Anyone who reads the Men’s Rights subreddit on a regular basis knows that when you see the username DavidByron2 you are in for a treat. Well, a “treat” in the sense that discovering a flaming bag of dog poop on your doorstop is a “treat.” Like many Men’s Rightsers, he’s both smug and ignorant, a perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect in action.
But somehow he manages to be more than just another insufferable mansplaining rage-baby who spends all of his spare time ranting about a subject — feminism — he knows less than nothing about. No, there’s a kind of daft genius to his comments; I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
And so I thought I’d wind up this week with a small collection of the best –that is, worst — comments he left in the Men’s Rights subreddit this week. In choosing the top 5, I have confined myself mostly to those that got more upvotes than downvotes, because, seriously, the thought that there are actual human beings out there upvoting this crap is almost as amazing as the fact that there’s an actual human being posting it. And thinking himself quite clever and righteous for doing so.
Let’s work our way to the top starting with …
5) Getting cat-called is a form of power women have over men:
4) One MRA can fend off twenty feminists with his superior LOGICKING:
3) Society is bizarrely fixated on punishing rape to an unhealthy degree:
2) Feminism has to steal legitimacy from the struggles of truly disadvantaged groups because women don’t have any real issues:
1) But DavidByron2’s masterpiece this week was his argument that if women are really as scared of men as the feminists (allegedly) say they are, then they should probably be banned from doing pretty much everything.
Dunning, Kruger, meet DavidByron2.
I found a genuinely disadvantaged group! It’s humans. Just look at the oppression we face at the paws of our cat overlords.
His comment about needing 10 feminists to challenge a single MRA is particularly nonsensical, considering their brigade tactics.
FTFY 😀
Thus Spake Zaraweirwoodtreehugger:
You’re mostly right, but the key distinction is “minority.” MRAs don’t think white het cismales are a minority now, but they’re terrified they will be someday. That’s why you find so much creepy xenophobic natalism in MRA circles — they’re convinced they have to outbreed the filthy savage hordes.
Doncha love it when whiny douche bros try to paint women as cowards for legitimately worrying about real life dangers, but living their lives anyway?
That’s called courage.
They couldn’t walk a mile in our shoes and they know it. Our fortitude is what scares them, not our imaginary duplicity.
The same asshole who calls us hysterical for daring to complain that we do have to live our lives in fear will then victim blame women when they are harassed, assaulted or raped. Because how dare they not take enough “precautions” when existing while female. Sh must have been “asking for it”.
The fact is that women are treated to sexual violence and harassment, mostly from men. It’s commonplace. False reports are a teeny % of all reports against men, yet they think men are justified of being afraid of women.
The same sexist will say we are too week to play certain sports or do certain jobs, then turn right around and tell us that we should “stand up for ourselves” or feel “powerful” when stalked and harassed by strange men on the street.
There is no reason or logic behind their opinions. There is only hatred toward women and their agency. These men fear that their ability to abuse and harass is disappearing. That’s what they fear. They aren’t afraid of women lying. They are afraid of women telling the truth and being believed.
Can I enter my old grey mare of menopause in the horse race? She’s a little old, but she can still go surprisingly fast when she’s motivated! We could round up a couple of teal deer, a unicorn or two and maybe even the mighty mammoth as well; it’ll be a feminist derby to remember!
The rest of the furrinati could race, too! Just like the Wiener Nationals at Los Alamitos http://www.losalamitos.com/wienernationals/wdefault.aspx?pn=1
[totally o/t] I really want to go to the Wiener Nationals this year. The race caller at Los Al calls all ten heats, plus the final race in addition to the horse races. He’s a real good sport. The winner of the Wiener National gets a fancy dog house, a year’s supply of dog food and a year’s supply of Der Wienerschnitzel* for hir people.
*This is a fast-food chain in Southern California specializing in hot dogs.[/totally o/t]
The dive bar, amusement park, high teas and now a stable for our period ponies and mares of menopause are all things that should happen.
Since my babies are both walking now, I guess I’ll have to get down and look under my sofa myself.
Hi. Noobie here, but may I try a point by point take down? OKthanks 🙂
#5 Dood, are you really saying that teh menz are so weak willed that they can’t help but yell at women? Are you really saying that you are nothing more than a walking ball of non-adult capable hormones who can’t behave politely in public? Because sex? Also, aging out doesn’t really work. I’m old. I still get harassed (though not as frequently as when I was not old).
