Why are feminists so threatened by the MRA movement?

Actually, let me take your question very literally.

Why are feminists so threatened by the MRA movement? Because members of the MRA movement choose to threaten us.

As others have said, if men's rights groups want to:

campaign for better mental health care for men

dismantle social and gender stereotypes that negatively impact men and women (such as hypermasculinity and men only being "allowed" to express their emotions through anger and violence)

campaign for domestic violence shelters or rape crisis centres for men

...then I would have absolutely no issue with any of those things and would offer my support.

However: every single MRA I have ever encountered has had zero interest in any of those things, except to demand to know why feminists aren't campaigning on any of those issues on behalf of men. And those are the polite ones. As has been mentioned, the rest amuse themselves by threatening to rape or kill us for campaigning to gain rights they already possess and don't seem keen to share.

Equally, how can you expect us not to see men as the enemy (NAMALT) when they rape, kill and harass us with such alacrity? Surely self-defence is only sensible. Are we not taught practically from birth how to defend ourselves from attack by men? Don't dress provocatively, don't stay out late, don't get drunk, carry your keys in your hand etc etc. Why are we constantly bombarded with those messages if men (NAMALT) don't pose a significant threat?

Men should want to work towards gender equality because it's the right thing to do, not because we asked them nicely. Besides which, we've been asking nicely for decades and made very little progress. So forgive me if Not Upsetting Men isn't at the top of my feminist agenda.

I don't understand why someone who was part of a "gender equality society" at university wouldn't understand feminist issues to the extent that they created this post. They would surely be interested enough to have looked into them in order to try to understand why the group became a feminist group.

Did you stay in the newly named feminist group or did you move to the MRA group OP?

So you, a male MRA, have come on here, the FWR area of MN, to tell us why you think we are doing feminism wrong, and to persuade us to join with the ranks of the MRAs to fight for the things that are of mutual interest.

Right.

What are these things of mutual interest? As an example, a main part of my feminism is around sexual violence around the globe. I have never in my life seen an MRA say anything of consequence on that subject. What I have seen them say is NAMALT. And stop worrying your pretty little head about that and what about the Diet Coke ad eh?

So.

I think it is. Guess we'll have to agree to differ.

I've answered your question OP. It's a pretty logical answer.

Again, I will say, I am threatened by MRAs because they actually, in words and actions, threaten me, deliberately.

If there was a group of men who said "Let's all work together to end inequality for both men and women" and actually meant that I think I would cry with happiness. I would be made up. But that, to my knowledge, has never happened. Ever.

That was to the OP btw.

cailindana makes a very important point.

You were the past, once.

One thing I will say LaVoix, is that there is exists at this time not one single MRA group that is genuinely campaigning for men's rights. Not a single one. Every single group that has any public voice exists to attack feminism. That is a fact. And that is why your OP is extremely naive.

LaVoix, if you had come on the thread saying "I genuinely don't understand can we discuss it?" then you would have had a very warm response. As it stands you've come on here and said we're doing it all wrong and now we need to give logic and evidence to show how we're not doing it all wrong. Eh, no thanks.

Your lack of knowledge does make your comments less valid because you are simply wrong.

I can't speak for 'feminists' as a whole. Personally, I don't feel threatened at all by men campaigning for gender issues from a male perspective - so long as this is done with the acceptance of equality between genders (including non-binary ones, preferably).

That having been said: a large proportion of so-called MRA groups simply appear to be hell-bent on restoring the patriarchy to its former glory, dehumanising and objectifying women and blaming the fact that nubile teenagers aren't available to them as sex toys on the fact that women have got any rights at all. And that's not even hyperbole - see sites such as www.manboobz.com or www.fstdt.com for myriad examples.

There's also the fact that many MRAs tend towards really violent language which, frankly does feel fucking threatening.

Isn't this a bit like asking 'Why do the Palestinians feel so threatened by the Israelis?'

How can we say that it's an outrage that women are stereotyped, but a joke if men are?

Because the stereotype leads to women being mutilated, raped and killed. Which is more serious than being annoyed.

i have literally never heard of intersectionality, or even considered it in my feminist thinking captchaos

thank god the voice of reason is here

I have no problem with me. Talking about anything they like, what I have a problem with is when they come onto FWR, pretending to ask oh so reasonable questions and then want women to concentrate on their problems. This is a them and us. They are oppressors, we are the oppressed.

I do like that you used the disadvantaged men thing though, because you must know that women from the same backgrounds will be even more disadvantaged than those men, yes? Compare like with like.

Lol Petula

Do you know, it's the first time I've ever heard that argument.

I too would love to hear more.

It's fine if you don't agree with feminism LaVoix. But it's a bit silly to come on to a feminist forum and tell people who know feminism inside out, and have actually met these MRAs you're so enamoured with and tell us we're doing it all wrong.

If you're really interested, do some research and come back again. But until then you are not going to change anyone's minds by telling us our years and years of combined knowledge is worth nothing.

I don't think feminists are "threatened" by the MRA "movement" as you would have.

Individual members of the MRA "movement" do however literally threaten individual feminists / groups of feminists with violence, as Cailin notes.

An important distinction.

ah the voice of reason at last

do tell me more

You nearly had me there, OP, until about your second word.