Mens Rights Thread

iptba · 09-11-2014 04:45AM

Two lists detailing issues and awareness in regard to the Men's Rights Movement (MRM)

Seriously? · 09-11-2014 07:34AM

good list there iptba.

iptba · 09-11-2014 10:53PM

Perhaps there is a better thread for this, but thought here could do:

The mother of a 6-year-old Colorado boy is furious that her son was suspended from school for kissing another young girl on the hand, something school officials called sexual harassment.

KRDO reports that Hunter Yelton, a first grader in Canon City, Colo., and a young girl had a crush on each other, and they shared a quick peck during class.

Because of that, Hunter now has "sexual harassment" on his permanent record.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/12/hunter-yelton-suspended-for-kissing-girl-on-hand-during-school-97934.html#ixzz3IcAmvMqB

iptba · 11-11-2014 04:10PM

From today's Irish Times digest:

Frances Fitzgerald opens new base for 'feminist change in Ireland'

Irish News Role of National Women's Council in promoting equality praised by Minister
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/fitzgerald-opens-base-for-feminist-change-in-ireland-1.1995672

She's the Minister for Justice and Equality

iptba · 14-11-2014 05:26AM

Letter in Today's Irish Independent:

Gender imbalance in teaching

Your edition of November 13 carries a report on the concern being expressed at the gender imbalance in third-level technology and engineering courses where male students are in the majority. This prompts the question: why are gender imbalances perceived as a problem?

Little concern is expressed in the media or anywhere else at the large and growing gender imbalance in the teaching profession, despite some UK research suggesting that this is contributing to the unfavourable academic performance of boys relative to girls, something which itself seems to arouse little concern. Is that because it is a male-related rather than a female-related issue?

Just to illustrate the growth of the gender imbalance in teaching in this country in recent decades, in 1971 the ratio of male to female teachers (primary and secondary combined) was 40:60, which actually represented a slight narrowing of the gap over the previous 10 years - in 1961, the ratio was 38:62.

Forty years later, in 2011, the ratio was 26:74. Breaking down the 2011 figures between secondary and primary teachers, the ratio at secondary level was 32:68 and at primary level it was 14:86. Presumably these imbalances are even larger today. Now, is it nothing more than a coincidence that the growth in the gender imbalance in teaching has coincided with the growth of the academic performance gap between boys and girls, illustrated, year after year, in the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert results?
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor-stress-bills-taxes-and-long-hours-its-a-generation-game-30743582.html

iptba · 17-11-2014 12:10AM

November 10 article:

Chris Good
Writer, Blogger, Musician, habitual Tinderer and coffee addict.

Why Feminism Is NOT 'The Fight for Equal Rights'
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-good/feminism-equal-rights_b_6111752.html

iptba · 17-11-2014 10:30PM

Puerto Rican Men Know All About Feminist “Verbal Abuse” Laws

Law 54 Disaster Offers Warning for Street-Harassment Prohibitionists

http://blog.panampost.com/frank-worley-lopez/2014/11/14/puerto-rican-men-know-all-about-feminist-verbal-abuse-laws/

Includes this story:

“I was accused under Law 54 two years ago for “verbal abuse,” whatever that means. In a phone conversation while my girlfriend was clearly out cheating, I called her a whore and a bitch. I made no threats, just two words.

She went to the police, and I was arrested at my house that night for Law 54 “verbal abuse.” I went to one hell of a dangerous prison and luckily was bailed out by a true friend who had to post US$7,500 cash as bond, since my bail was … ready for this? $75,000.

Yes, this was the first time I had ever been arrested. I didn’t even know calling a girl a dirty name was illegal in Puerto Rico. Perhaps I should make a cake and celebrate her cheating next time?

Well, after being bailed out from a third-world jail, I was ready to face a judge. Yes, it looked worse than those jails on Locked Up Abroad. There were drugs everywhere, no correction officers, 75 guys in one cage with cell phones, weapons, and gangs everywhere.

