ISIS Fighters - Living the MRA Dream?

[CKDexterHaven]

For obvious reasons pilgrims to join ISIS have been in the news for the last few days. There has been lots of analysis as to why young men might do this - religious fervour, seeking adventure, social alienation, anti-Western feelings - but maybe another factor is getting to live the MRA dream. You get to live like the alpha male warrior you always knew you were, everyone succumbs to your worldview or they die, women will be your adoring handmaidens or they will be sold-off as slaves, men with more meaningful lives will be slain. Is it any wonder that, in a society that sells the fantasy of living as a hyper-macho fuckwad, some men lust for the opportunity for living as a pure hyper-macho fuckwad? Add in religion and you get to feel sanctimonious about behaviour that should have you condemned to the bottom of a padded oubliette. The ISIS world is the world MRAs would have us living in, isn't it?

Personally I'm not a fan of religion but I do think religion is malleable and justifies whatever one wants it to justify. I have been thinking about Elliot Rodger and how his worldview in terms of women wasn't radically different from ISIS. It disturbs me that there are men among us who want to live like this. Some Islamic men have found a place where they can follow their misogynistic impulses unchecked, but I don't think they are the only men who want women totally subjugated. I also wonder whether the motivations the media is ascribing to these men, those of religiosity, freedom-fighting, or societal disenfranchisement, are rather noble and some of them just enjoy unleashing their inner sadist that has to be locked away during peacetime.

Strangely enough I had a similar thought this morning (this is in response to the opening post), interesting to know I wasn't the only one.

But I am of the thought that most religions support the abuse of women, I don't say all, I don't know enough about all the religions in the world but the ones I'm familiar with do, some more subtly than this but still the same women haters

As an aside I do wonder/worry about these young girls and women who have gone out there, I really don't think they could have released what they were getting in to, and little to no way out.

Oh, that's bad, CaptChaos

I think people use religion as an excuse. The messages in the Koran can all be interpreted differently (same as the bible etc), but not all Muslims are extremists so I doubt it does say 'feel free to murder women and children' as most are peaceful.

WellnowImFucked

I was wondering about the teenage girls that went over there too. The two who were originally aiming to be doctors were clever girls so did they go into it with their eyes fully open, knowing the full extent of ISIS's extremism? If the young men are taking MRA culture to its extreme conclusion are the young women taking handmaiden culture to its extreme conclusion? If the lie told to boys is 'dulce et decorum est pro patria mori', is the lie told to girls 'being the slavish helpmeet of some vampire/Heathcliff/50 Shades fuckwit is not abusive, it's romantic and will give your life meaning'? Is it as bad as the men being the 'doers' and the women being the groupies? Maybe the message society sends to these girls is 'You could be an invisible, unfuckable, worthless, boring doctor but wouldn't it be exciting to fulfill your true destiny and be a desirable, visible, sex-bot, breeding-stock manpleaser instead?'

I can see where you are coming from CK. It resonates with young men rushing out to join wars throughout human history to prove themselves to themselves.

My personal opinion: young men are actually really vulnerable people. They are awash with testosterone and make some very regrettable decisions for themselves and others. Not to mention that neither sex's frontal lobe (the bit of our brain that organising and uses logic) is finished developing until they are about 25 years old. Add a few romantic notions and some religious zeal and you have a dangerous brew.

I agree I think it seems glamorous, daring, gives bored young men something to do, a purpose, allows them to act out brutal sides of their natures.

The styling of it, the uniforms, the flags, all reminds me of Nazi.

I don't know what MRA is but I can certainly see the appeal to these young men, of basically indulging their every fantasy like living out one of these vile computer games.

aiming to be doctors were clever girls

I was always told it was the clever people who seemed more susceptible to this sort of thing years ago when talking about why people get involved with cults.

The only men I trust are my dad and my husband....every other man I just distrust. But back to the topic....I do think you are onto something CK. So many men seem to be devoid of anything except that which gives them pleasure, to hell with everyone else. They seem dead inside. Naturally they will be attracted to something like IS.

MRA= Mens Rights Activists Knitted.

I agree with the OP. Violent interpretations of mythology are right up the average MRA's street and I can definitely see why the horrible little tossers want to join Isis. It's also true that aggressive Christianity appeals to MRAs and woman-haters - look at all those vile American fucknuggets promoting 'fetal rights' and banging on about 'Biblical values' which support beating their female partners, abstinence-based sex ed, rape myths etc.

