Translate

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Wrung Out

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind."  (unattributed quote, 17th c.?)

28 comments:

  1. I know what you mean, discovering the manosphere also showed me vividly the kind of adversity civil rights advocates actually had to face. As a millennial, (AKA born during "third wave" feminism), I always kind of took my rights for granted and never faced such adversity. Now I realize we still kind of have a long way to go to seal the deal. I'm currently reading a biography about Ruby Bridges, and the kind of hate she faced as a little girl just for being enrolled in a white school. It's sad and scary people can be reduced to such bad emotions.

    Anyway, thank you for the good blog and have a great New Year's!

    -allthedots/Women'sComedy blogger

    ReplyDelete
  2. While I agree that it's a healthy decision - these people are one-note whack jobs - I am sorry to see you go!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've found that my interest in commenting on manosphere stuff goes up and down too. At some point enough becomes enough and I end up writing about other things. I wish you all the best and Happy Holidays and New Year and whatnot. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, sorry to see you go, I was quite getting into your blog. But you're right about not focusing too much on that tiny minority of losers, there are more interesting people out there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, sorry to see you go, I was quite getting into your blog. But you're right about not focusing too much on that tiny minority of losers, there are more interesting people out there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've read your blog for sometime and always found it an interesting exercise in towing the party line. Everything you say is so mind-crushingly politically correct that I'm glad there are writers like Roosh and Matt Forney pushing the envelope. Surely life can't be as bland as you paint it.

    As to the Manosphere there are obviously extremes. A lot is written to gain attention and has a satirical slant. The fact you're unable to appreciate this probably says more about you than the writers you try and shame.

    One of the things I've never seen you address or even acknowledge is the extremes of feminism. Why do you think the Manosphere exists. It's a reaction to a society that has told young men they're worthless, while removing all accountability from a woman's actions.

    In the main most people rub along fine, but I do find there is worth in the writings of the Manosphere. One of the key tenants of the movement is that of self improvement and how can that be a bad thing?

    I also urge you to read the writings of the Rational Male, who more than anyone really does illustrate female primacy in our society.

    I've also noticed that you have quite the flair for the dramatic - much like Roosh himself. This is the second time you've quit your blog because you have better things to do. I wonder if you'll return.

    For me I hope you do. I'd love to see you try and address some actual issues rather than parroting right on rhetoric all the time.

    I don't expect you to publish this comment as you seem hellbent on rejecting any point of view that doesn't correspond with your own. Stalanism in action and another example of an ideology that refuses to acknowledge what other people may feel and think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like you're gonna miss me!

      Delete
    2. 'Rational Male', isn't that the one that's always asserting women can't love in the same way men can, because women's emotions are driven by opportunism? Oh, and then states that women are all innately solipsistic?
      Btw, satire is when you make statements so ridiculous as to make a case for the opposite, the likes of Roosh and Forney indulge in hyperbole.

      Delete
    3. See what happens? The second you call it quits, the dregs of the manosphere come screaming out of the woodwork to philoso-babble about "female supremacy." With you no longer updating this blog, how will I get my manosphere updates without driving myself insane? Don't tell me "Manboobz"; you know it's not the same.

      Your writings will be greatly missed.

      Delete
    4. Yes, let's read the Rational Male, surely the feminine imperative conspiracy nut has so much to teach us.

      Delete
    5. It seems like your idea of masculinity is being an asshole - and yes, society largely does not respect that.

      Leave women alone and try to be virtuous, hardworking, and achievement-oriented (things that are actually still in fashion.)

      Delete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I will miss you. But unfortunately other people are much better writers. Camile Paglia just nails it. But keep trying.

    http://online.wsj.com/public/page/reader-comments.html?baseDocId=SB10001424052702303997604579240022857012920&headline=Camille%20Paglia%3A%20A%20Feminist%20Defense%20of%20Masculine%20Virtues

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. /But unfortunately other people are much better writers.

      I forgot in which part of her blog she said she was the best writer, maybe you can link that to us, too?

      I understand Camille Paglia's allure to the MRA types, I most certainly do.

      Delete
    2. /But unfortunately other people are much better writers.

      I forgot in which part of her blog she said she was the best writer, maybe you can link that to us, too?

      I understand Camille Paglia's allure to the MRA types, I most certainly do.

      Delete
  9. or in fact:

    http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303997604579240022857012920

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Back in college, a professor once cautioned me about the danger of writing what "sounded good" at the expense of writing what was "true." I wonder if Camille Paglia has ever been so cautioned. Back when it first came out, I thought "Sexual Personae" was fascinating -- even though Paglia's prose style is apt to give me vertigo. She must be a stimulating (if exhausting) dinner companion -- assuming anyone else could get a word in edgewise. However, like most professional provocateurs, she is exists to provoke, not to reflect or pose pragmatic solutions. If you really examine what she writes, you find it riddled with inconsistencies and lack of evidence. Lots of bold, dazzling declarations that may or may not be true. There is nothing wrong with all of that, BTW. I totally understand her appeal and once in a while she makes brilliant observations.

