I've had it with the whole thing. I've had my name dragged through the mud, simply for not agreeing 'enough' with certain people, and I have been branded 'extremist' by the people I fought beside for years, simply so they could garner a little more PC cred.
I've suffered enough for this movement, and frankly if it's made up of people like those I have seen emerge in the last few months, then I have done it all for nothing. The influx of 'MRAs' that are essentially turning the movement into 'feminism for men' have done what decades of abuse and thousands of feminists could never accomplish...I am so disgusted, I am out.
But not only that. I'm SO out, so pissed off, that I am also making a further offer to anyone who chooses to accept it, from basement dwelling feminists to 'progressive' politicians.
My expertise and understanding are yours to explore, if you should see any value in it. If you have a website and want truly effective evisceration of the MRM and some of it's leading lights, I am MORE THAN WILLING to accomodate. I realize I'm just one guy without a lot of power, but I may have something of value to add.....you never know.
But I am officially DONE with this bunch of posturing narcissists and sycophantic slaves. I've had it with working together with people who will toss others under the bus to score cheap (and fleeting) political points.
Yes, it's the AVfM crew specifically that drove me to this...thanks Paul and Dr F...you guys are real peaches.
Anyway, long and short of it is, since I'm now 'extremist' to these folks, and to be shunned....well, fine. Let's see if anyone else has a use for my talents. After all, what's the point of having integrity when no one else does....right Paul?
I've suffered enough for this movement, and frankly if it's made up of people like those I have seen emerge in the last few months, then I have done it all for nothing. The influx of 'MRAs' that are essentially turning the movement into 'feminism for men' have done what decades of abuse and thousands of feminists could never accomplish...I am so disgusted, I am out.
But not only that. I'm SO out, so pissed off, that I am also making a further offer to anyone who chooses to accept it, from basement dwelling feminists to 'progressive' politicians.
My expertise and understanding are yours to explore, if you should see any value in it. If you have a website and want truly effective evisceration of the MRM and some of it's leading lights, I am MORE THAN WILLING to accomodate. I realize I'm just one guy without a lot of power, but I may have something of value to add.....you never know.
But I am officially DONE with this bunch of posturing narcissists and sycophantic slaves. I've had it with working together with people who will toss others under the bus to score cheap (and fleeting) political points.
Yes, it's the AVfM crew specifically that drove me to this...thanks Paul and Dr F...you guys are real peaches.
Anyway, long and short of it is, since I'm now 'extremist' to these folks, and to be shunned....well, fine. Let's see if anyone else has a use for my talents. After all, what's the point of having integrity when no one else does....right Paul?
I've always appreciated your perspective, even if I have not always agreed with it. Good luck to you man. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm not dying, I'm just refusing to be an MRA anymore.... But I appreciate the response, I really do.
ReplyDeleteYou have an intelligent and insightful perspective. I myself thought AVfM may be going a bit soft for a bit. However I just spent my time at the spearhead for a while instead. For this reason it was the spearhead that got my rant and insight on Anita Sarkeesian. I'me very passionate about gaming culture and it was an important comment to me.
ReplyDeleteI think AVfM is starting to harden up a little again thankfully and I'm posting there again. However there is a wide range of views in the MRM and if they become too soft I will merely look for a more relevant stamping ground. Maybe you could do the same.
Anyhow best wishes to you as a man who has put much effort into mens rights. I certainly appreciated your efforts. Thank you.
Thanks for the compliment...I tried. Since I can't get my articles removed from the site, I guess I'm stuck having my name attached to the place....but I am for real and truly done with the place... But, I hope you guys do well in your fight. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Factory,
ReplyDeleteI was one of those at who agreed with AVFM ‘s policy of having women as Senior Editors. I now have to wonder whether that was a good idea or not, but short of somehow getting into the personal space of folks at AVFM to see for myself the dynamics therein, of which I have no intention, I suppose I'll always be left simply wondering.
Let me explain how in light of recent events at AVFM I have come to share some of your sentiments towards them.
Recently I made a late night - too tired, dumb mistake of posting what I thought was someone's thread comment plus a few minor tweaks as an article at AVFM. I’d stored the article as a text document, forgot to note a link, then 12 weeks later saw it again and thinking it was a thread comment rather than an article and a brilliant piece of satire, I rashly published it at AVFM with my name attached. A really stupid thing to do admittedly for which I would have expected time in the 'sin-bin', perhaps a few weeks or months, to sort out how I'd screwed up so badly.
Here's what subsequently happened instead though.
Despite making an immediate apology and asking what I could do to make things right I was banned from the site for life immediately by it's owner Paul Elam.
He asked for no explanation from me but along with others who piled on with comments and upticks falsely accused me of deliberately setting out from the get go to plagiarize another author's article. Quite how they could have all been in my head monitoring my thoughts at the time I published the article is beyond understanding.
I was stunned. Apparently helping to grow their site with over 1900 thread comments (the overwhelming majority of which were positively upticked) and several positively received articles, with the promise of further articles in the pipeline and even a whole MRA themed music album from me counted for little or nothing.
So I began to think "What kinds of minds react this way?"
I then began digging into the site more deeply and came across aspects of it which in my previous zeal and desperation to support Men's Human Rights I'd underestimated. Coupled with the draconian lifetime ban, I'm now seeing a pattern emerging which leads me to deduce that they are, as you for your own reasons assert, becoming a kind of equivalent of feminism for men. Sad.
Now I could offer feedback to AVFM as to where they are going woefully wrong in that regard.
Indeed I saw glaring examples on newly posted articles and comments which I could alert them to, but I'd only be butting heads there, and so prefer to let natural consequences follow as they become hoist by their own petard.
BTW, Paul Elam stated of my articles to the AVFM community and anyone reading that he would quote "remove his previous articles now that I have no way of trusting their authenticity." Apparently checking those articles for authenticity is impossible for them. Yeah, right Paul. Who do you think you’re kidding about that? Yet the articles still remain there 4 days after the bold assertion that they’d be removed, which would take how long? 2 minutes? Maybe 3 minutes tops.
As I've said in an E-mail to one of their editors Dean Esmay I want those articles taken down, not because they're plagiarized either which AVFM can check with a fine toothcomb, but because I simply want distance from AVFM.
We'll see what happens and whether he keeps his word on that score.
I’ve also come to realize that I was so focused on AVFM that I didn’t see how the growth of men’s issues websites has burgeoned in the meantime, so my loss of community with AVFM has rapidly given way to a sense of opportunity which feels wonderful.
I'm glad to see you're still around and sharing your views after recent difficulties.
Keep well.
Stephen O'Brian.
Apparently, Iam actually a little late to the game here...I've been getting emails and messages from a lot of people saying the same thing from a bunch of people I never would have expected to hear from on this matter. The more of them I get, the more I share your optimism.
ReplyDeleteHi Factory,
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised folks are contacting you.
I challenged Paul Elam to keep his word and take down my articles at AVFM. He hasn't. Over a week later than his grandstanding promise to the AVFM community to do so.
Such integrity.
I won't sully this site by repeating his foul mouthed insulting response either.
Such a class act.
Further validation that the move away from AVFM makes sense, that Paul Elam has control issues and hates being challenged about his character.
I'm enjoying expanding my reading to other parts of the manosphere.
Stay well.
Stephen O'Brian
Great post but I was wondering if you could write a little more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Thanks in advance! https://archerytopic.com/best-elk-hunting-pack/
ReplyDelete