MEN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGN STIRS CONFLICT ON COMMERCIAL DRIVE

REPORTED BY DEREK BEDRY

Reported on September 5,

A poster campaign by a newly formed Vancouver branch of the Men’s Rights Movement (MRM) has residents in targeted neighbourhoods taking to the streets and the web in opposition to the organization’s links to terrorism and rape apology.

Posters proclaiming, among other things, that “90 percent of divorces are initiated by women,” “90 per cent of homeless are men,” and that feminism is a violent movement that discriminates against men, turning them into second-class citizens, began appearing earlier this month.

Some Commercial Drive residents say the Vancouver MRM’s presence is not welcome, or necessary, in their neighbourhood. “Of course I’m not oppressed, I’m a white male,” said Sean O’Flynn-Magee. “Obviously [sex equality] is a discussion we need to have out in the open, not with finger-pointing and trying to tear each other down.” He added that he and many of his friends are angry and do not believe the posters meet the community’s standards, and have even argued with MRM members they’ve seen gluing the posters up.

“It’s really just an echo chamber of misogyny and hatred of women in general,” said Jamie James, who has sparred with Vancouver MRA members in the blogosphere. “This self-victimization that women are evil and trying to tear down men, when you confront these ideas, people sometimes realize that isn’t what they meant when they said they support this movement.”

The MRM is known worldwide for its connection with acts of mass violence. Anders Breivik participated in the MRM blogosphere before embarking on the rampage of bombings and shootings that killed a total of 77 people in Oslo, Norway on July 22 last year. His manifesto contains numerous denunciations of feminism, blaming women for a far-fetched array of what he believes are society’s anti-male ills. The perpetrator of the 1989 Montreal Ecole Polytechnique massacre also claimed to be “fighting feminism,” and specifically targeted women, killing 14.

A spokesperson for Vancouver Men’s Rights Activism, John H., 42, maintains the group’s website. He would not reveal his last name, saying he fears for the safety of his neighbours and family from threats and hate mail (he blogs as John The Other). He said that while the movement is unabashedly anti-feminist, he does not see merit in the accusations that MRMs promote violence. “If you’re really confused, you might think that’s what we want,” he said. “But you’d have to be incredibly confused, or lying.” He added that he had no knowledge of Breivik’s links MRM or use of the movement’s rhetoric.

Other contemporary MRM leaders, however, have documented histories of partner and child abuse, or support thereof. Thomas James Ball, whose “final statement” is posted on avoiceformen.com, committed suicide by self-immolation after being ordered to pay child support in his divorce following an incident in which he slapped his four-year-old daughter, bloodying her mouth, for licking his hand while he put her to bed. And in an essay titled “When is it OK to Punch Your Wife?,” Paul Elam, the owner of avoiceformen.com, suggests there are women, “and plenty of them, for which a solid ass kicking would be the least they deserve … hard enough to leave them in an unconscious, innocuous pile on the ground.”

Opponents of MRMs also accuse members of being rape apologists, due to the belief that false rape accusations are a significant problem. (The best studies say rape cases are dismissed between two and 10 per cent of the time, and rarely because the accused was actually found innocent.) John H. said some women make false rape accusations for silly reasons. “Maybe it’s a mistaken accusation, she doesn’t remember who she had sex with because she was drunk at the party or whatever. Some make accusations that have nothing to do with being raped; they’re angry, or they got stood up, they wanted to have sex with a guy but he said no. The fact that our society doesn’t have a balance for this is a major problem. I’m not suggesting every woman you meet is a loose cannon, but every woman you meet has the potential to be one, because for those few who are nutty, there’s no disincentive for them to go, oh, I was late for work. I know, I’ll just say I got raped.”

UBC feminist law professor Janine Benedet noted that while the MRM has had some success equalizing the legal process for fathers in divorces and custody battles, their focus on rape law is disturbing. “Changing rape law on the books is one of the tools the women’s movement has identified for advancing equality. There’s no question these sites promote sex inequality and are deeply disparaging of women’s attempts to shift public policy in ways that advance women’s rights,” she said.

Benedet stresses the importance of open resistance to the movement: “These groups are working really hard to turn back the clock, and without public outrage or organized opposition, they have the potential to do that,” she said.

Another Commercial resident, Sylvia McFadden, said the community knows how to deal with the MRM’s unwelcome presence. “Right now I think we’re responding with outrage, tearing the posters down, having a really visceral reaction to this, because they [the MRM] are woman haters. But a big part of activism in Vancouver is trying to build an alternative to movements. If you don’t like something, start something that’s better. It could be a really positive community experience.”

Link: http://www.openfile.ca/vancouver/story/mens-rights-campaign-stirs-conflict-commercial-drive

(found this shared via a rad fem page called "wipeout misogyny" on Facebook)