gyrofry
gyrofry
Kurdt
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We've had a number of discussions here about the phenomenon of the Men's Rights Advocacy (MRA) movement. MRA attracts criticism for a wide number of reasons- e.g. as defending privilege from encroachment through reactionary misogyny, as reproducing/reinforcing/celebrating surprise sex culture, and for being entirely devoid of new and interesting ideas.
MRA is in fact very widely criticized all across the internet, especially in lefty outlets like Slate and upworthy. I would venture to say that just about everyone under 40 who takes an interest in contemporary gender politics knows MRA's claims and has an opinion on whether they're true or not. Despite the fact that the movement appears to be intellectually bankrupt, devoid of any prominent academic backing, it has nonetheless spread like wildfire through the internet. Every university campus now has an MRA club who write letters to the editor, put up posters, and write comments on facebook posts. And everyone knows one or two men who, while seemingly well-adjusted in every aspect of their lives, have dedicated themselves to opposing what they see (and resent) as an encroaching, emasculating culture dominated by women or by womanly ideals.
Let us forget for a second about the content of the men's movement and consider its spread: viral, rapid, in the face of concerted apathy by the media and power elite, MRA has succeeded in motivating and engaging a significant constituency of young men. These young men are almost all well-off and educated, and firmly embedded in modern consumerist liberal-democratic culture: isn't this just the demographic which we Leftists have been trying, unsuccessfully, to rally for decades now? Weren't we on the verge of throwing up our hands and declaring that this generation is too absorbed by hedonistic capitalism to ever become engaged politically? But right in our midst there's a group of young people who are fervently arguing for their beliefs on the internet: and, in a step that takes them far beyond the familiar internet libertarians, these young people are willing to go out in public and organize, publicly demonstrate their affiliation to the movement, etc, even though MRA is far from achieving widespread popularity. The young men who throw themselves into MRA are doing so despite the fact that the movement is repellent to many young women- if they were solely focused on getting laid and having fun, surely they wouldn't be MRAs, but would be milquetoast modern liberal-capitalist "feminists," which is after all much more socially acceptable.
As much as we may hate to admit it, there is only one possible conclusion: the movement must be drawing on a pre-existing constituency of people who genuinely feel dispossessed and downtrodden. And, in successfully doing so, it has accomplished something that Leftists have wanted for ages- motivating a genuine social movement among the well-off capitalist youth.
It seems obvious to me that the men who participate in MRA must be trying to express genuine, deeply-held beliefs about the changing role of men in society. And in fact most feminists will acknowledge that men, too, can be victims of patriarchy, in the same way as the bourgeoisie are also enslaved to money alongside the proletariate- this echoes the Hegelian idea of the Master-Slave dialectic, in which the Slave's subjugation to the Master frees the slave and enslaves the Master.
Assuming, then, that there is some deep trauma or paradox at the heart of the male role in society, is there a Leftist way to articulate this?
MRA is in fact very widely criticized all across the internet, especially in lefty outlets like Slate and upworthy. I would venture to say that just about everyone under 40 who takes an interest in contemporary gender politics knows MRA's claims and has an opinion on whether they're true or not. Despite the fact that the movement appears to be intellectually bankrupt, devoid of any prominent academic backing, it has nonetheless spread like wildfire through the internet. Every university campus now has an MRA club who write letters to the editor, put up posters, and write comments on facebook posts. And everyone knows one or two men who, while seemingly well-adjusted in every aspect of their lives, have dedicated themselves to opposing what they see (and resent) as an encroaching, emasculating culture dominated by women or by womanly ideals.
