It’s important in any political movement to keep in view those things which unite us. The reason for this is not to define a Dogma, or to enforce membership adherence to predefined views. The reason is to make sure we never lose sight of why we are doing this in the first place.
Fair enough, you may say, but what exactly “unites” us?
Good question, I say rhetorically, and also one I’m sure many of our opponents would like to answer.
I aim to answer that question, both for them and for me…hopefully you agree as well.
I recently got into a debate on an Australian Conservative website, essentially debating the Chivalry vs. Feminism thing. And as frequently happens during such exchanges, things came into minutely sharper focus, at least for me, and at this time. Maybe I should cut back on my “advocacy” for marijuana…but I digress. Anyway, the point is that the sum total of most of the arguments I heard were that essentially their “Man Up” was well-intentioned, while they agree that the feminist “man up” is not.
And then they challenged me on the similarities between the Feminist movement and the MRM, s pecifically with regards to the adherence to a philosophy of self-determinism.
Basically the charge was, that as the Men’s Movement advocates more and more for the eschewing of female attentions, we begin to look more and more like Catharine Mackinnon. With every article on False Rape Accusation and the (very real) threat this poses to men, we resemble Andrea Dworkin more and more.
And you know what, they have a point.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as reactionary as the next guy. I certainly don’t think there’s much percentage in “taking the high road”, as should be easily understood by any Divorced man. But the Men’s Movement has undeniably become far more Dogmatic than it used to be. We have our own Shibboleths as well.
And frankly, I find that reprehensible. I find that intellectually, and morally, lazy.
Without a doubt, there is no shortage of stories for Pierce to publish on his site. Glenn Sacks and Robert Franklin seem to be making a career out of trying to stop anti male legislation (Thank God). There are Academics struggling to rescue the reputation of Scholarship, at least as regards Gender, and bring some much needed perspective to the Intelligentsia.
But if you look at these people making a difference you will see one major commonality.
They are not quoting others. They are not spouting “received wisdom”. They are using their own faculties, and analyzing what is in front of them, and they are taking in what is around them. They have experience, but do not adhere to man=good, woman=bad type philosophies….not even Marc. They acknowledge reality, both natural and political…and do not rely on others to tell them how things are.
So what exactly is it that unites us? Where is the soft chewy center of this mish-mash of PUAs, MGTOWs, MRAs, FRAs, HOLYFUCKINACRONYMs, etc…?
Fairness. Truth. Equality. Realism. On the FRONT end.
Basically, we prefer our largesse to be voluntary.
It’s funny just how old our principles really are, actually. Typically, an MRA would be more than happy if all you did was wipe out 90% of the Bureaucracy (and taxes), gave everyone the same legal and social standing, and yelled “Go!” I bet 99% of what we stand for is written on some old parchment kept in some library somewhere, serving as a basis for a whole mode of government, in fact.
Other than that, the men’s movement seems to largely consist of trying to get society to stop lying to itself about a range of topics. Again with that ring of Truth….
And this is why I am taking heart, seeing so many disparate groups making so much headway into the public consciousness in so many spots. I truly hope that the MRM can serve as a catalyst to constructive change in lots of areas, not least of which is this apparently pathological hatred of the Christian faith that pervades society these days..
Friggin’ weed….where was I?
Oh yeah…
I tend to be quite vehement when I debate, with flat accusations and aggressive tones. I tend to employ a fair bit of hyperbole as well. And I’m definitely not above flipping my shit on occasion.
But at the end of the day, it still comes back to whether or not I can look at myself in the mirror. Thankfully, I can say the vast majority of MRAs (so far) have a great deal of integrity. Even the ones I disagree with. But it will not always be so. As time goes on, the Men’s Movement is assured of growing exponentially. And with that influx, there will be efforts to twist this movement into a mirror of the Feminist movement.
The defense to this is as simple as it is difficult to do. Remain true to the original goals, not the task-goals. It’s not about “ending false rape accusations”; it’s about making the legal system sane again so men and women can form relationships without the inevitable power struggles the current system fosters. We might be after the destruction of certain feminist power structures, but it’s to end their hateful efforts, not to “silence women”.
As long as we remain focused on equality, rather than equal outcomes (as the Feminists did), we will likely remain true to our original intent.
But there are examples of times when MRAs fell into the “my side is better than your side” arguments. Several times I have done so myself. And that is why it’s vitally important for MRAs to never forget that they are part of the Manosphere…ALL of the Manosphere (including MRAs, PUA, MGTOWs, black, white, yellow, gay, straight, or some kind of swirl), and we all have something of importance to contribute.
I do, however, reserve the right to kick stupidity square in the ass, and recommend you do the same.
