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

Sat Nov 24 21:17:54 PST 2012

Suzette says the dealership that had the signs was at Hastings and Knight
(Clark).  It was there for a long time, we saw it just a few weeks ago,
too, but Suzette says she thinks they have taken the signs down.  I was
having fantasies of throwing eggs, but perhaps someone did that or raised a
constructive objection - or, maybe the old owner sold out?  Or just got fed
up with the MR movement people.  Or got busted for something.  It would be
interesting for a journalist to go there and talk to people about why they
had the signs and why they took them down.

On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 8:44 PM, Joanna Chiu <chiu.joanna5 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey, thanks for all the information. Is this MRA business a recent thing
> in Vancouver that started growing this year?
>
> What's been happening at commercial drive & broadway stn, Tami?
>
> I'd like to discuss counter measures as well. If we do a counter poster
> campaign, my worry is they'll just tear down the posters in retaliation for
> whoever tore down theirs. And I don't think they're worth the printing
> costs.
>
> Maybe we can make some sort of web poster/infographic to share around
> social media? Or an online petition? What would we want to ask for? An end
> to harassment of feminists by MRAs? I don't know, any other ideas? The
> tricky thing is that you don't want to help them get more publicity.
>
> Joanna
>
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 25, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Frieda Werden <frieda.werden at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> 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
>>> *Vote for Gender Focus in the Canadian Blog Awards: *
>>> http://polldaddy.com/poll/6654035/
>>> --------------------
>>>
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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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>>
>>
>
>
> --
> ---
>  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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>

-- 
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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