Let us forget for a second about the content of the men's movement and consider its spread: viral, rapid, in the face of concerted apathy by the media and power elite, MRA has succeeded in motivating and engaging a significant constituency of young men. These young men are almost all well-off and educated, and firmly embedded in modern consumerist liberal-democratic culture: isn't this just the demographic which we Leftists have been trying, unsuccessfully, to rally for decades now? Weren't we on the verge of throwing up our hands and declaring that this generation is too absorbed by hedonistic capitalism to ever become engaged politically? But right in our midst there's a group of young people who are fervently arguing for their beliefs on the internet: and, in a step that takes them far beyond the familiar internet libertarians, these young people are willing to go out in public and organize, publicly demonstrate their affiliation to the movement, etc, even though MRA is far from achieving widespread popularity. The young men who throw themselves into MRA are doing so despite the fact that the movement is repellent to many young women- if they were solely focused on getting laid and having fun, surely they wouldn't be MRAs, but would be milquetoast modern liberal-capitalist "feminists," which is after all much more socially acceptable.
As much as we may hate to admit it, there is only one possible conclusion: the movement must be drawing on a pre-existing constituency of people who genuinely feel dispossessed and downtrodden. And, in successfully doing so, it has accomplished something that Leftists have wanted for ages- motivating a genuine social movement among the well-off capitalist youth.
It seems obvious to me that the men who participate in MRA must be trying to express genuine, deeply-held beliefs about the changing role of men in society. And in fact most feminists will acknowledge that men, too, can be victims of patriarchy, in the same way as the bourgeoisie are also enslaved to money alongside the proletariate- this echoes the Hegelian idea of the Master-Slave dialectic, in which the Slave's subjugation to the Master frees the slave and enslaves the Master.
Assuming, then, that there is some deep trauma or paradox at the heart of the male role in society, is there a Leftist way to articulate this?
[account deactivated]
swampman
swampman
Dont Mess With Sucess
Post rating:
~
gyrofry posted:Let us forget for a second about the content of the men's movement and consider its spread: viral, rapid,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement#History
MadMedico
MadMedico
Post rating:
+
What are some of the ideological differences between manarchists, brocialists, and marxofrat lolbros?
Superabound
Superabound
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
Post rating:
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MadMedico posted:What are some of the ideological differences between manarchists, brocialists, and marxofrat lolbros?
great taste vs. less filling
gyrofry
gyrofry
Kurdt
Post rating:
+
but enough about pussy eating
guidoanselmi
guidoanselmi
meet me in st louis
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gyrofry posted:is there a Leftist way to ejaculate this?
Lykourgos
Lykourgos
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+
”Despite the fact that the movement appears to be intellectually bankrupt, devoid of any prominent academic backing,”
lol, oh no academia hasn't given the movement a stamp of approval!
lol, oh no academia hasn't given the movement a stamp of approval!
[account deactivated]
Tsargon
Tsargon
Post rating:
+
did someone say politically alienated, middle class white Americans?
[account deactivated]
babyfinland
babyfinland
tardy on these heaters
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+
[account deactivated]
guidoanselmi
guidoanselmi
meet me in st louis
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welcome to portland(ia)
AmericanNazbro
AmericanNazbro
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babyfinland posted:
ton, i cant even watch satire of this. how can you live in that place
babyfinland
babyfinland
tardy on these heaters
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Skylark
Skylark
California
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has anyone ever actually interacted witha mens rights person? it seems like just something people pretend exists in a significant way, because its easy to say i hate these guys, and feel like an activist for free. i'm sure the mens rights community, which was quickly stigmatized despite probably being really small and ineffectual, is greatly outnumbered by "project moonfall", the gamers lobbying for a 3d rerelease of majoras mask on 3ds, and i doubt even that will happen
babyfinland
babyfinland
tardy on these heaters
Post rating:
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Skylark posted:has anyone ever actually interacted witha mens rights person? it seems like just something people pretend exists in a significant way, because its easy to say i hate these guys, and feel like an activist for free. i'm sure the mens rights community, which was quickly stigmatized despite probably being really small and ineffectual, is greatly outnumbered by "project moonfall", the gamers lobbying for a 3d rerelease of majoras mask on 3ds, and i doubt even that will happen
yeah you mean like atheists
swirlsofhistory
swirlsofhistory
Post rating:
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Op-Ed: Don’t Call Me “Dude”
September 1, 2013
By Guest Contributor
By Matt Graber
Please don’t call me “man” or “dude” any longer. I will not join you in friendship or partnership on a male-supremacist, patriarchal project. I will not condone the view that women are born to provide you with sexual gratification, and to do care work for you.
