Why are feminists so threatened by the MRA movement?

[LaVoixDeLaRaison]

When I was at university, the Gender Equality society (of which I was a member) chose to rename itself the Feminist society, arguing that the only way equality could be achieved was by focusing on women's issues. This led some other students to set up an MRA group, which was met with some resistance from the feminists. On this very board I see commenters angrily referring to MRAs as if they are all members of an evil homogeneous group.

Isn't it possible that men and women both suffer oppression from society in different ways? That the levels of this oppression are not necessarily equal, but are still important if we are to achieve equality? I often see feminists agreeing with certain 'male issues' (e.g. media stereotypes, elevated male suicide rate), but suggesting that feminism has other priorities, and if they want to do something about these issues then they should make their own groups. Why do they get criticized when they do exactly that? Better still, wouldn't feminism be better off if it didn't alienate so many men (and women, focused on a wider range of issues, and stopped pitting the sexes against one another?

Gah, I've missed all this. Well done you lot for such patience and endurance in the face of so much raisin.

Did anyone post this yet?

I'm sorry to be crude, but what the actual fuck was that website. You couldn't see the misogyny?! And that's one of the good ones? What's a bad MRA website if that is a good one?!

Ah, I love that one, FloraFox, thanks for posting it!

her final conclusion was 'we don’t yet know whether, on average, males and females are born differently predisposed to systemizing versus empathising'. On the evidence we do have, I would say that it is fairly clear that men and women have characteristically different brains, but Fine is quite right to point out that this is by no means proved yet.

It's clear where you're not getting this OP. She said "are born" not "have". It's almost like you've missed the whole point of Fine's work and thesis.

Anti-feminist MRAs feel their privilege all right. They just don't feel quite privileged enough.

I think that anti-feminist MRAs do feel their privilege, but just don't feel quite privileged enough.

Yep that's the problem Linerunner, they see all they white, privileged males and think "Waaahhhhhh, why don't I have that!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" What they don't do is look to themselves as to why they don't have that. It may be due to personal circumstances, they're not smart enough, they have a mental illness/personality disorder, their mother didn't love them enough, their father was a poor male role model etc etc etc etc. Gosh the possibilities are endless!!!

Sorry I posted that twice, my mobile site is playing up.

it was worth saying twice linerunner!

@FloraFox LOL, fuck me "FEMINAZI STOLE MY ICECREAM, WWAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Isn't that the Reddit that those clowns from AVfM crayon all over? You know, the ones who instigate and bankroll illegally obtaining personal information about women who dare to speak out against them, put it all over the internet and encourage men to harm them? The ones who threaten women with rape and immolation should they want to see a female face on a banknote?

And you think there's no misogyny there? Are you huffing glue?

The reason you can't find an MRA site which wants to engage with feminists or even women who don't hate women is that there aren't any. MRAs are quite open in their hatred of feminists, women, men who don't want to kill women or anyone else that doesn't hate women.

I hope that clears some things up for you at long last.......

I doubt it will though.

"But I'm a nice guy!"

Someone on the first thread on the MRA site is complaining that it's not fair that men can't choose whether to have a baby, and it's also not fair that they can't have abortions. The ability to have abortions being the best example this MRA could find of things women can do legally that men can't.

Love that film Flora!

Fucking friendzone, my arse.

I can't read that shit on www.reddit.com/r/mensrights, its the same boring, verbose, strings of nonsensical crap that the OP has been posting here! Fuck me, my rational female brain rebels when I read that stuff, and start yelling "FUCKING STOP IT, STOP IT, I TELLL YOU!!!!!"

Perplexing and/or troubling shit on that website:

feminists have something like 20 times the voice as does the entire manosphere uh huh.
'feminist lies'; 'feminists are censorious'; 'Obviously they will say something like "Rape, women's pay, rape, domestic violence, rape".'; ' have been working on my feminist impression, I hope I got enough rapes in there'; 'They're feminists, they will come up with some wild rationalization for how it's not the same, name drop Eliot Rodgers into it, and continue thinking that their own argument is solid'; 'It's most likely they'll call you a misogynist rapist and ban you (if in their forum) or run away'; 'No point arguing with jaded bitter crazy'; 'Debate people like this because they are far to gone into feminist delusions for anything including the very hand of GOD to change their minds'; 'One of the goals is poking the bear so don't try to phrase things in a way to keep her calm. Try to phrase things in a way that will really piss her off.'; "PENIS ENVY ALERT! WARNING: JEALOUS FEMALE APPROACHING!"; hate hypocrites and liars, and that covers most feminists and politicians.;

And this is a nice site?
You know what I don't actually see there? Any posters making any points about the rights they think men don't have but should. Except of course for the poor soul who thinks it's not fair he isn't allowed an abortion of his own.

Voix these are horrible people, who don't strike me as being very bright. Their focus is on hating feminism and feminists; they do not appear to have any agenda other than this.

ifyourehoppyandyouknowit
AnnieLobeseder
TheOriginalSteamingNit

Is it vile/misogynistic? I really don't see that, could you point out specific examples? What's wrong with men having a grievance about the way feminism is being conducted? If men can be feminists too, surely they deserve the right to complain about what they (and many women) see as being wrong about the movement.

Annie, even your cherry-picked examples prove nothing. They're simply concerned about society's acceptance of female-on-male violence (as posters in this thread have been) and gendered inequality in medical practices. You might not agree with their perspective, and if that is the case then I invite you to tell them why, if you care about changing their minds.

PetulaGordino

I did not 'tell you' to do anything. I had been repeatedly asked to provide a reasonable MRA forum, so I have attempted to do so. Whether or not you choose to go there is entirely up to you. My only suggestion is that it progress will hardly be achieved if we only debate with those who already agree with us. If you already feel like you're doing enough debating with dissenting views, then that's completely fine.

They just want to increase their existing privilege at the expense of women.

And are too thick to articulate this clearly.

it's all distraction. it's all just trying to distract women from recognising and calling out men's violence

I did post one or two examples above - but frankly, if they don't leap off the page at you already, I'm not sure there's much to be said!

I think I missed a few pages here last night, so I'm just going to read back and have a check on some of the key rights you think men need.

"could you point out specific examples"

"cherry-picking examples"

which is it?

Well yeah, because writing endless posts about how sad they are that they can't have abortions makes so much more sense than coming out for real and saying what they mean. Then again, coming out and stating baldly that they hate and fear women might not win them too any accolades.

"If you already feel like you're doing enough debating with dissenting views, then that's completely fine"

thanks for the validation

That's a D minus, OP.

TheOriginalSteamingNit

Ok, thanks for providing examples. Some of those I have no problem with - is there not such a thing as feminist lies? Should feminists' claims about women's pay, rape statistics, and domestic violence be automatically accepted without debate, or is it more useful for those affected by these issues to make sure that we report them honestly and correctly?

Others are more idiotic, but really it's no worse than here. I've been insulted by various posters, some of who have name-dropped Elliot Rodgers. Someone did indeed report me and try to get me banned. The best way to deal with these sorts of posters? Ignore them, and continue discussions with the majority of posters who are polite and interested in reaching an honest conclusion.