Matt Forney tries to smear another female journalist, and not only does hilarity fail to ensue*, only his fan boys are apt to notice.
I am heartened to see mainstream media is picking up on the story of how online misogyny not only reflects, but also generates, the toxic undercurrents of misogyny that persist in our culture.
Caitlin Dewey of The Washington Post has written an excellent report "inside the manosphere," with particular attention to some of its most odious and notorious players. Their response has been to resurrect their favorite form of retaliation, a Google-able character assassination in which Forney has the gall to accuse Dewey of "libel" because she identifies Forney as a "professional Internet troll" and compares Roosh and Forney to Fred Phelps. (Actually, the WBC arguably had more integrity than the New Misogynists since they were at least willing to challenge their opponents face-to-face. Forney or Roosh, on the other hand, would probably wet their pants if they ran into me in a hotel lobby.)
"This is despite the fact that neither Roosh nor I engage in
illegal activity, encourage others to break the law, or write about
anything other than masculine self-improvement."
Actually, I am pretty sure that soliciting speed on twitter or teaching men how to get away with rape might fall into the category of "illegal activity." Oops, am I being libelous? See you in court, baby!
Anyway, trying to destroy a woman's reputation online only "works" if the woman you are attacking has no online presence or professional reputation to speak of... and even then, it doesn't really work, does it? (After all, I'm still here, and the only thing it succeeded in doing was to triple my readership and (gasp!) increase my self-esteem.)
Meanwhile, I'm feeling in very good company... Thanks, Caitlin!
* Forney just loves this tagline, which he shamelessly stole from Tucker Max -- whom he then rags on about for being a "plagiarist."
don't read the comments
ReplyDeleteNo, never read the comments.
DeleteSure, you can laugh now at The Forney-cator, but did you see today's post? Our lil' boyo is writing a book and here's a choice quote " I think this book will prove to be one of the most beautiful works of the beginning of the 21st century."
ReplyDeleteJunior is gonna break it down for all of us, it's gonna be bigger than The Holy Bible!
And what does he use for the photo? DaVinci's "David." Does Forney know DV is "teh ghey?" He does NOT like the "teh ghey!"
I just took a look at the excerpt and it is hilarious. Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up.
DeleteIt's not from Forney, it's from a "guest" called "Maximus" (as in "gluteus maximus").
http://www.donotlink.com/mattforney.com/2014/05/29/masculinity-reborn/.
Oops, I see that! "Maximum" is probably another dudelet in his twenties who Has Figured Out Life, Men and Women and What Should Be Done.
DeleteThat "hilarity ensues" phrase pops up all over the manosphere.
And in the beginning, Tucker Max begat Chateau; then Chateau begat Roosh, etc. etc.
He prides himself on being named "butt?" lol.
DeleteThe David sculpture was by Michelangelo. Or are you talking about another David?
DeleteSorry for the off topic.
You're right. Michelangelo is also believed to have been gay (or at least bi) of course. I've always seen "David" as a paean to masculine beauty. It's an odd choice of image in this context, isn't it?
DeleteWhenever the tag line reads "and hilarity ensues," it's a sure bet the story will be anything BUT amusing.
DeleteOops, went and read that 'Masculinity Reborn' piece. Forney must have been choking back his vomit when he allowed that to be posted. For all his wacky thinking, Forney's not a moron. Wonder what he thought he'd get out of posting that - some returned favour?
ReplyDeleteMind you, he acts like a moron sometimes, like that attack of Caitlin Dewey. Does he really think calling a Wash Post journalist a fraud will draw blood? Isn't that the name of the game for media?
Thanks for the link to Dewey's article, it is brilliant, measured and funny, no hysteria. Unfortunately chronically unself-aware MRA types are swarming all over it.
ReplyDeleteAh the hyberbole!
ReplyDeleteWho can disagree with Matt that "males and females, man and woman, are 100 percent different in every way"? Men has scales; women have feathers. Men fly through the air; women crawl on their bellies like reptiles. Men are green; women are red. Yes, the basic differences are obvious and manifold.
This is my favorite bit: "That the male is responsible for Darwin’s evolutionary propagation of all sexually reproducing life forms on earth.That the female is responsible for selecting new innovational, evolutionary paths and in a way only her feminine, whimsical, capricious and fanciful nature could possibly produce." The total failure (or refusal) to understand basic genetics... like the past 200 years of science never happened.
ReplyDeleteCinzia can you do a post on this wtf-ery?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.donotlink.com/jTu
Your wish is my command. And thanks for the link.
DeleteI just read that scintillating excerpt by Maximus, and in this instance hilarity does ensue. He really likes that statue doesn't he?
DeleteWell, his article is on page one of Google for her name, in the number two and number nine spots. I'd say he hit his mark.
ReplyDeleteA journalist she is not.
Being smeared by slime balls comes with the territory of criticizing the manosphere -- which, BTW, speaks volumes about the characters of the people it attracts. If your life consists primarily of anonymous interactions on the Internet, and you have little or no power in the physical world, you might wish to believe that "Google" is the arbiter of public opinion. However, I assure you the "real world" does not function that way. This sort of tactic primarily draws attention to the idiocy and viciousness of the perpetrator, and tends to generate either sympathy or admiration for the victim. Whatever your opinion of Caitlin Dewey's journalism is, neither her personal nor her professional life will suffer one iota (nor will mine).
DeleteWell that depends on your definition of journalist. If you define it as someone who writes articles which get published in mainstream magazines, then Caitlin Dewey is one. Of course you might not think the quality or content of her work merits that description, and you're free to hold that opinion.
DeleteHowever no matter how many false rumors Forney and his cronies spread about will have any bearing upon whether or not Caitlin Dewey is or continues to be a journalist.
He may be speaking his own truth. He is not speaking my truth. What's with the cryptic reference to a tumbling house of cards BTW? My Rx to you young man is to read less Matt Forney and more James Fell.
Delete