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

[Frieda Werden]

There's a car dealership here in town with MRI posters all over it.

On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 11:33 AM, Tami Starlight <tamistarlight at gmail.com>wrote:

> Yup
>
> Been an ongoing issue here and know a few who were challenging their shit
> on commercial drive & broadway stn.
>
> Sent from my wireless device
> *All my relations*
> Tami Starlight:Unceded coast Salish territory/Vancouver
> tamistarlight at gmail.com
> http://facebook.com/Tamistarlight
> Tami_starlight (twitter)
> Cosmictami (skype)
>
> On 2012-11-24, at 8:42 AM, Jarrah <jarrahhodge at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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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>>
>>
>
>
> --
> --------------------
> Jarrah Hodge
> @jarrahpenguin
> http://gender-focus.com
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-- 
Frieda Werden, Series Producer
WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service www.wings.org
<http://www.wings.org>
https://www.facebook.com/wingsradio
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