I went to court for the next four months every few weeks, since they kept postponing or denying motions. The woman who pressed charges never wanted me arrested; she was just doing what Puerto Rican women are trained to do: go to the police and cry.

She wanted the charges dropped, but she couldn’t manage that because it was the state versus me, not the accuser versus me. The prosecutor wanted three years in jail for me — I kid you not — for calling her a bad name. Three years out of my life in a stinky Puerto Rican prison.

Luckily the judge and eventually the prosecutor came to their senses and dropped the case. I left the island two weeks later, never to return.

I can’t explain how hopeless I felt, like I was in an Arab country being persecuted for something. And get this, I got lucky. When asked on trial if she needed a psychologist or was emotionally harmed by my two words, she said no. However, while I was in court I saw other girls cry and say “yes” that they needed counseling, and the men got whisked away for long jail terms.

Imagine if she had said yes. I would be in jail to this day.

It is crazy and corrupt in Puerto Rico. Do not come to visit or mingle with the women. It is a very serious problem, and I do not know of many friends who haven’t had Law 54 used against them. Only one deserved it, because he hit the girl. The other friends I know who faced Law 54 were simply there because their wives or girlfriends shed tears in front of a cop.

iptba · 17-11-2014 10:40PM

Twitter is going to work with a feminist group to deal with harassment of women on the internet (will this lead to censorship I wonder):

(November 10 article)
The SJWs Now Get To Police Speech On Twitter
http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2014/11/10/the-sjws-now-get-to-police-speech-on-twitter/

SJW=Social Justice Warrior

iptba · 18-11-2014 01:21AM

November 13 article

The internet hates men, and no one's a winner

The more the online anti-men trend gains traction, the more women will be deprived of decent male allies in the battle against abuse, says Jake Wallis Simons

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11228387/The-internet-hates-men-and-no-ones-a-winner.html

I read that the second video referred to, about a drunk girl on Hollywood Boulevard, is unreliable, that the participants thought it was a comedy sketch/similar:
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/13/men_from_drunk_girl_video_say_they_were_duped/

Piliger · 19-11-2014 06:37PM

A very good but depressing article in "Inside Man" today:

In January of this year, the Southbank Centre held the Being A Man festival, the first of its kind in the UK and organised by the same people who run the well-established, feminist-orientated, Women of the World Festival.

I was genuinely excited at the prospect of such a high-profile event that would put a vibrant discussion of men and masculinity at the heart of the UK’s cultural establishment. Except that isn’t what happened. What actually took place was a series of ideological set pieces, in which prominent feminists and

Over the course of two days, we were told that men should be feminists, but offered no view on why they shouldn’t be; that male violence against women is a problem, but given no views on the problem of female perpetrators and male victims; that porn is bad for you, but offered no perspectives on how men can explore, express and celebrate their sexuality. And so on.their allies told us what they think men are and how we need to change.

Swan Curry · 20-11-2014 12:45AM

iptba wrote: »

Twitter is going to work with a feminist group to deal with harassment of women on the internet (will this lead to censorship I wonder):

Are you really expecting anyone to take an article that uses the phrase 'Social Justice Warrior' seriously?Come on, it's the new 'Feminazi'.

The whole article is nonsense btw, no one is having their speech censored, they've just made reporting harassment on Twitter more efficient.

Seriously? · 20-11-2014 09:13AM

Swan Curry wrote: »

The whole article is nonsense btw, no one is having their speech censored, they've just made reporting harassment on Twitter more efficient.

When their stated aim is to broaden the breadth of reported posts to match their ideology I think we can assume they seek to censor opposing views.

Feminism and censorship increasingly go hand in hand as anyone who has read this forum can see documented in increasing frequency.

Wibbs · 20-11-2014 09:45AM

Swan Curry wrote: »

Are you really expecting anyone to take an article that uses the phrase 'Social Justice Warrior' seriously?Come on, it's the new 'Feminazi'.

OH I'm with you on the SJW tag. It's too lazy a label.

The whole article is nonsense btw, no one is having their speech censored, they've just made reporting harassment on Twitter more efficient.

