact: that men who rape, rape more than one woman, usually several women or a lot of women.
I also based it on reports from my friends — unprompted reports. Lots of them have been raped.
One in ten men is a rapist.
But I see no need to ban men from immigrating. For one thing, 90 percent of them don’t rape. For another, I know that men — like other living creatures — can be taught to behave in pro-social ways.
And those that can’t can be removed from society until they learn to become pro-social.
That said, no one is ever completely safe. That’s life among the living.
@Alan
I love Judge Dredd too much to let such an obvious reference go unsaid. It is my favorite comic book and it always gives me a good laugh no matter what issue I flip through.
How amusing. I really should read some of his works. But his poem is pretty much why I do that. I can’t articulate myself when it comes to bigoted scaredy cats with their pseudoscience without cursing like a drunken sailor. So instead I limit myself to seventeen syllables, sometimes more with a quatrain or a canto. Because honestly everyone else has done a very, very thourough job of debunking his nonsense with citations and highlighting absurdities. I might as well find some way to contribute.
@Kat
Statistics do exist.
https://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/meet-the-predators/
https://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/predator-redux/
Roger is so unintentionally funny trying to act as though he’s serious in his mansplainin’.
But also, you know, trying to make it clear that he’s kidding around, yanking our chain.
What a goofball!
As though we don’t all live in the real world, some of us as women, who (naturally) take our own personal safety really seriously.
Personally, I’ve been the least safe with my own family, the people whose DNA is closest to my own. I don’t advocate deporting them — sorry, Roger, nowhere to send those people outside the USA. I also don’t advocate deporting myself, which Roger would want to do, just based on the fact that my DNA makes me closely related to dangerous people. So sorry, Roger, I am also undeportable — you’ll just have to deal with it.
Nah, I’ll just do my best to keep myself safe while also experiencing life among many kinds of people in a big city — and in a neighborhood that isn’t completely free of crime! Also, I own no gun. I’m walking around a big city in the USA in possession of a vagina and with no gun.
Am I some kind of superhero — or what???!!!
ETA: POM, thanks for the linx!
@ ooglyboggles
If you like cursing once again Mr Cooper Clarke is your man.
https://youtu.be/3KgB-sI2H-c
@Oogly
And a wonderful contribution indeed
@Roach
I could think of 1004 reasons, but what would be the point?
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”
It is. Like I linked.
Here, let me link it again for you.
And another link.
And another link.
And another link.
Here’ the Wikipedia article. Take a look at how many footnotes there are on that first sentence. Each one is its own link to a source.
Yet another example where you figure that your gut instinct is good enough, but turns out to be entirely, completely wrong, and leads your to a terrible conclusion.
I think you’re a superhero, @Kat.
@Axe
At least I’m glad it wasn’t that self indulgent.
@Roger
The professionals
Find your claims completely false.
You insipid shit.
Give me evidence
That all those links are untrue.
Reveal them to me.
Grant us your insight
Your so called “Ace in the Hole.”
Don’t leave us hanging.
Holy crap, that’s almost comical. Like the editors are saying “DO YOU BELIEVE US NOW??”
Anyone know any good hairstyle mods for men for Skyrim? That isn’t anime style? All the mods I’ve found are for women, pretty much. Men deserve good hair too, ya know.
You all are doing a great job explaining everything that is wrong with Roger’s comments. But I wanted to give my 2 cents also because I’m so sick of bigotry.
Why would anyone say this if they weren’t a bigot? I say “I’m afraid of people who hurt other people,” I’m not going to single out a race or nationality.
I can’t believe we have bigotry disguised thinly as “concern” or just “evolution psych” or saying “non pc stuff” or whatever in this century. 🙁
@ Scildfreja
Thanks for the links. Sadly, I’m not confident Roger will read them.
Plus, he seems to think that the pain of losing a loved one to violence is indirectly proportional to how many generations the person’s family has been in the country. So, even though immigrants actually decrease the violent crime rate of the country, they are all bad if a single one of them kills a True American.
We should only allow immigration of religious and ethnic groups you don’t like if no one from those groups ever commits murder…how they compare to the native population doesn’t matter…is that about right, Roger? Good, kindly fuck off and take your bigotry with you.
For something more positive I thought I would share some things I’m putting into a blog post. I made this before some of the first bronies ate themselves after their exodus from 4chan. Fandoms do funny things to people. I joined a social descendant of 4chan.
http://i.imgur.com/VfUbXIo.jpg
It became habit and evolved.
http://i.imgur.com/MCiBCBW.jpg