A question about activism.

IS44 · 2014-07-03T19:11:33+00:00

There is a slight problem with your query I want to address first: I don't know who told you that podcasts/videos were unhelpful to advancing men's rights, for it simply is not true. The internet is an incredibly powerful modern tool, and with the right amount of appliance, it can be used to make huge differences in the "real" world.

The major benefit to using the internet is its capacity to spread awareness. No, I don't like Twitter "campaigns" about stupid things like that Kony 2012 rubbish... but look at how quickly that spread. It went up like wildfire, all over the globe, in a manner of hours. That potential is extraordinary, when used carefully.

It's important to remember that outside these screens, and beyond these keys, actual people are still talking. Real people make real videos and blogs and podcasts and articles. And, at the end of the day, real people are the ones who can make a difference.

If you (or your friend) are unconvinced that podcasts and videos can be useful, well, we have shit for that, too.

Despite some recent "bad press", the Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE) does a lot of "IRL" work.

Big gunners like Erin Pizzey and Warren Farrell hold a lot of press conferences and talks. The talks often center around men's rights; Erin herself would know a great deal about trying open men's shelters. I advise you read her story about how she came into being an activist for domestic violence shelters.

The sidebar also offers a collection of other resources and organizations. This one, for example focuses on finding ways to fight the gross inequality in the justice system. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) also focuses on campaigning against false accusation.

Take some time to look around at these sites. Get your friend to look around. You might be surprised.

SwoleOfSoul · 2014-07-03T20:53:00+00:00

Particularly what are MRAs actually doing to help men. As in, outside of the world of internet videos/podcasts.

It seems odd that she sets up her question with the premise that things done on the internet don't "actually" help men.

Considering how many people fall back on the "men are privileged, they don't need help" trope as a way to ignore men's issues, there really is not much we can do to reach those who have already accepted this narrative. But, to everyone else who is a bit more level-headed, internet activism, raising awareness, advertising campaigns, and online discussion are key to helping people realize that men face issues that are worthy of being addressed, and there is little to no awareness, or even empathy towards men, even male infants.

Anyways to more directly address your question, there is a handy list of links in the sidebar under "organizations" which you may find helpful. FIRE and COTWA come to mind. There are organizations which seek to raise awareness and seek to end MGM, to things like men's support groups for fathers, legal groups that deal specifically with family/divorce law for men, etc. Though many of them wouldn't dare identify as "MRA" because the mainstream media, feminists, rag mags, etc have gone to extreme lengths to make "MRA" a bad word. To them we ARE TRP. To them, Elliot Rodgers was an MRA. To them, we are misogynists, fedora-wearing, neckbeard-having internet warriors. To them, we are rape-apologists, DV enablers, pedophiles, you name it, we've heard it. Even your friends implication that activity on the internet doesn't "actually" help men is working within that same framework to an extent, that we are here to just complain because we have it so good, we are just whining.

I think you are misguided in your attempt to discuss this with your friend in this way. Rather than talking about issues men face, which is the point of the MRM at its core, your friend is focusing on the premise that "MRAs don't actually help men."

Of course this is probably linked to the idea that feminism is going to help men eventually.

But that just goes even deeper to the concept that men are more privileged, and their issues aren't as worthy of attention right now because of that assumption, so the MRM doesn't need to exist, all these accusations that MRAs don't "actually" help men are just ways of rationalizing the assumption she started with, that MEN DON'T DESERVE TO BE HELPED RIGHT NOW.

BlackMRA-edtastic · 2014-07-04T03:25:21+00:00

Men's Rights is awareness focused because the biggest problem right now is people don't know men have issues of equal significance to those of women. It would be nice to have solutions and answers that help men in abusive relationships or custody battles with pathological liars dead set on keeping them from their kids but we've been busy telling people it is a problem so people would start to talk about what could be done.

Perhaps this is a fault on our part or maybe we can blame those who show up and think it's up to the next man to make things happen. I've been guilty of it myself but while it's good to suggest a movement be that ought negate the importance of creating the change you want. If practical advice is what's needed then you can assemble and distribute that information. That would be a extension of awareness raising. Unlike feminist we don't have several hundred university departments with PhD's in Women's Studies.

As ground level solutions go it's up to each MRA to do the best they can to bring the change they want. There is no hierarchy or central order to allocate their time and resources. If you want to help men as an MRA you can join us in teaching people about men's issues or support established organizations helping men. You'd figure the MRA's would be experts on those but it's the lack of them that stands out most.

MRSPArchiver · 2014-07-03T16:39:04+00:00

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Title	A question about activism.
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	4
Comments	7
Date	July 3, 2014 4:38 PM UTC (12 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensrights/comments/29r3g7/a-question-about-activism/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/a-question-about-activism.1618951 https://theredarchive.com/post/1618951

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