I will not be your wingman. I will not support your objectification of women’s bodies. Women are not accessories to you, regardless of how much money you have. In social settings such as parties, bars, or clubs, I will not accompany you when you violate the personal space of others. When they refuse to allow you to enter into their personal space, I will not ease or comfort you.
Please learn to love and care for yourself. You are incredibly beautiful, and I want you to be cared for. Learn to cook, clean, sew, and care for yourself, your body, and your personal space. If you do not know how to care for yourself and are seeking a romantic partnership on the basis of finding somebody to do that work for you, then I will remain skeptical of your capacity to love and care for others.
I hope that we can differentiate between coveting bodies and loving people.
I love you. I want a friendship with you that is based on realizing the infinite possibilities of ourselves, our love, our bodies, and our gender expressions; a friendship based on falling head over heels in love with all life and all people. It is all far too beautiful than to be used and abused by you and me for the sake of manhood and masculinity.
__________________________________________
Matt Graber is still emerging – uncomfortable in their own skin and searching for beloved community. For Matt, a trip to Palestine in 2010 ignited a passion for decolonization and liberation. They are a radio broadcaster on West Philly’s community radio station, WPEB 88.1 FM; and a part of Free Maroon Philly, a committee to free US-held prisoner of war Russell Maroon Shoatz, and Philly BDS – the Philadelphia coalition for boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel.
http://thefeministwire.com/2013/09/dont-call-me-dude/
September 1, 2013
By Guest Contributor
By Matt Graber
Please don’t call me “man” or “dude” any longer. I will not join you in friendship or partnership on a male-supremacist, patriarchal project. I will not condone the view that women are born to provide you with sexual gratification, and to do care work for you.
I will not be your wingman. I will not support your objectification of women’s bodies. Women are not accessories to you, regardless of how much money you have. In social settings such as parties, bars, or clubs, I will not accompany you when you violate the personal space of others. When they refuse to allow you to enter into their personal space, I will not ease or comfort you.
Please learn to love and care for yourself. You are incredibly beautiful, and I want you to be cared for. Learn to cook, clean, sew, and care for yourself, your body, and your personal space. If you do not know how to care for yourself and are seeking a romantic partnership on the basis of finding somebody to do that work for you, then I will remain skeptical of your capacity to love and care for others.
I hope that we can differentiate between coveting bodies and loving people.
I love you. I want a friendship with you that is based on realizing the infinite possibilities of ourselves, our love, our bodies, and our gender expressions; a friendship based on falling head over heels in love with all life and all people. It is all far too beautiful than to be used and abused by you and me for the sake of manhood and masculinity.
__________________________________________
Matt Graber is still emerging – uncomfortable in their own skin and searching for beloved community. For Matt, a trip to Palestine in 2010 ignited a passion for decolonization and liberation. They are a radio broadcaster on West Philly’s community radio station, WPEB 88.1 FM; and a part of Free Maroon Philly, a committee to free US-held prisoner of war Russell Maroon Shoatz, and Philly BDS – the Philadelphia coalition for boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel.
http://thefeministwire.com/2013/09/dont-call-me-dude/
Superabound
Superabound
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
Post rating:
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"Now to just sit back and let the punanni roll in!"
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babyfinland
babyfinland
tardy on these heaters
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enjoy your damaged goods and or spoiled princesses good sir
AmericanNazbro
AmericanNazbro
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babyfinland posted:enjoy your damaged goods and or spoiled princesses good sir
AmericanNazbro
AmericanNazbro
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I am not amused, Tom.
gyrofry
gyrofry
Kurdt
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+
spoiled princesses own
Superabound
Superabound
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
Post rating:
+
please be safe and properly refrigerate your princesses, thank you
[account deactivated]
stegosaurus
stegosaurus
Post rating:
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babyfinland posted:
"its goin down"