I understand the argument about some men being drawn to a life (of perceived) action and excitement and if you said is James Bond the living the MRA dream I would have agreed with you completely.

If you had said that ISIS is the ultimate example of organised religions hated of women I would have agreed with you.

I do not believe that MRAs want to go to Iraq and murder children, murder female dentists and behead western journalist because that is what you are saying they want to do.

Please post evidence that backs up your claims.

AICM.... no one. Not even the OP. Has said that actual famous MRAs have gone to join IS, what we have discussed is how the IS ethos is pretty similar to the MRA ethos, and how, if you're a man of an MRA bent (along with the religious thing) then an organisation like IS is probably your wet dream. I very much doubt that wankpellets like Elam* actually have the courage to do anything other than harass and intimidate women from the safety of his own home office, however, he does like to incite violence in others.

Did you want names and addresses? This is a theoretical discussion, want an explanation of what one of those is?

Am I allowed to debate/agree/disagree, I am not sure if I am a feminist OP?

I think only religious Alpha Male types would be attracted to joining ISIS.

I also think the pp who stated ISIS beheaded a Man, has a point.

I also think the pp who stated ISIS beheaded a Man, has a point.

Really? Do you also think the pp who said that IS have been involved in mass rapes, forced marriages, kidnapping of women and forcing them to convert doesn't have a point? Or is the point that IS have committed atrocities to many many women pale into insignificance for you when compared to the, admittedly heinous, act of beheading a man?

I think it is heinous to behead any person. I was pointing out the gender, because it would be odd for a MRA to behead a Man, seeing as they are all about Men's rights.

Right, so the beheading of a man trumps the suffering of hundreds of women. Thanks for that.

CaptChaos, if you are going to imply that I have stated those words, can you please quote me in bold letters. As you will be unable to find that quote, please in future do not attribute your words and thoughts, as coming from me in future! many thanks.

ok, what are your thoughts about IS murdering, raping, forcibly marrying, forcibly converting and kidnapping hundreds of women then? Because you seem to be fixated on one thing, which, while it is heinous doesn't make the others disappear.

If you're saying that one thing makes them not similar to MRAs, then surely the hundreds of other things I pointed out does. If they had beheaded a woman, would that make them more likely to be MRAs IYO?

I didn't imply that you had stated those words, btw, what I implied was that your inability to comment on the example of hundreds of women being harmed in favour of citing that beheading people being heinous seemed off. I'm sure you'll now clear that up.

MRAs quite often hate and despise other men, To be actively involved in the MRA scene, you need to be an inadequate, sociopathic wanker - everything that's wrong in your life is someone else's fault. Men are divided, in MRA belief, into Alphas (what they all see themselves as, only those female cunts and other men won't recognise this and worship them in the way they deserve. Despite the fact that they are usually living in their mum's spare room and doing some minimum wage job...) and Betas/manginas/libtards who are also The Enemy. So it would still be acceptable, to a wanker who had initially been tempted into radical Islam by its misogyny, to attack and kill other men who are other.

CaptChaos I was responding to the OP. Please stop projecting behaviours, thoughts and words onto me that are not mine.

In response to you, there are no words those are dreadful events, that should not be happening.

SolidGoldBrass I have come across a few sociopathic characters, if they are being attracted into ISIS, then those that are also attracted into the group will have a horrible time. Which will mean the problem is not MRA, the problem is with the personality disordered who happen to be Males.

Capt
Surely even a theoretical discussion has to based on some kind of factual base otherwise there is no real point.

So if the OPs position is based on facts what are they and if they are not based on facts what is the point? You might just as well discuss whether aliens would prefer chicken or pizza.

I think chicken BTW.

They beheaded a man.

Funny how that's the news story, not the everyday shocking abuse od girls and women. Too common, too normal to be headline news.

This is a feminist board. Nobody is saying that bad stuff doesn't happen to men. Obviously it does. But it isn't a feminist concern. A bit like how a socialist board wouldn't care about private school fee increases.

To be an MRA in the first place, you have to be a sociopathic, inadequate shitbag, end of. Not all MRAs are interested in religion, sure - some prefer junk science like evolutionary psychology to justify their belief that women are inferior.