#4 Maybe non-assholes just outnumber you 10 or 20 to 1? (I don’t really believe that, but I wish that I did)
#3 The conviction statistics and length of sentence don’t seem to support you on that one. Also, you say “punishing the rape of women”. What about teh menz!!!1!!1!!! Or do men and boys never get raped? Or does that not count? Unless it was a trap to get child support payments from you? And then, of course, it’s the worst thing ever.
#2 “MRAs have real issues and a real disadvantaged minority group to work for so they don’t need tricks”. Who, exactly is this minority group that MRA’s support? Is it white cisgendered heterosexual men? Like, the same sort of people who have been running most of the Western Hemisphere for most of recorded history? Oh, OK.
#1 And yet, if a woman doesn’t “take proper precautions” and gets assaulted or harrassed, it was clearly her fault, yes?
OK, I’m done! Thanks, David Futrelle, for such a lovely blog!
auggziliary
That’s really, really gross. And sad.
@auggz: that’s fucking horrid. But I wish I was surprised, I remember most of the staff of the mental care facility where I volunteered during my undergrad were either utterly clueless or scared me more than any of the patients.
It was a big part of the slow process of getting totally disillusioned with my chosen field of study. Man, haven’t thought about that in years. I think I need a shower and to give my son and/or cat a hug now.
OFFTOPIC:
Any idea what’s the MRAs reaction to Tucker Carlson male rape denialism?
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/06/foxs-tucker-carlson-whiny-teen-couldnt-have-been-raped-by-teacher-because-hes-a-boy/
The reaction (or the lack of it) may be worth covering.
If the anti-feminist in question is so ignorant and dense as to not be able to understand anything the feminists are saying, a single internet warrior could fend off a theoretically infinite number of feminist aggressors.
MRA legends speak of the coming of the Brosen One, a being so uninformed and smug that he will be totally immune to argument, that will deliver his bros from the matriarchal oppression of having people disagree with them on the internet.
@Z
I am pretty sure if there is a reaction it will be to blame feminists.
@chie: You stopped getting harassed at 30? What’s your secret, and where can I buy some?
Does anyone else here have a problem with getting overaggressive with harassers? Because of a bad combination of life experience and temperment, I have no patience for those gutless guys, and a hair-trigger fight or flight response semi-permanently stuck on “fight”. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous combination for a woman who is under 5′, weighs 110lbs, and swore when she was sixteen that she would never be raped again, even if it meant either killing someone, or getting seriously fucked up or killed myself. I’ve taken plenty of self defense classes, and worked as a Pro-Dominatrix for almost a decade, leaving me with a lot of knowledge and practice in the field of hurting men. It may be handy in a life or death situation, but as a hair trigger response, it’s a bad one.
It usually just ends with nothing but yelled obscenities, kicked shins (steeltoes rock!), and spitting in faces, but on that fateful 30th birthday things just went too far. Some friends and I had stepped out of the fetish club where they’d taken me out dancing to get some fresh air. We’d all had a fair bit to drink, especially the birthday girl here, and as we were talking and laughing as friends do, a crowd of frat scum jockholes came from behind, and one of them took a nice big unwanted handful of my butt, and said something I’d rather not repeat. Even I was shocked that my automatic response was to yank his collar toward me and neatly break his nose with a fast upward palm strike, accompanied by some of the most vile cursing I’ve ever come up with. My ever wise pals herded me back upstairs to the private club for another drink.
I felt awful when I remembered what had happened. Not that I’d broken the jerk’s nose (that is pure pride, baby!), but because I could have hurt him far worse than that, which I can’t accept from myself. And if I hadn’t been surrounded by pals who were ready to beat this guy to a thin, sticky pulp on my word, I’d have been royally screwed if he’d fought back. I fear that one day I’ll respond with instinctive aggression and either end up dead, or in prison. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with this kind of rage, and taming the automatic fight response?It is, though.
Does anyone else here have a problem with getting overaggressive with harassers? Because of a bad combination of life experience and temperment, I have no patience for those gutless guys, and a hair-trigger fight or flight response semi-permanently stuck on “fight”. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous combination for a woman who is under 5′, weighs 110lbs, and swore when she was sixteen that she would never be raped again, even if it meant either killing someone, or getting seriously fucked up or killed myself. I’ve taken plenty of self defense classes, and worked as a Pro-Dominatrix for almost a decade, leaving me with a lot of knowledge and practice in the field of hurting men. It may be handy in a life or death situation, but as a hair trigger response, it’s a bad one.
