Tag: MRA

Leading MRA site A Voice for Men continues to publish a Holocaust denier and marital rape apologist

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 24, 2015
145 Comments on Leading MRA site A Voice for Men continues to publish a Holocaust denier and marital rape apologist

Some other Holocaust deniers

Last month, I reported that Indian Men’s Rights Activist and marital rape apologist Amartya Talukdar — a regular contributor to leading Men’s Rights site A Voice for Men — was a Holocaust denier.

The evidence? A series of Tweets in which, among other things, he declared that the “Holocaust is a lie of gigantic proportion,” expressed a certain admiration for Hitler and, bizarrely, declared that Hillary Clinton was a “Jewess.”

When I asked AVFM’s then-managing editor Dean Esmay about these troubling Tweets from someone he had published on his site only a few days earlier, he responded … by calling me a “stalker madman” and threatening to call the police if I ever emailed him again. (It was, as far as I recall, the only time I’ve ever emailed him.)

Well, ok, I thought, the folks at AVFM seem to be congenitally unable to ever admit to being wrong, even when the evidence is right before their eyes. But I didn’t think AVFM would be dumb enough to post anything by Talukdar ever again.

a voice for men advocacy of violence antifeminism creepy dan perrins Dean Esmay doubling down douchebaggery emotional abuse empathy deficit entitled babies excusing abuse gynocracy incoherent rage internet tough guy men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA not-quite-explicit threats post contains sarcasm racism rape culture rape jokes straw feminists the c-word twitter whitesplaining why can't men punch women? women are children

MRA Dean Esmay elevates the discourse with new #SpankAFeminist hashtag, gratuitous rape references

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 22, 2015
212 Comments on MRA Dean Esmay elevates the discourse with new #SpankAFeminist hashtag, gratuitous rape references

Dean Esmay, the Chief Operations Officer (whatever that is) of A Voice for Men, has scored a major public relations coup for the Men’s Rights movement with his aggressive promotion of an exciting new Twitter hashtag, #SpankAFeminist.

In what I can only assume is an attempt to convince the world that MRAs do indeed spend a good portion of their days fantasizing about doing physical harm to feminists, Esmay explains in a post on AVFM that the hashtag is necessary “because it’s finally time to put abusive liars over the knee.”

a voice for men antifeminism Dean Esmay empathy deficit hypocrisy irony alert misogynoir misogyny MRA racism rape rape culture

Prominent MRA tries to blame Charleston shooting on feminism and its alleged “lies about rape culture.”

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 18, 2015
408 Comments on Prominent MRA tries to blame Charleston shooting on feminism and its alleged “lies about rape culture.”

Dylann Storm Roof’s Facebook profile picture; the patches on his jacket depict the flags of Rhodesia and apartheid-era South Africa

Less than 24 hours after an apparent white supremacist murdered nine black churchgoers in cold blood during a prayer meeting in a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, one prominent MRA is trying to put the blame on feminism, because of a remark the killer reportedly made about rape.

One of the survivors of the church killings reported that, before he began shooting, the killer told those in the prayer group that “you rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.”

#gamergate $MONEY$ a voice for men alison tieman antifeminism antifeminist women FemRAs gross incompetence honey badgers hypocrisy irony alert MRA

The Honey Badger Brigade has hired a disbarred lawyer to help them with their “case” against the Calgary Expo

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 17, 2015
122 Comments on The Honey Badger Brigade has hired a disbarred lawyer to help them with their “case” against the Calgary Expo

Harry Kopyto, the disbarred lawyer hero #GamerGate deserves?

Do you remember that alleged case the Honey Badger Brigade was allegedly planning to bring against the Calgary Expo?

In case your memory needs refreshing: the Honey Badgers — a mostly female antifeminist “brigade” closely associated with A Voice for Men — were tossed out of the Expo earlier this year after they showed up flying the banner of GamerGate. The Badgers threatened to sue, and somehow managed to raise a little over $30,000 to pay for their possible legal expenses.

Then they went silent on the whole suit thing for a looong time.

Today they announced (archived here) that they’d hired a fellow named Harry Kopyto as their “legal council” [sic], paying him a retainer of $3500. As one of the Badgers — apparently head Badger Alison Tieman — explained on their web page:

a voice for men a woman is always to blame antifeminism dude you've got no fucking idea what you're talking about empathy deficit entitled babies evil moms it's science! mansplaining matriarchy men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA none dare call it conspiracy oppressed men patriarchy

We live in a matriarchy because YOUR MOM, that’s why, MRA explains

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 16, 2015
222 Comments on We live in a matriarchy because YOUR MOM, that’s why, MRA explains

Science has proven many things about your mom

Today’s lesson in Men’s Rights pseudoscience comes from a regular contributor to A Voice for Men named Stephen Jarosek, who also goes by the name “Codebuster.” The “code” he has “busted” this time? The code of the Seekret Matriarchy That Runs the World. And he’s busted it with … SCIENCE! (Or at least a very, very rough approximation of it.)

