Fuck feminists. Fuck the left. Fuck the right. ~ Jared White, from Those Who Oppose Us
I think it is time to make a statement about AVfM. There has been much back and forth of late about right vs. left, and how that helps or hinders the men’s movement. I find part of the discussion interesting, part of it disturbing and part of it stupid and unnecessary. All of it provides some simple but important lessons.
First, and to clarify for those that don’t know by now, my thoughts on government fall pretty squarely in the libertarian (with a little L) camp with some rather inconsequential differences.
And that would work just fine if this were A Voice for Paul Elam, or a voice for any other individual that appoints themselves High Priest of What We Should All Believe.
However, that is the religiosity of partisan politics, and it is marked by the same destructive, divisive rigidity and denial that we see in feminists, fundamentalists and rabid, holier-than-thou Atheists. While it will invariably snake its way into MRM dialogue, including glimpses of it on the pages of this site, AVfM will remain nonpartisan and wholly inclusive of any non-violent man or woman acting earnestly in the best interest of men and boys. Anyone who would sell that out for a party vote might consider joining the Democrat or Republican Men’s Rights Movement, when and if either of them grow a big enough spine (or brain, if you prefer) to start one. I am not holding my breath.
This is a discussion we are not going to avoid, though, and we should start it with a clarification of certain realities. One, the men’s movement, including MRA’s, MGTOW’s, grass eaters, Zeta’s and others who are simply opting out, is a phenomena happening regardless of what is said or done on this website or any other. It is bigger than this band of renegades, bigger than the internet, and is growing rapidly. We document it here more than we drive it.
Men are finally starting to wake up to the fact that they are getting shit upon. And it isn’t just men on the right who are ending that slumber. Consequently, it isn’t just men on the right who are included.
At this point we have enough real estate to faction off and it will not slow things down at all. In fact, as factions emerge and grow, the movement itself gets stronger. We now even have voices from the left that are finally beginning to realize and articulate how they have been coopted by a feminist ideology that has diluted and distorted their political ambitions.
That. Is. A. Good. Thing.
And yes, it is a good thing even if you are an ardent anti-leftist like me. I take great pride in the fact that men and women on the left can come to A Voice for Men and read some articles that reflect some of their beliefs while addressing their concerns about the state of men and boys.
We have voices from the right, who have always been slightly more welcoming of messages that eschew victim politics, who are becoming more and more anti-feminist as time goes by. They are also welcome here.
What is not and will not be a part of the editorial message of this site is blanket condemnation of MRAs because they didn’t vote for a particular candidate, or because they believe in socialized medicine or because they think prayer in school is a good thing or that abortion is either a human right or the mindless murder of a child.
I will happily let the blue pill world of political automatons stay at each other’s dumbed down throats over these issues while we carry on the mission of examining and ameliorating the problems faced by men across the metastasized spectrum of left and right.
That is something we are so good at that we have succeeded even in changing the rhetoric of feminist ideologues. Has anyone noticed that in the middle of all the growing attacks on this website, in other words, attacks on you, that they are now routinely acknowledging and legitimizing the list of issues that we have championed? Even the fembots are carrying our message now. They have no choice, because places like this have changed the discussion. We have put men’s issues on the map and they can’t even attack us any more without admitting to them. That is what not focusing on petty differences has done for us.
It wasn’t the right or the Republicans that got us here. It was telling the truth to the powerful and to the powerless alike, repeatedly, doggedly and without apology. As often as not, we have had to speak that truth to the supposed right as much as the equally supposed left, neither of which seem to resemble their label these days.
As I predicted in an earlier article, we will now be faced with those who have a political (read NOT MEN’S) agenda, who would love to coopt the men’s movement every bit as much as when the card carrying leftists were swallowed up by feminism.
This is in part because what we are doing, e.g. MRA’s, MGTOW’s, Zeta Males, etc., is not on the traffic beaten road of mainstream politics. We are forging new ground and defining a path never before taken by any group of men before the grass eaters of Japan. Those who don’t understand it will attempt to own it only to find that they cannot.
Ask the Japanese government how they are going to handle the economic fallout from the Soushoku Danshi in Japan. I bet if you could get one of them to talk, he or she would tell you they don’t have a fucking clue. That is, if you could catch one being honest. But, I digress.
Where it concerns those who insist on politicizing concern for men and boys, they will attempt to wrest a form of control that does not exist. They will create divisions, drawing imaginary lines in imaginary sand, and double-dog daring any of us to step over it. And still all we have to do is keep walking, with an indifference born of deeper understanding of the issues than what is possessed by would-be usurpers.
A side effect will be some good discussions. Conservative philosophy is a compatible fit with the MRM, at least until the chivalrist, tradcon, über-capitalist war mongers start fucking everything up. But speaking for and about AVfM, I can tell you that this forum will never, ever be defined by those with ambitions to pigeonhole the MRM into an American partisan agenda.
First, this is an international website that happens to be housed in Texas (a fine country that borders the U.S.A.). Like our Aussie brothers, we’re kinda partial to taking our own road. Our supporters come from across the planet and from innumerable backgrounds and systems of belief. Allowing that to change by marginalizing any of those men and women is nothing less than a well-aimed bullet directly in the foot.
We did not make it this far by being dense and we are not going to take a detour down Stupid Street now. The belief here is that there is no such thing as a bad voice in opposition to the bigotry of gender feminism.
This site was created to discuss the problems faced by men in this society. As far as I can tell, as many of those problems are created and/or maintained by the right as the left. I am not going to ignore that for Barak Obama, and not for Mitt Romney, when I would trust neither of them with a man’s freedom, or the well-being of a male child.
The clincher to this is obvious to me. Our time is better spent on other things. As the movement grows there will be factions that emerge from our divisions. Support them. If right wing social conservatives want to battle feminism so they can clear the way for more young men to mount their white horsies, then let ‘em do it. They are still battling feminists, lessening their foothold on power and legislation, which is still good for us at this stage.
If leftists want to start standing up to the feminist bullshit that is now defining their entire movement, they are welcome to send articles here so they can do it.
If any of the polemicist’s are smart, they will stay out of our way, too, and enjoy the fact that the work we do also supports their agenda, at this point in time.
Bickering now, when we still benefit from each others work, just to claim ownership of something we don’t and fucking well CAN’T own, is kinda crazy, isn’t it?