It usually just ends with nothing but yelled obscenities, kicked shins (steeltoes rock!), and spitting in faces, but on that fateful 30th birthday things just went too far. Some friends and I had stepped out of the fetish club where they’d taken me out dancing to get some fresh air. We’d all had a fair bit to drink, especially the birthday girl here, and as we were talking and laughing as friends do, a crowd of frat scum jockholes came from behind, and one of them took a nice big unwanted handful of my butt, and said something I’d rather not repeat. Even I was shocked that my automatic response was to yank his collar toward me and neatly break his nose with a fast upward palm strike, accompanied by some of the most vile cursing I’ve ever come up with. My ever wise pals herded me back upstairs to the private club for another drink.
I felt awful when I remembered what had happened. Not that I’d broken the jerk’s nose (that is pure pride, baby!), but because I could have hurt him far worse than that, which I can’t accept from myself. And if I hadn’t been surrounded by pals who were ready to beat this guy to a thin, sticky pulp on my word, I’d have been royally screwed if he’d fought back. I fear that one day I’ll respond with instinctive aggression and either end up dead, or in prison. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with this kind of rage, and taming the automatic fight response?
Teal Deer summary: I have a tendency to react to harassment with rage and violence, on a knee jerk level that is very hard to control. I know that one way or another this will get me in serious trouble one day. Any ideas for coping?
Z,
The comments section on that story seemed to be MRA free. I don’t remember them getting upset when Bill Maher said something similar a couple months ago either.
They don’t care about victims, they care about proving women and/or feminists are evil.
Funnily, it never seems to be the feminists who make apologies for the statutory rape of boys. It’s always dude bros.
David Byron started commenting on Pharyngula in 2003. I think he might have lasted a year before getting banned.
The cat-calling thing always leaves me bemused. Not only because I can’t imagine how anyone can consider being shouted at as a form of flattery, but because I’ve worked on a building site, I’ve been around some of the people who do that. None of them really actually thinks it’s a compliment, they do it to bother people. They’re like little kids getting a present when women respond with hostility. I’ve seen some even film the reactions they get.
Oops, double posted part of my comment. Damn copy/paste!
Sorry!
@Toolbox that leaves you bemused? As in, puzzled, confused, bewildered? You’re puzzled that people who shout at women to bother us are happy when we’re bothered?
Doesn’t seem that complicated to me.
And, I don’t know what the people you worked with shouted, but some harassment is explicitly threatening. As in “this is what I would do to you” and other rape threats. Pretty straightforward goal there of intimidating women.
The Brosen One!
Almost like it’s some kind of assertion of power over women.
This is going to sound counter intuitive, but I have heard that hand to hand classes and general fitness help with that. The theory is that rage is fueled by fear and that when you know you can have the upper hand in an altercation, you are less likely to be afraid and therefore, more calm and less likely to snap out and hurt someone.
If you can, use that energy to help you get good at running away. Rage running is a thing and it will help you put on those running shoes and get out the door to keep fit when not much else will. Don’t be ashamed to use whatever motivation you have to do what makes you feel safer.
I’m a fan of the mantra, “A brave man dies only one death, but a coward lives to shit on you another day”.
I try to keep in mind that my kids don’t need mommy to go to jail or the hospital and that Hubby doesn’t want to pay my bail. I’d rather fake a smile and talk or walk my way out of a bad situation and then fall apart sobbing from the adrenaline spike later than react the way my body tells me to and do collateral damage to my family. After all, the world has enough violence in it. I’d rather not add more unless I have no other choice. Besides that, I’m not getting any younger and a boxer’s fracture and all of the little bruises and scrapes you get but don’t feel during a fight take forever to heal anymore. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Keep that in mind. The pain of a fight lasts long after it is over, even if you “win”. Don’t do that to yourself if you can help it.
[CN: sexual harassment, transmisogyny]
Yeah, every incident of sexual harassment against me has made me feel unsafe and violable. And every male harasser I’ve dealt with has approached me with the attitude of treating me like a toy and finding it amusing whenever they scare me or make me uncomfortable.
ceebarks,
Here is your internet:
http://diariodeunatelefila.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/the-internet-de-the-it-crowd.gif