On this I can see the point of the article to much more of a degree. Better reporting of online abuse is to be welcomed, however the problem is elevating one and a one sided quasi political group with an agenda to set what is and what is not "harassment". In this case a feminist organisation at the more extreme end of that sphere. Check out their FAQ page. Chock full of third wave US college "feminism" and not a little nonsense. They're almost a caricature of such extremists.

And they admit straight up that their idea of harassment is a broad church. As they say themselves "“We’ll be escalating even if they don’t fit Twitter’s exact abuse guidelines,” Friedman said. WAM intends to “cast a wider net” and see what Twitter’s moderators address. Basically if you don't agree with their political position you're guilty of "harassment". And this has already led to accounts being suspended for "wrong think". As one observer noted; "Gone are the accounts of Mykeru, a critic of feminism within the Atheist-Skeptic movement, as well as Janet Bloomfield, Social Media Director of A Voice for Men. Their accounts also disappeared in the past three days. Thunderf00t, another prominent critic of feminism within the Skeptic movement, had his account suspended for close to a month. None of these accounts were abusive or harassing. The only thing they had in common was that they were all critical of feminism."

ancapailldorcha · 20-11-2014 11:23AM

I'm reminded of a quote.

"Success breeds contempt for the very qualities that purchased it."
-Steven Erikson, House of Chains.

It seems that these "feminists" are trying to stifle any debate or criticism through these measures now that feminism has thankfully become more mainstream. Hatred of criticism is the hallmark of bullies, charlatans and bigots and this lot are no different.

iptba · 21-11-2014 04:19PM

(November 10 article)

22 years on, I'm republishing my controversial book on the failings of feminism

Neil Lyndon's 1992 book No More Sex War was greeted with such hostility, it almost ruined him. He explains why it's time to publish it again

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/11216787/22-years-on-Im-republishing-my-controversial-book-on-the-failings-of-feminism.html

This guy was possibly the first person I came across who criticised feminism and questioned the view of the world they presented (men had all the privileges, women had all the disadvantages). I recall reading his articles in the Sunday Times in 1990 and it was like an epiphany.

He subsequently endured a lot of abuse.

iptba · 21-11-2014 04:21PM

Here's some info from Wikipedia on what Neil Lyndon faced (he also discusses it a little in his latest article mentioned above).

Writings on feminism

Lyndon first focused on gender issues in a 1990 essay for the Sunday Times Magazine entitled "Badmouthing". The 5,000-word piece argued that, in advertising, entertainment, the news media, family law, education and health research, "an atmosphere of intolerance surrounded men", blaming this intolerance on "the universal dominance of feminism".[5] It later emerged that female writers at The Times had attempted to have the article censored, although this was unsuccessful they instead wrote a derogatory article about Lyndon in the magazine's "Style" section.[8]

No More Sex War

The following year he wrote his book, No More Sex War: The Failures of Feminism,[9] published in 1992, in which he expanded on these arguments.

Reception

The work received a large amount of attention in the media,[10] most of it hostile and abusive, vilifying Lyndon.[11]

Rather than addressing the issues and arguments raised by Lyndon, most critics instead chose to abuse him personally. They suggested he was sexually inadequate, questioned the size of his penis, his masculinity, his ability to attract women and even the smell of his breath.[11] Almost two decades later feminist writer Julie Burchill continued the attack, suggesting he was a "sad-sack" and "the opposite of a man".[12] In a review of book of the year, Helena Kennedy refused to even discuss the publication, simply instructing people not to buy it.[11]

Even more serious abuses of Lyndon were to come such as an assault at Heathrow Airport.[11] At Cambridge university, Lyndon's Alma-mater, the female president of the student's union encouraged students to burn his writings and a don told her pupils that she would like to see him shot.[7]

