I just noticed the following comment by Lion Goodman, the man who will be hosting my appearance at the Ultimate Men’s Summit. I thought it was important, but buried on an older thread it was not likely to be seen. So I am posting it here with my response.
First, from Mr. Goodman:
I’m the one who invited Paul to be on the Summit, and I’ll be interviewing him. I’ve read all or your comments, and I have a few of my own in response. First, the reason Paul is on at 10 am is because we had very few slots left when I contacted him. There’s no reason to “bury” his talk any more than the other 50 people who are speaking during the work day. Most people will be listening to the recordings, not the live calls anyway. Paul’s interview will be available to everyone, free, for months, just like all the others.
Second: I resent being called a mangina, or any of the other epithets you’ve used to demean me, or anyone else in our Summit. We are providing a comprehensive look at men’s issues – all of them – at our own cost, for free. Without trying to sell anything or promote any particular point of view. Here we are, working on behalf of all men, providing deep and significant conversations from a wide range of points of view, to educate men and free them from social programming – and some of you accuse us of having an evil feminist agenda. It’s shocking to me – there’s all this value offered for free, and your own anger prevents you from seeing what’s available.
Third, I invited Paul into the program because I believe the Men’s Rights movement has a very important point of view that needs to be represented. The truth is, I wasn’t aware of the movement until recently, but as soon as I discovered it, I knew it had to be included, and Paul was the most obvious spokesperson. There is no hidden agenda, no bad intent, and no need to demean Paul or MRA movement. I expect to have a clean and open conversation with Paul, and honor his point of view in the same way I’ve honored each speakers’ point of view. This is a way to expand Paul’s audience, to bring more people into the realization that men have been oppressed as much as women. Why accuse and demean our intention in advance? Why not listen to some of the programming with an open mind and learn something?
I request an open-minded approach to what we’re trying to do. We’re doing the best we can to expand the conversation about ALL of the issues that effect men, from the sociopolitical to the personal. Join us in that dialog, without diatribe.
And my response:
I am going to second the sentiments here, and reiterate what I said earlier. Though I cannot find an example of you being called a mangina here, I do agree that any hostility directed toward you is uncalled for and off base.
I am going to repost this exhchange as a feature piece, but I will also say here that if anyone calls into my presentation wielding insults at anyone I will consider them a personal affront to me and to the intended mission of this site.
I have had little contact with Mr. Goodman, but in all of it he has been professional, accommodating and quite friendly. He is doing his part, both by inviting me to present and by conducting himself like a decent human being.
That being said, I hope, Mr. Goodman, that you can grow to understand the nature of the hostility you see here and understand that it is a product of chronically ignored abuse against men and boys, some of it being furthered by individuals who are also presenting at your summit.
I completely disagree with taking that frustration out on you, or by any form of guilt by association. But I hope as you dust your sleeves off from this that you also learn something from it.
This is a long repressed segment of the population that is just beginning to speak in numbers. It is not always going to be neat and congenial, nor would anyone who really understands the nature of the problems expect it to be.
Please look at the video on this page and listen to MP George Christensen talk about the men in his country driven to the brink of insanity by the cruel injustice toward them, and indeed the ones who go over the edge and take their own lives, or horribly, the lives of their children at times.
You don’t have to condone this to understand it.
When we talked you spoke of men in your corner being on a spiritual path. That is a very good thing indeed, because that spiritual fitness is exactly what is needed to look at the anger and hostility of abused men and see past it to the devastation in their lives that it represents, and to extend the compassion they need as well as the moral compass to embrace the idea of correcting the injustices they suffer.
You are welcome to join us in those efforts, but please understand that many of these men are ones who have been burned, over and over again; men who have lost their children, their fathers, brothers, their reputations, their property, their dignity and their freedom, all in a world not only turned deaf and blind to their suffering, but that most often mocks and ridicules them for expressing any pain at all.
We trust slowly, Mr. Goodman, and with very good reason. That’s why we are here.
