Back in 1964 Eric Bern, a psychologist, wrote a book called Games People Play, launching a new way of looking at people. The book described an array of methods that people use to manipulate other people in order to get what they want from them—or methods of defending against assumed threats. Berne extended Sigmund Freud’s original list of neurotic defense mechanisms and gave the games catchy names.
Over the years, radical feminists have devised their own methods of manipulating men. Below are five of these feminist games.
Oh My God! This game is a variation of guilt-tripping, but to a markedly dramatic level. In this game a feminist reacts to something that a man (or a non-feminist woman) says or does by crying out or screaming out or moaning out, “Oh my God!” in a voice that suggests that this person has just said or done the most evil and dangerous and disgusting and terrifying thing that any human or baboon or grasshopper could ever do in the history of this planet. The feminist may swoon or faint or in other way suggest that her very life is in danger because of this totally evil and threatening behavior.
Example: A man presents a paper at a psychology conference on “The Feminist Myth of Sexual Abuse,” criticizing feminist writings for suggesting that there is an epidemic of male sexual abuse of women. In the middle of the presentation, a woman in the audience stands up and begins to cry out very loudly. “Oh my God! I was raped a few years ago and I still have nightmares about it. Don’t tell me sexual abuse doesn’t exist! I can’t believe this! I’ve had a lived experience! Oh my God! Oh my God!” She falls back in her chair in tears. People come to her aid and the presentation is stopped.
Goal: This game is intended to shut down anybody who says or does anything that a feminist disagrees with, and it usually works, as it did in the above example.
Got You! This is one of Eric Bern’s original games, and it is a variation and extension of “Oh My God!” Feminists keep their enemies (straight white males) under scrutiny and are on the lookout to catch them if they say anything politically incorrect. If a man refers to a group of women as “guys,” the feminist comes down on this man and in a horrified voice lets him know that he has just insulted all women. Then she goes a step further and demands an apology for this indiscretion. In effect, she has acted out a “Got you, you son of a bitch!” and demanded retribution.
Example: A man uses his Twitter account to tweet that “Bonnie Brown is a hell of a girl!” in an attempt to express his admiration of a pop singer. This tweet is immediately followed by a storm of offended tweeters who say things like, “What a sexist!” and “How can somebody in this day and age say such a thing?” and “That right, let’s all characterize grown women as little girls, that will assuage our inner sexists!” and “He needs to apologize to all women for this disgusting rant.” The man quickly tweets his apology and says he didn’t mean it at all.
Goal: This game, like all Feminist games, is designed not to resolve the issue or encourage peace and harmony between men and women, but rather to humiliate the man and keep women in the power position.
Mock You! In this game, instead of crying out loud, the feminist mocks a man who says something that she disagrees with. A man may say that “Bonnie Brown is a hell of a girl!” and all the feminists in the room will roll their eyes and shake their heads and mock the man with nasty tones and laughs. “Bonnie Brown is a hell of a girl, yes she is!” The man will be shamed by the mockery.
Example: A man says in a round-table discussion, that there are not as many women scientists as men scientists. The women in the room all look at each other and begin to laugh. It starts with a moderate laugh but ends up with them almost falling on the floor. Finally, one of the feminists leans over, puts her arm around him as if he is a little boy, and says, “It’s all right, we understand how insecure intelligent women must make a little boy like you feel. There, there.”
Goal: This game is once again to humiliate the man who committed the infraction. It will not bring unity between men and women, but will instead increase the divide, which is what feminists want.
Feminist Law! This game has developed over the years, as feminists have come up with “divine statistics” or “divine laws”. The game is in two parts. In the first part, feminists repeat certain slogans in loud, authoritarian tones of voice so often and in so many places that they seem like they were decreed by a higher authority. A phrase such as “one in five college women are raped” will be stated in solemn and rigid tones by government officials, Senators, UN officials, and college professors (all part of the feminist mob). These authoritarian tones invariably provoke a counterreaction by someone who has studied these statistics and knows they are skewed. This leads the second part of the game. The moment the critic speaks up, the feminist lets him know with words or with a stare, that he is a hopeless sexist who doesn’t get it.
Example: A Senator announces a new bill that allows woman to castrate any man of her choosing if she suspects that he wants to rape her, adding, “One in five college women will be raped this year and every year, and we must do something to stop this epidemic!” One timid reporter says, “Shouldn’t that statistic be one in 35?” The Senator shakes her head, rolls her eyes, and replies, “That’s just the kind of remark a sexist would make.”
Goal: This game is to twist statistics around in order to prove that feminists are right and men are wrong and then pounce on anyone who tries to oppose these statistics. The ultimate goal is again to boost women into the power seat.
Bait and Switch. In this game feminists pretend to listen to a man who disagrees with them, only to lure him in and then, at the last minute, zing him. They typically overhear a man say something against feminism and they quickly approach him and, in a super friendly voice, ask him a mild question: “So you think feminists are wrong? That’s interesting. Why do you think that?” The man, thinking he has at last met an open-minded woman, gratefully begins to express his critical views of feminism and the feminist pretends to be oh so interested. Then, suddenly, at the last moment, she changes her tone. She speaks to him as though he is a little boy, completely dismissing his comments.
Example: A feminist gives a talk and at the end of it, she asks for comments from the audience. A young white male goes to the microphone and says, “If you don’t mind, I have some criticisms of feminism.” The woman smiles broadly and motions for him to come closer to the stage. “Of course I don’t mind! Step forward and please tell me your criticisms, sir. I really want to know.” The man barely has the courage to quibble for a moment with some little aspect of feminist thought. The feminists smiles brightly and listens carefully. Then, when he is done, she pounces in a condescending voice, as if talking to the most backward man. “It’s amazing to find someone who is till so asleep. I do hope someday you grow up and learn to overcome your fear of strong women.” This is met by raucous applause and the man is thoroughly humiliated.
Goal: The goal is to lure the man in and tease him into thinking that he is going to be listened to with compassion, and then to give him the big knock down, thus terrorizing him and all men.
