[Wamvan] Thoughts on Men's Rights Activists (MRAs) in Vancouver/Canada?

[Jarrah]

Hi Joanna,

You or the journalist should really talk to the folks from Feminist
Edmonton. They are directly challenging MRAs through a counter-poster
campaign and online videos. Their videos are here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FeministEdmonton?feature=watch and they have a
website here: http://feministedmonton.com

Men's Rights Edmonton has made videos like this in response:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcI4VPiJVKM&feature=youtu.be

I would love to do a counter-poster campaign here if anyone's interested.
The more I hear from some MRAs the more angry I get. They target my videos
endlessly with anti-feminist comments and post their own video responses
where they don't show their faces. They pull out the most ridiculous
arguments for why feminism isn't needed and actually hurts men. They have
an endless repository of quotes from people you and I have never heard of
who say they're feminists and advocate violence against men. They try to
bait you into long, fruitless arguments.

In this video the guy actually criticizes Because I am a Girl because they
don't help boys in developing countries (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f68U4p7Ml8&list=UUj5Ce3ACuCyGCjmrHydbr_Q&index=7&feature=plcp
).

They made a video in response to what I thought was a very open post by one
of my contributors saying she wished she could work with MRAs if they truly
believe in equality. Their video has a picture of a woman in a gorilla mask
with the title "Feminist Sans Makeup" and they read her entire post in a
mocking voice and invite commenters to attack her arguments (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYMQkSCdELs).

To some extent I get conflicted - I don't want to make videos or write long
posts directly taking them on. I know it's inviting huge amounts of
trolling and putting my face/name out there as a target. But I'd love to
work on some sort of counter postering campaign involving more people.

At any rate, I'm happy to talk more on this issue but for an example of
people actively fighting back I would definitely follow up with some of the
Feminist Edmonton activists. Also interested to hear what other experience
WAM-ers have had in Vancouver.

Jarrah


On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 6:45 AM, Joanna Chiu <chiu.joanna5 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey WAM peeps,
>
> A Men's Rights group recently did some poster campaigns in Vancouver.
> http://masculism.ca/blog/vancouver-mra-hits-the-streets/
>
> For those who haven't heard about MRA's before, these Urban Dictionary
> definitions are actually quite accurate:
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mra
>
> Are there any feminist individuals or groups in Vancouver that are
> actively resisting against them? Would really like to know. I might write
> about this for my next Herizons' column, and a journalism student from
> Langara asked me if WAM! members had any comments for an article she's
> writing on MRA's.
>
> More info on the posters in Vancouver. Some had been torn down.
> http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/10/mens-rights-posters-vancouver_n_1871526.html
>
>
> Here are the journalist's questions below but please comment on whatever
> you find pertinent.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Joanna
>
>
> 1. Have you encountered/had any experience with the men's rights movement?
>
> 2. What is your perception of men's rights activists?
>
> 3. Men's rights activists have many qualms with the feminist movement. One
> thing is, the men's rights movement does not believe that, historically,
> the scales of power have been tipped away from women, and that society is
> not a patriarchy. As a feminist, what would your response to that be?
>
> 4. On issues such as reproductive rights, one of the men's rights
> activists I spoke with said that it was an issue of religious beliefs and
> not a "war on women." Do you agree/disagree? Why?
>
> 5. Have women achieved equal status in society?
>
> 6. Why do you believe feminism is still relevant?
>
> 7. I asked a men's rights activist about the over-sexualization of women
> in the media, the madonna/whore dichotomy, and his thoughts were: it's not
> only society's exploitation of female sexuality, but women exploiting the
> sexual power they hold over men. I am curious to hear your thoughts on this.
>
> 8. What would you say to anyone who views feminism as an attack on men's
> liberties?
>
> 9. Can you point to a point in history, from past to present, when women
> have held more power than men?
>
> 10. Do you think the feminist movement is threatened by the men's rights
> movement?
>
>
> --
> ---
>  Joanna Chiu
> www.joannachiu.com <http://www.joannachiu.com%20/>
> twitter.com/joannachiu
> Ph: 5115 8253
> WAM! Vancouver <http://www.wamvancouver.wordpress.com%20/>
> <http://twitter.com/joannachiu>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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> Wamvan mailing list
> Wamvan at lists.resist.ca
> https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/wamvan
>
>


-- 
--------------------
Jarrah Hodge
@jarrahpenguin
http://gender-focus.com
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