Put on your wrong-thinking caps, because Codebuster is going to get all technical here! He starts off his essay with a lengthy discussion of sciencey stuff that includes sentences like these:

a voice for men advocacy of violence emotional abuse empathy deficit entitled babies incoherent rage men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA not-quite-explicit threats not-quite-plausible deniability paul elam

James Boulware: Another male rage bomb goes off in Dallas

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 13, 2015
455 Comments on James Boulware: Another male rage bomb goes off in Dallas

A mug shot of James Boulware from a previous arrest

Last night, as you probably have heard, a Dallas man named James Boulware launched a one-man quasi-military assault on the Dallas Police Department headquarters, firing an automatic rife with such abandon that early reports suggested that there were as many as four different shooters. After fleeing the scene in an armored “Zombie Apocalypse Van,” leaving behind an assortment of improvised explosives as a kind of going away gift, Boulware was cornered in a restaurant parking lot; after a long standoff, he was eventually killed by a police sniper’s bullet. It was something of a miracle that no one but Boulware ended up dead.

Boulware’s father told local news that his son had been “pushed past” his “breaking point” after losing custody of his son. Men’s Rights activists often describe men who “resort to violence” after losing a custody dispute as victims of a cruel family court system.

But in Boulware’s case, it appears, nothing could be further from the truth.

a voice for men antifeminism gross incompetence gullibility men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA paul elam

New “service” for angry men! Mental health non-professional Paul Elam will listen to you on Skype for $90 an hour

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 11, 2015
141 Comments on New “service” for angry men! Mental health non-professional Paul Elam will listen to you on Skype for $90 an hour

A much better deal than An Ear for Men

Never let it be said that the Men’s Rights movement does nothing to help men. Earlier this week, A Voice for Men’s CEO Paul Elam announced the launch of a new service for men. That service is that Elam, a noted former psychology major in college, will listen to you talk shit about women for an hour over Skype for $90.

Elam’s fans are excited to have a new talking point.

a voice for men all about the menz antifeminism grandiosity gross incompetence men who should not ever be with women ever MGTOW misogyny MRA

MGTOWs are planning to take over Puerto Rico and start their own lady-hating country there. No, really.

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 10, 2015
317 Comments on MGTOWs are planning to take over Puerto Rico and start their own lady-hating country there. No, really.

Starting your own country on an island? Simpsons did it. (But with girls.)

Over on A Voice for Men, a Man Going His Own Way named Frank Worley has unveiled a most immodest proposal: turning Puerto Rico, or at least a giant chunk of it, into a MGTOW nation. Yes, he’s serious. Also, an idiot.

As Worley sees it,

Women have used democracy to pressure our gutless politicians into surrendering our constitution, personal liberty and any semblance of due process. … Nothing male is sacred or protected.

Instead of trying to organize politically to fight the evil dispossession of men — who control only 80% of congressional seats in the United States — Worley wants to rip it up and start again.

a voice for men boner rage MGTOW misandry misogyny MRA

Telling us to express our feelings makes us SO MAD! Ironic MRA meme of the week, part 9702

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 6, 2015
296 Comments on Telling us to express our feelings makes us SO MAD! Ironic MRA meme of the week, part 9702

Don’t tell ME to express my feelings! RAAAAAARRGHHHH!!1!!

Above, the unintentionally ironic MRA meme of the week, courtesy of A Voice for Men’s Facebook page, their main distribution center for unintentionally ironic and otherwise terrible memes. I’m not sure what specific week this is the ironic meme for, given that Emma Watson’s speech to the UN took place last September and this meme was posted on Facebook only this week, but just roll with it, people!

So what exactly makes this meme ironic? Well, for starters, Watson didn’t actually say the words in question or otherwise order men to talk to women about their feelings.

a voice for men creepy Dean Esmay men who should not ever be with women ever MRA paul elam

“We’re a group of volunteers dedicated to a cause, and the cause is Paul Elam.” — Dean Esmay of A Voice for Men

Post author By David Futrelle
Post date June 4, 2015
150 Comments on “We’re a group of volunteers dedicated to a cause, and the cause is Paul Elam.” — Dean Esmay of A Voice for Men

ProTip: If you're ever tempted to start a cult, play this video game instead, and leave real people alone. — ProTip: If you’re ever tempted to start a cult, play this video game instead, and leave real people alone.

I sometimes refer to A Voice for Men, the Men’s Rights hate site that has evolved into something of a hate group, as a cult. Up until now I’ve only done so half-seriously; while there are a lot of things about AVFM that are cultish, from the apocalyptic rhetoric to the constant demands for money to the organized harassment of its critics, it seems to lack some of the central elements of a real cult.

I mean, they’re not holed up in a compound in Idaho; they don’t wear funny uniforms; and they don’t talk, at least not publicly, about their single-minded dedication to serving the group’s leader — one Paul Elam of Houston Texas.

Or at least I thought they didn’t.