The column this week actually came out well. I figured it was time to introduce a classic bully’s taunt into these fast paced cyber-times.
Here’s an excerpt:
Given that we don’t believe in equality here at Social Matter, it’s easy for us to know where we stand. But what of the hoped-for allies to whom she is speaking?
There used to be an insult which boys used to use against one another — ‘momma’s boy’ — to taunt a kid thought to be weak, coddled, and dominated by his mother. In more contemporary times, we call men dominated by their wives ‘whipped.’ Why do men feel this almost instinctual need to heap shame their fellows for deferring to women? Is this just cruelty for the sake of it, or is there some moral purpose behind the taunts?
There are some clues in history as to why it’s useful for men to toughen themselves up. For one, war, crime, famine, economic depression, tyranny, and disorder are ever-present, cyclically recurring problems. The only way to return chaos to order is through the use of power. And men are the more powerful, emotionally resilient, and physically strong sex, regardless of all the technological fantasies that people might have about gap-closing.
Male allies make their weakness, their willingness to be dominated, their eagerness to defer, into a sign of holiness. Their weakness stops being a source of shame to them, and becomes a source of glowing pride.
From what I can gather by the article itself and more directly, your comment reply, you too have come to the conclusion that the engine that actually powers feminism is a combination of both explicit and implicit support from men.
This understanding is a crucial point in the undoing of feminism, for it finds the Achilles Heel of the wretched beast.
Indeed, as you state so eloquently: “The men are the ones that you want to break, pour encourager les autres.”
That said, what are practical strategies for breaking this potent base of support?
Manosphere types are prone to dismissing men who support feminist efforts as sneaky “white knights”, desperate for attention from the opposite sex. While I think that vision holds true, it really accounts for only a sliver of the support given to the feminist movement on behalf of men. I would say the balance of support is largely subconscious, and largely driven by that male tendency to sacrifice that we discussed earlier. A doting father chipping in to pay his daughter’s tuition (including those enlightening Women’s Studies courses) would be a good illustration of this kind of driver.
Still, there are yet more examples which fit neither the “white knight” nor the “subconscious sacrifice” model.
Meningitis, as per Wikipedia (yes, I know), is “an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges.” Of note to us is that there are a number of distinct causes (viral, bacterial, fungal, malignant, chemical, and several others) of this condition, each requiring a different treatment modality.
I am of the firm belief that male support of feminism, much like meningitis, can be traced to a number of different pathologies, with the culprit differing by individual case.
What follows from this is that the first step in undermining “male feminism” is building a taxonomy of its causes, and moving forward from there.
In my examination of the matter, I have been able to trace a series of distinctly different motivations/expressions behind male feminism. Submitted here is the list I have generated thus far:
1.White Knight
Motivation: The white knight is motivated, as mentioned before, by the desire for attention (not always carnal) from women.
Examples: Most anti-gamergate supporters, David Futrelle.
2.Subconscious Sacrifice
Motivation: This is the variant seen in the majority of men. It is essentially whenever the natural, healthy and beneficial desire of men to protect, provide and care for the women in their lives is subverted toward growing and consolidating the power of the feminist movement.
Examples:
Macro: Conservative support of feminist legislation (VAWA, IMBRA, Domestic Violence, Affirmative consent laws, etc.) with the intent of protecting women.
Micro: Father supporting daughter’s education (major in Women’s Studies). Man donating to domestic violence shelter.(run by radfems).
3.Narcissistic Ideologue
Motivation: A rare pathology, but a powerful one, as it exists as a manifestation of sociopathic tendency. The narcissistic ideologue is in support of feminism as a means of both enriching his personal power and using it as a weapon against his enemies. He has has no problem with contradicting its tenets, because he had no need for moral consistency to begin with.
Examples: Jian Ghomeshi, Hugo Schwyzer
4.Compliant Drone
Motivation: This man supports and parrots feminist talking points not because he believes or agrees with any of them, but because he simply wants to be left alone. Cowed into submission, the man is simply paying the Danegeld, and praying it will be enough.
