Facets.

Unlike many of us MRAs, I happen to see the many facets and divisions of the movement as a positive thing. Maybe even essential. These different aspects of a social change on the horizon all, in their own right, have contributions to make to our overall understanding of people, relationships, and social structure.

And, like many MRAs, I firmly believe that understanding, knowledge, and realism are absolutely essential to the survival of our society, if not species.

What we are facing is a collective rejection of objective reality, and it's replacement in all things material with subjectivity and moral relativism. Even our most dire opponents - feminists - claim these things as defense, and women in general employ the methods as well, in the form of the NAWALT argument. If nothing has an objective center, it becomes impossible to 'break'. This attempt to squirm past logic has a long history on MRA BBS's the world over.

This same mentality is behind the 'it's the System that's broken' and 'I was only carrying out orders' mentalities.

They allow one to avoid personal responsibility for actions carried out by, or supported by, themselves, while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of said actions. Or so they hope...

Now, how does this relate to the Mens Movement, it's facets, and the general 'possibleness' of real change?

To start with, the Mens Movement is, by nature and from it's inception, a 'grassroots' movement. It is quite literally composed of people whose shared common experience was so jarring, so oppressive, so unfair, so demoralizing, or so clearly dangerous for the future, that they sought each other out.

On their own.

With NO central authority, or agency, or group to turn to for guidance.

Given the evolution of the movement, one must be struck to at least some degree by the consistency of the message, no? The movement would not be possible in an era without the ability to freely communicate on an individual basis with total strangers on the other side of the Planet. Period. It would just be a bunch of complaining men otherwise.

The fact that we can, and have, formed relationships and had arguments and refined ideas with people that could be next door, or across a Continent, has led inexorably to clumpings of people with the same interests. This is no more true for Mens Issues than, say, Birdwatching. But it is, nonetheless, true.

The strength of the Mens Movement is based nearly entirely on each individual's passion in response to the injustices faced. Every MRA that writes, gets an audience, perhaps of hundreds, perhaps thousands. That audience is sympathetic to the message...in the face of massive social conditioning towards the opposite.

Given the reaction of men I know who have read my magazine (including, by the way, the Gay ones), which is typically "It's about fucking time someone said that!", I would say the general sentiment out there in the real world is quite in line with ours, they just don't know it yet.

If any blame must be assigned to many MRAs for being 'ineffective', it's in the 'they just don't know it yet' bit. We as a group MUST vastly improve our 'marketing' skills....

So that may explain the strength, as well as ponderous progress, of the Mens Movement...but still, what's with the 'facets' thing already?

Well, I'm going to be a bit of a Heretic here and say that I don't think the MRM is always right. Furthermore, I think that given the chance, coming directly off this unjust world, MRA's would gleefully mirror Gender Feminists worst excesses. I truly think that the MRM and Feminism balance each other out (ideologically), and the 'need' to be radical is only dictated by the extremes of the other 'wing'.

The same principle applies to the MRM itself. Game, while interesting and useful, is also chock-full of pussy beggars. People whose entire existence revolves around being able to get, 'play', and dump, women better than women can men. A one dimensional existence, which I have seen with my own eyes on many occasions.

MGTOWs don't get off easy either. There is no way you could POSSIBLY convince me that this is a healthy, or desireable choice. If it was, it wouldn't have to be forced upon the majority of Muslim males. A certain amount of independence from women is a good thing, however.

And on and on it goes, from Fathers Rights activists, Reproductive Choice activists, Intactivists, etc...each individual little corner of the 'manosphere' contributes. It's the nature of the beast, given the fact that clumping around common interests, rather than political ideology or some other social classification (and here, by the way, I include 'race'), was the impetus behind it's growth.

In that manner, the MRM is about as 'egalitarian' a movement as you're ever going to get. Without somehow telling people, for instance, they will have NO way of knowing your race, your sex, your weight, your attractiveness physically, your height, etc. This, right here, is a forum where your IDEAS truly do get considered on their own merits, without regard to -isms.

Some have asked what the Mens Movement is. From within, this is an easy enough question to answer, which we've done several thousand times each, of that I'm sure. But spin it around for a second...

The Mens Movement:

Has no 'Political Centre', no source of funding to attack, and no Political allies.
Has clearly defined goals based on easily understood concepts of Justice.
Utilizes concepts and memes planted in the social consciousness by Feminists against them.
Is composed almost entirely of 'regular guys' with not a lot to lose.
In many cases, merely explains the processes currently destroying society.
Offers clear, simple, and usually far less costly solutions.

Kind of looks like a Guerilla War in a hostile nation, doesn't it?

When people ask what we're about, or argue over the relative merits of PUA vs MGTOW, calm and reasoned vs 'kill em all', legal vs social avenues for redress, etc.... what I think they don't understand is that WE don't know.

I tend to picture all these aspects of the Mens Movement as swirling 'galaxies', relative in size to each other, interacting regularly as their gravity pulls on each other. I don't for a minute think any one of those 'galaxies' have The Answer.

I think the answer, as always, lies somewhere in the middle - we just have to let things balance a while to find the center. Within the Movement, as well as in society.

How typically Canadian of me, eh?