Impact

The book did sell well but Lyndon's work in journalism dried up. In August 1992 he was declared bankrupt.[13] Before the publication of No More Sex War, Lyndon's marriage had broken up and his wife had abducted their child to Scotland where she obtained an order of custody without Lyndon knowing the case was being heard.[5] In the subsequent divorce, his media notoriety was used against him in court, and he lost all access to his son. He rebuilt his career in journalism during the 1990s, and was later reunited with his son, who lived with him in Scotland before going to university.[6]

Eight years after the controversy, Lyndon revisited some of the issues in his book and discussed his story. He highlighted the issues in relation to "the treatment of dissidents in what is supposed to be an open society". Whilst not comparing his plight to the coetaneous case of Salman Rushdie, he suggested it was "paradoxical that many of the people who defended Rushdie's right to write whatever he wanted should be so censorious and destructive about wanting to limit my freedom to do the same".[11]

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Lyndon#Writings_on_feminism

iptba · 23-11-2014 03:34AM

So-called gender equality Belfast District Council:

masculinist · 28-11-2014 03:25AM

iptba wrote: »

So-called gender equality Belfast District Council:

''an issue for men'' sounded great until I read further whereupon it descended into a farce

This is a great article which addresses some of the background to why this is occurring

http://www.rooshv.com/what-is-a-social-justice-warrior-sjw

I highly recommend reading

Wibbs · 28-11-2014 09:33AM

"He for She" exactly lays out what such a campaign and the gender politics behind it is all about. You really don't need to read any further than that headline really. Or put it another way, "She for He" would be met with howls of WTF or completely and utterly ignored.

Lemming · 28-11-2014 10:42AM

masculinist wrote: »

''an issue for men'' sounded great until I read further whereupon it descended into a farce

This is a great article which addresses some of the background to why this is occurring

http://www.rooshv.com/what-is-a-social-justice-warrior-sjw

I highly recommend reading

I'm not so sure on Roosh's article. It's good reading for the most part, but he does go off the deep-end into tin-foil hat territory on religion, and blaming homosexuals for HIV before trying to take a swip at transgender folk (or that's how it reads to me at least).

I get that he's linking SJWs with certain traits, but he doesn't need to go into loony territory to do so. It just undermines his own credibilty.

iptba · 29-11-2014 11:37PM

Friday, 28 November 2014
Are Men's Rights Activists Misogynistic Pricks?
http://misandryhurtsmen.blogspot.ca/2014/11/mensrights-activists-or-mras-are.html

A guy conducted a survey.

It's far from a perfect survey to answer such a question I suppose, but there are other aspects to it also e.g. 60.8% of those reading Men's Rights fora (who mainly identified themselves as MRAs, Masculinists or MGTOWs*) said they previously identified themselves as feminists.

*Men Going Their Own Way i.e. not looking for a relationship.

Lemming · 30-11-2014 12:58AM

iptba wrote: »

A guy conducted a survey.

It's far from a perfect survey to answer such a question I suppose, but there are other aspects to it also e.g. 60.8% of those reading Men's Rights fora (who mainly identified themselves as MRAs, Masculinists or MGTOWs*) said they previously identified themselves as feminists.

*Men Going Their Own Way i.e. not looking for a relationship.

Intresting figures alright. I'm not an MRA - never claimed to be one - or an MGTOW, or a Masculinist. I once supported feminism although I never claimed to call myself a feminist. Not any more. You want to discuss equality, etc. I'm all for it. But I will not give "feminism" the time of another second. Not the way it's heading for it no longer represents equality but domination.

Now, had you told me that I would say that only a couple of years ago, I'd have laughed at you and told you that you were barking mad. And yet here I am. I'm one man - whoppty do - but by the figures given by that short survey, I'm not the only one who has reached this point. To make a quote from Lord of the Rings; "how has it comes to this? ... "

Seriously? · 30-11-2014 10:44AM

nice article iptba,

I would have to say I’m not overly surprised to see the overlap between those who identity as MRA and those who formerly identified as feminist. MRA members afterall typically define themselves as egalitarians, while feminism has publicised itself as an egalitarian movement.

I think those people who believe in egalitarianism naturally associate the with the most publically associated movement which is/was feminism before seeing it for what it truly is now and then naturally move to MRA classification.