Examples: Examples range from the corporate drone looking to avoid sensitivity training all the way up to public figures who have publicly repented of their “sins” after running afoul of feminist censors. Space scientist Matt Taylor and mathematician Scott Aaronson are both excellent examples.
5.The “Fabulous”
Motivation: I believe the motivation here is a combination of leftist alliance, and financial expediency. Keep in mind that many are employed in heavily female-centric industries, so trying to not alienate their client base is a strong motivation, for which support of feminism provides a convenient solution. Moreover, a person from this group could care less about the ill effects of no-fault divorce and child custody laws, when no woman is going to enter the picture.
Examples: Most fashion industry workers, particularly those with the most public exposure.
6.MtF
Motivation: If you’re going to be switching teams, your probably going to do whatever you can to make your reception on the other side a comfortable one.
Examples: Julia Serrano. Raewyn Connell. Connell is an important case to note, because it illustrates how this motivation can be hiding in plain sight within a man who has not started to switch over. While still identified as Robert William Connell, he wrote a series of sociological texts on masculinity that essentially pathologized any genuine expression of it. In other words, projection of this sort is a dead giveaway that you’re dealing with an MtF type who hasn’t committed to their “true identity” yet.
7.Signalling Leftist
Motivation: Signalling is a fundamental part of the leftist mindset, and feminism is an important part of leftist orthodoxy. To not support it is heresy.
Examples: Just about every man writing for Huffpo, Gawker, Salon, Slate, Atlantic Monthly, etc.
You can go after the writers and other personalities. That would be more direct.
Going after the female writers is a bit old hat by now. It’s probably going to be more effective to go after their editors and the men who own the media businesses that employ them.
More practically and indirectly, might be better to continue to encourage more men to get physically fit, to separate the sexes more, and to discourage the sort of androgyny that you see even in the manosphere.
Going after male writers, editors and outlets is a indeed a good idea. The JC Penney boycott, Gamergate and “Chick-Fil-A appreciation day” are instructive examples of mass economic action successfully used to attack or defend key targets in the culture war.
This tactic only applies to undermining types 3, 5 and 7 on my list, though.
Encouraging physical fitness and increased gender polarity is an indirect way of handling types 2 and 4 (particularly 4). These two groups (the Subconscious Sacrificers and the Compliant Drone), are among the most important groups to reach, as they are the most valuable feminist supporter/enabler groups by virtue of their sheer numbers. Still, more than merely encouraging masculine habit and expression in the average man, we must teach him to appreciate and value it. That is, it isn’t enough to push men to “man up”. They must be given a lasting reason to embrace their masculinity. They must be shown that androgyny is a path to personal and societal abyss – for both men and women.
In addition to this and of more importance in my view, the average man must be made aware of the fact that the feminist movement presents a clear and present threat to themselves, their families, and their way of life. They must be understand that what they are dealing with is not just a bunch of crazy cat ladies, but something far more powerful and insidious. Feminism is part cultural cancer, part bureaucratic empire, and entirely dangerous in ways that most men simply do not comprehend. The manosphere has done a lot to get a conversation started amongst men concerning the impact feminism has had on their lives. What needs to be done now is to expand both the reach and urgency of the message.
When men actually make the connection (between feminism and their own lives), individual direct action starts to occur, and I am beginning to see more of it in my daily experiences. It starts in small steps, but token resistance on the part of one man encourages the others. MSM comment sections are getting flooded with realtalk, when years ago they would mostly parrot cathedral cant. The next step is taking that resistance back to real life interaction.
Consider this:
http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/04/02/virginia-tech-players-take-back-night-behavior
While most of it could probably be chalked up to NAM mentality, I would venture that many young men are starting to see feminism for what it really is, and pushing back. That resistance must be encouraged as much as possible.
As strange as that might sound to some people, your last point is the best. Feminism offers men slothful validation, abdication from responsibility and freedom from the discipline and dangers of masculinity (by deferring to women, hiding under the skirt). Feminism hides the flip side though, of eventual desperate loneliness and despair, agonizing grief for ones lost opportunities and the resultant societal chaos left for their children.