To the members of the University of Toronto Student Union
As I am sure you are already aware, in three days there will be a speaking event at University of Toronto, presented by Dr. Janice Fiamengo. The topic of this lecture, as you are also undoubtedly aware, is “What’s Wrong with Women’s Studies? Academic Feminism, Censorship & Men”
The bold text in “censorship” is mine. I thought it particularly appropriate given the conduct of the University of Toronto Student Union the last time an academician came there to address an area of study that did not meet your approval.
To refresh your memory, the speaker was Dr. Warren Farrell, and the subject was the Boy Crisis, in part an exploration of male suicide, failure to launch and video game addiction.
This is you, outside the lecture hall.
Also, as you may recall, this website took on the very important task of identifying those that we could who participated in the censorship, bullying, harassment, vandalism and violence that the University of Toronto Student Union fostered and displaying them for the world to see.
As you have been very quick to tell as many people who will listen, the results for some of those following your hateful lead was not quite what they expected.
Rather than the University of Toronto Student Union learning an immediate lesson from your folly, you attempted to take whatever additional retributive action you could, condemning this site for exposing your hatred, and even going as far as attempting to have us shut down — spreading a lot of lies in the process.
Well, it appears none of that worked out as you planned, either. A Voice for Men is still here, and thanks to the University of Toronto Student Union’s failed attempts to censor us, as well as Dr. Farrell, we are more robust and active than ever. And now, you have an even more contentious presentation on the way – as well as our new AVFM Ontario news team, which will be there to cover you as much as the lecture itself.
It is our intention at AVFM to attempt to assist the University of Toronto Student Union this time with some obviously needed advice on your conduct for the upcoming event. Of course this is being offered with the unfortunate understanding that you are incapable of reconsidering your hatred for men and boys, and your desire to harm those with whom you disagree.
First, DO NOT block doors. To understand this fully, just ask yourselves what your personal reaction is to being told you can’t go somewhere or listen to someone. I am sure if you think about it you will see that your efforts to block doors not only resulted in significant negative international attention, it also prompted many peoples curiosity about the information you did not want them to see.
Poor strategy on your part.
Next, if you are going to vandalize property by tearing down legally posted notices for an event, you might want to tell the morons doing it not to brag about it on Twitter. Well, not unless you want to see their names in headlines here.
Just saying.
Also, if you insist on having people out there to harass and intimidate attendees just for showing up, try not to pick on someone who is there trying to get help understanding why they lost two friends to suicide. Not only does this make you look like insensitive, immoral scumbags, it inspires people to do the opposite of what you want them to do, which is to believe that you have any reason whatsoever to be protesting anything to begin with.
Finally, it is very important to remember that your first attempt to make the world take a dim view of men’s human rights, it was you that ended up with the world ready to scrutinize you and your actions much more than men’s advocates.
We suggest that the University of Toronto Student Union consider some very docile, respectful, unfeminist like behavior this time around; that you demonstrate to the world you have learned your place in the changes that are happening right in your own yard, which is on the sidelines, watching.
Or, you can continue to help us by giving the world another sterling demonstration of the very problems for which Dr. Fiamengo will no doubt be excoriating your ilk in her lecture, especially as her idea to speak at your school was directly inspired by your actions that day in November.
Oh, and speaking of inspiration, so was another university group dedicated to men’s issues.
University of Toronto Student Union, it is time for you to just shut up, get out of the way and let other people share ideas whether you like them or not.
Of course, it is up to you. You live in a free country as long as people like you are not running it. But whatever you choose to do, you might want to consider what happened the last time you had a bright idea.
And last November, we were not even prepared for anything to happen.
You can bet we are now.