Looking at the increasing number of women speaking at MRA seminars shows that this is not simply a reactionary move by men, but a growing realisation that modern day feminism is not what it advertises itself to be. Namely a movement for equality.

masculinist · 30-11-2014 08:38PM

Lemming wrote: »

I'm not so sure on Roosh's article. It's good reading for the most part, but he does go off the deep-end into tin-foil hat territory on religion, and blaming homosexuals for HIV before trying to take a swip at transgender folk (or that's how it reads to me at least).

I get that he's linking SJWs with certain traits, but he doesn't need to go into loony territory to do so. It just undermines his own credibilty.

I didn't notice any of that in the article, fair comment or unfair comment. I absolutely, freely and willingly condemn any attacks or bullying on gay or transgender folk purely on the basis of their identity.

Lemming · 01-12-2014 12:29AM

masculinist wrote: »

I didn't notice any of that in the article, fair comment or unfair comment. I absolutely, freely and willingly condemn any attacks or bullying on gay or transgender folk purely on the basis of their identity.

It's a fair bit down the article; quite deep in and if you're not paying attention probably quite easy to skim over. It was the HIV comment bit that made me switch back on and re-read it.

masculinist · 01-12-2014 02:16AM

Lemming wrote: »

It's a fair bit down the article; quite deep in and if you're not paying attention probably quite easy to skim over. It was the HIV comment bit that made me switch back on and re-read it.

The author could be just trying not to do anyone any favors in how he writes the piece but yes that comment about ''lifestyle'' seemed rather judgmental.

If he had wanted to discuss HIV statistics in the interests of self help education it would have gone down far better.

like below for example :

http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20100923/1-in-5-gay-bi-men-have-hiv-nearly-half-dont-know

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/epidemic-1-2-of-gay-men-will-have-hiv-by-age-50-if-current-rates-continue-w

http://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/index.html

Thats pretty grim reading .... and well documented on the US Government website so its an issue far more important than political correctness.

Piliger · 01-12-2014 04:21PM

There seems to be a casual thing going on with equating this term MRA and a Feminist ? If I'm right then it is a really silly and damaging. One refers to a person's opinions, the other refers to being an 'Activist' which is something completely different.
I am a passionate believe in the need for Men's Rights reform, but I am not an activist as such. With the current hate campaigns by feminism against Mens Rights groups, I think we need to make sure we are using the best terminology we can.

py2006 · 01-12-2014 04:30PM

Piliger wrote: »

There seems to be a casual thing going on with equating this term MRA and a Feminist ? If I'm right then it is a really silly and damaging. One refers to a person's opinions, the other refers to being an 'Activist' which is something completely different.
I am a passionate believe in the need for Men's Rights reform, but I am not an activist as such. With the current hate campaigns by feminism against Mens Rights groups, I think we need to make sure we are using the best terminology we can.

I agree, while I am a huge advocate of equal rights and a great supporter of anything related to mens rights etc I do not label myself an MRA.

If MRA is simply the male equivalent of a feminist then I don't want to be associated with them.

Piliger · 01-12-2014 04:56PM

py2006 wrote: »

I agree, while I am a huge advocate of equal rights and a great supporter of anything related to mens rights etc I do not label myself an MRA.

If MRA is simply the male equivalent of a feminist then I don't want to be associated with them.

For me - I would classify myself as a Mens Rights Advocate. But not an activist, except online I guess.

An MRAct !

Pawwed Rig · 01-12-2014 11:02PM

I think MRAs have as much baggage as Feminists (especially in an American context). I believe in equality whether that be male, female, gay, black etc etc and to be fair I think most people here are the same. The forum is about men though which is what I think the frequent interlopers do not really get.
I try to do a little bit (like spamming the minister for equality with e-mails about the leaving cert results to which I will get a response eventually). I generally can't let these things go:pac:

I got a response from Manuel Barroso by the way regarding his women and children in Syria press release. He has 'noted my concerns':rolleyes:.

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