David Futrelle posted today about the attack on a university student in Kingston, Canada, possibly by an MRA, and the hay that AVfM (A Voice for Men) was having with this news. AVfM is vigorously denying any culpability, whilst at the same time attacking the victim as either (1) a liar (who presumably punched herself?), or (2) an instigator who got what was coming to her for protesting the presence of an MRA speaker on her campus. The usual cast of characters weigh in, including some weird over-sharing by Karen Straughan, the manosphere's version of Camille Paglia. Straughan, while conceding the perpetrator might have been influenced by anti-feminist rhetoric, suggests he was in some way justified: if you kick a dog enough he will eventually bite. (Because, you know, men are dogs in danger of being "metaphorically castrated" by feminists. Or something.)
As sad and scary as this news is, I am glad the young woman wasn't more seriously injured. And I take some bitter satisfaction in the way this incident will discredit Paul Elam and his gang of thugs even further, which is perhaps in the long run for the good.
Amongst the comments was a link to an article by feminist blogger Sady Doyle that was written three years ago. The title ("A Girl's Guide to Staying Safe Online") is ironic, given that the list of "suggestions" that follow are impossible for anyone who wishes to have an online voice. The bottom line? Being a feminist blogger = abuse. Of course it's one thing to be called "a cunt" "a slut" or a lunatic, it's quite another to have your teeth knocked in.
Of course, the AVfM Grand Pooh Bah had a word or two to say about Sady's article: "But no matter what you do, you are going to see a lot more of the
things you don’t like in the future... courtesy of
the men’s movement. Simply put, we are coming for you. All of you. And by the time we are done you will wax nostalgic over the days when
all you had to deal with was someone expressing a desire to fuck you up
your shopworn ass."
So what is the answer? "Ultimately," Sady concludes, "the best way to 'stay safe' online may simply be to stay
online. After all: If there’s no one left willing to complain about the
harassment, what are the odds that it’s going to change?"
Ah yes, the old 'We didn't do it, but even if we did do it we were right to do it, even though we didn't' defense.
ReplyDeleteEven the specific group d’Entremont was campaigning against has condemned the attack upon her, presumably because they have some measure of political intelligence. But with allies like AVfM they don't need enemies.
Lately, I've seen signs of a schism developing between the MRM and the rest of the "Red Pill" crowd (the members of the latter group seeing the members of the former as a bunch of bitter "beta" losers), which has often made me think, rather naively, that MRAs aren't so bad after all. Then shit like his happens, and reminds me that, no, they really aren't any better than the rest of the people who comprise the Manosphere.
ReplyDelete