      Delete
    2. And I give you this in return.
      http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/12/camille-paglia-doesnt-understand-how-civilizations-commit-suicide/282733/

      Delete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Although it is neither kind nor necessary for you to point out other people write better than I do, it is not "unfortunate" in the least. I am very fortunate to write (and think) just well enough to appreciate those with superior talent and intellect.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Maybe that was harsh and a little cruel and I apologise. She's paid after all and probably has a pretty good Sub editing her work.

    I agree with your professor but the simple fact is there has been a generation of men that have been brought up to believe that masculinity is a crime. I mean I walk around the underground and see posters that say 'Real men know the difference'. I mean what the fuck? Are all men are just rapists in hiding?

    Truth be I'm not a good man or a particularly moral man. I sleep with several women at once and I will lie to get what I want. I accept this. I'm good at Game and whether you like it or not it does work. At the same time I've met women ten times worse than me. The fact is equality cuts both ways.

    For all its bluster this is what the Manosphere preaches. Men know they're beasts. Christ it's all we've heard since we were born. You kick a dog enough time and he wants to be kicked. What do you think fuels the Nice Guy TM phenomena. These will cut off their balls off to prove they're not a would-be rapist in waiting.

    But at least that is accepted. It seems to me that any view of women that suggests they're flawed human beings is met with a barrage of shaming. You're a misogynist. You have a small dick.

    As I said equality cuts both ways. The red pill is about realising women shouldn't be put on a pedestal. That they have faults like everyone else.

    What's interesting about the Manosphereis it's growth.The Reddit post has got serious traction and the mainstream media has started to pick up on it. You have to ask the question why?

    There is going to be a whole generation of young men who are reading this stuff online. Why? Because they're searching for a place that values masculinity. That doesn't demonise them for being men.

    Their fathers can't give them the answer because they've grown up in a society that doesn't value the vast majority of males.

    The Manosphere will continue while society acts this way. It will be a new rights of passage for a lot of young males and whether you agree with it or not it's here to stay.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't disagree that a lot of young males are entering a society that doesn't value them. We're in an economy where young men can't find jobs that pay decent wages, which is pretty damn emasculating. Every time one of my male students drops out to join the military because he sees no other route other than becoming "cannon fodder", I want to puke. But the days when a semi-skilled man could find a job that allowed him to support a family in "middle class style" seem to be done and gone. Most folks I know are just hanging on with both partners working. Expelling women from the workforce is not going to change that.

      Here is an idea for you: There is no "gender war." It's all smoke'n'mirrors, drummed up to distract us from the real issues. "Divide and conquer" is the strategy, and it's utter toxic bull shit. Here is another idea for you: Quit looking to others to define YOUR manhood. Stop worrying about being a "masculine man" (whatever that happens to mean to you) and focus on being a really decent human being.

      I have no doubt the Manosphere will continue to expand for a while, but ultimately most people will see that it is part of a backlash to what is essentially an economic crisis. .

      Delete
  13. And I meant it when I said I would miss you. Even though I don't agree with what you say I always find it interesting to view another side of the argument. How else can we know the truth of our opinions?

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's an interesting point you make amount economics.
    They say one of the reasons the Irish question got resolved (well as much as it could be) was because the Republic's economy went through such a period of growth that people really didn't give a shit about blowing up pubs anymore.
    However, I don't fully agree that what men are facing today is a purely economic crisis. The military is a good example.
    I've known guys who have joined. Sure they've not faced the greatest prospects but more often than not they've been sliding off the rails and needed discipline. Now economics plays a part, but what the military gives is a sense of ritual and belonging.
    A lot of us don't go in for it but for those that do it seems to play a passage of rights. There's been quite a lot of work how men in Western culture never really go through this and the impact that plays.
    As for being a masculine man it's not something I worry about. My friends see me as something as a throwback, calling me a misogynist in front of their girlfriends to win brownie points. The fact is I'm direct and don't apologise for my rather anti-PC opinions.
    That said I don't want to see women out of the workforce or out of anywhere. If a career is what you want then go for it. It's just I see quite a few girls in their 30s who are slowly realising the 'you can have it all' mantra was not so true. To paraphrase another feminist 'It's not men who put the greatest constraints on women, it's Mother Nature.'
    What I am concerned about is how boys are being brought up to unquestionably assume that women are the better sex. That somehow all their problems will end as long as they love and respect the feminine, regardless of how bat shit crazy she is.
    It comes down to what I said before - equality cuts both ways. I'd just like to see a landscape that acknowledges that we're all scrabbling around in the mud.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "What I am concerned about is how boys are being brought up to unquestionably assume that women are the better sex."

      There aren't enough lols in the world.

      Is that why I see so many commercials these days (beer or otherwise) that play to the cult of masculinity worship?

      Delete
  15. And as Bogey said: Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, I guess not. But don't worry man, you'll have your Rational Male to keep you warm at night.

      Delete
  16. Fade to us walking down a tarmac....

    (What a classic way to finish this blog)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting!