From String and Wax to Routes and Nodes
AngryHarry asked on these pages why no Large Men’s Rights Organisation had got off the ground and my answer is that it is being made like a Learjet, in various places all over. The bits need to be brought together and a few rivets put in. Carefully, mind you.
The internet is awash in men’s rights movement sites. They are ‘organic’ rather than manufactured. They are growing rather than fabricated. Many have been around for a while, while some burst upon the scene and disappear in a year for want of nurture. Each is built around one man, often working in the evening in a small room. These string & waxmen are paving the way, often with an idea to help society by gathering information and opinion and ‘friends’. Creating the necessary elements of the MRM.
It is astonishing what a little technology and wit can produce. There are forums, mini-communities where discussion and ‘education’ goes on informally. There are more formal and directed efforts which focus attention on specific issues. There are sites which gain a reputation either as a small centre of critical opinion limited only by the verve of the owner or because of a striking personality or both (AH for example) or because of a strong and maintained focus. They become Nodes.
Most remain small and have little or just small effect. Some rise to prominence and lead aspects of the Movement. Repetition of content or view is rife and often the ‘next step’ is not taken, whatever that step might be. Unless one comes across them almost by accident, they remain unidentified by the public even when Joe does a ‘search’. We remain ‘obscure’. In the factory on the bench; in the greenhouse on the shelf.
Men’s Rights Organisations are on the ground too. You might be surprised to know just how many there are. In fact I doubt anyone actually knows how many there are or where they are or what they are doing. And not just in America, the land of the Unknown Braves, but elsewhere in the world.
They are all tackling many aspects of MRM issues, Father’s issues, Children’s issues, social issues, educational and legislative influence issues, sometimes – I suspect – completely oblivious to the efforts of the others or what works and what doesn’t.
Now we can all name a few, our ‘favourites, local to us or far afield, but who is to be asked? And if I ask YOU, what ‘coverage’ can you give? What is the depth and breadth of your knowledge?
There are people, men and women, who have written books of essential interest to men. I have never been able to find a list anywhere of all the books that are relevant to the MRM. Where do I find such a list? I have had people react in surprise when I have mentioned a particular book with ‘I have never heard of that one’. I am not at all surprised. New people coming into the MRM could be directed to a wealth of material, but who is to do that?
I could name perhaps ten Journalists in five countries that I would consider MRM-friendly. How many more are there out there? Barbara Kay in Canada. Who has read any of Barbara’s work? Who gets it regularly? Andrew Bolt in Australia. That woman, Wossername in the UK. Thingy in WosseState in America. Who do YOU know of and do you have a list of their articles relevant to MRM matters?
Several fine MRAs have taken it upon themselves to provide ‘Service’. Our own Leader here is Mike LaSalle. What a publication he has started. Our best so far. There is John Dias with his Misandry Review. A great servive to your email in-box. There is Pierce Harlan with his False Rape reporting. Yep, a good Lawyer. Thare had to be one ! There is Glenn Sacks with his tireless efforts that have galvanised people to action around a variety of issues. There are already stellar organisations – again, born in and living in small rooms in the evenings – like RADAR, for example – reliant on just a few people. Small stars but shining Light into darkness.
Such people have a vision and a drive to share themselves unselfishly. We need courageous men like this who answer the question – Who does the Grail Serve. It does not serve them as there is neither fame nor fortune in their sights. They serve us.
We need such men. We also need some more who can do the dogged work behind ‘service’. We need the chaps in their small rooms to do a variety of ‘Taxonomy work’. Of vital need are men who can find out who is doing what. Men who can collect basic information; identify all, and I mean all, the Groups, the sites, the blogs, the forums, the Organisations, the men’s charities, the legal provisions for men, the health providers, the Journalists and the newspapers the TV stations and radio stations that are MRM-issue friendly, the Men’s academics, the men’s writers, etc etc. In every country. And we need a central organising effort that can direct this modest task and collate the information, the lists, the types etc and act as a repository.
So, some of you might comment here on this small offering, this small voice on a page. Please, append with your comment an identification of five or six MRM ‘elements’ that you know of.
Make a start. Someone, somewhere might take it up.
In fact, if the idea of doing six month’s work appeals, an hour here, an hour there, collecting and collating information, volunteer and get to it.
A good mechanic could bolt them all together in no time.
Ask, ‘Who does the Grail Serve’.
And answer with your service, even a small service.
By the way, do we have any Learjet pilots around?
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Amfortas is a Psychologist and Men's Rights Advocate living in Tasmania; the mania inflicted by Feminist-Socialism. He is the Past-Chairman of mensnewsdaily.com Ask, Who Does the Grail Serve. | More from Amfortas
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I follow and support a journalist in Ireland, Kevin Myers, who has more gonads than most any other MSM scribe anywhere in the world. He writes for the Irish independent and invented the term “Lifeboat Feminist.”
That article may not be available on the I.E. website now but i have it here. http://parentalalienationcanada.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-ireland-its-same-as-here-feminist.html.
You can catch Kevin frequently here. This column is a good one discussing anorexia/obesity arriving about the same time as feminism.
He is an original and gets lots of hate mail. http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/anorexia-and-obesity-arrived-at-the-same-time-as-feminism-and-possibly–on-the-same-train-1888826.html
“I could name perhaps ten Journalists in five countries that I would consider MRM-friendly. How many more are there out there? Barbara Kay in Canada. Who has read any of Barbara’s work? Who gets it regularly? Andrew Bolt in Australia. That woman, Wossername in the UK. Thingy in WosseState in America. Who do YOU know of and do you have a list of their articles relevant to MRM matters?”
…. aaaahh ???
This is a bit off topic but I wrote to this group over another thread and thought the answer might interest some here.
It shows how much money the dems and rebs get for women’s issues during election campaigns.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=Q08
I can add one thing.
NZ is doing what the UK did. They couldn’t get a men’s commission in parliament so decided to start their own.
http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/
NZ is organising it’s own men’s commission too. They need quite a bit of a support.
One wonderful MRA started a family movement. Very successful too.
http://familyfirst.org.nz/
Amfortas, Angry Harry, Marc Rudov and Glen Sacks all working together for Men’s rights. That’s awesome, you deserve donations to keep the show rolling.
nfvlrc.org is a fantastic resource for research on domestic violence, get educated and speak out against gender bias.
mensactivism.org is a fantastic resource for MRA bloggers. Need allies? Post your story to mensactivism.org.
I have a couple right beside me that have merit for men and dads.
Father and Child Reunion – Warren Farrell, PhD
Between Fathers and Daughters – Linda Nielson, EdD
@ Paul Elam,
Thanks for an excellent list. Some may say it’s repetitive, but it has to be hammered periodically because new activists might not be aware of them and long time activists forget.
Also, would it be possible to list local men/fathers organizations which meet periodically to discuss and guide husbands whose marriage is/has about to collapse. (Like an Emergency Clinic)
When Fathers United existed in our area, sometimes men would stand outside waiting because they had heard or read somewhere about it. After a few decades the leaders tired out and since not enough new people would step up. So it ceased to exist.
Hey,
Some books that I read early on and some later in my MRA career:
“The War Against Boys” By Christina Hoff Sommers (My personal favorite)
“Why Gender Matters” By Leonard Sax
“The Evolution of Desire” By David M. Buss
“Women Who Make the World Worse: and how….” By Kate O’ Beirne
“The Myth of Male Power” By Warren Farrell
What really triggered my full fledge backing of the male rights movement was me bumping into the concept of “Evolutionary Psychology” while an education major. It proved to me that the education system was indeed feminised, as the male mind flourished more in an environment of competition, active learning, hierarchy establishment, and content value, something our education system poorly lacks. I wrote a paper for my educational psychology class proposing that the education system was bias against males, and was almost kicked out of the program for it. If it was not for one lone male professor who said he would quit if I was censored, I believe it would have happened. As it were, I simply had to have a sit down with the male dean of the Education department (I wore a T-Shirt that said “The truly educated never graduate.” I’m a bit of smart ass.) and he generally laughed the situation off and sent me on my way. I have no doubt that if the head of the Education department was a feminist, I would have bee ousted. After all that, four months into my teaching career, and I was making miracles happen at the low socio-economic school I was at by the way, I was fired on trumped up charges of poor classroom discipline (A complete distortion of me allowing for active learning (I taught Art)). What really happened was that I was an idiot enough to get on some MRA sites during my planning period, and apparantly they monitored internet use. Big sister is watching. Also two of the three vice principals were raging feminazis, one a big bull dyke. The male principal kowtowed to them. I threatened to sue just to cause a little trouble (I had no money for a lawyer), and they immediately recanted and tried to give me my job back, but I had had enough by that point. AH, you remember me, I sent you an email about it that you published? Anyways, that sealed it for me, I’m an MRA for life, even if we destroy feminism, I will stay vigilant that it does not return, or so that the MRA movement doesn’t morph into something corrupt like feminism.
Angry Harry was the first blog I read on a regular basis. I really liked Eternal Bachelor back in the day, and went to most blogs linked to his site. Today I spend most of my time here or at Niceguys: American Women Suck forums.
I argue the cause to most people I know if it applies to any current conversation. I have no embarassment of shame at presenting my beliefs. I enjoy debate, especially when my side so clearly has the more sound position. I’d like to join a local MRA club of some type. Maybe I’ll start one someday.
An excellent idea, Amfortas,
I will take up my small part of that endeavor. Here is a partial list culled from the pages of Amazon.com After more contributions have come in I will create a directory for them on my website, with links to where they can be purchased.
No doubt we can find a home for them here as well.
Fathers Rights- Hard Hitting and Fair Advice for Every Father Involved in a Custody Dispute
Jeffery M. Leving
Spreading Misandry- The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture
Paul Nathanson
Legalizing Misandry- From Public Shame to Systematic Discrimination Against Men
Paul Nathanson
The Revolt of the Primitive- An Inquiry into the Roots of Political Correctness
Howard Schwartz
Until Proven Innocent- Political Correctness and the Shamful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case
Stuart Taylor Jr.
The Woman Racket- The New Science Explaining How the Sexes Relate, at Work, at Play and in Society
Steve Moxon
The Disposable Male: Sex, Love and Money- Your World Through Darwin’s Eyes
Michael Gilbert
The Myth of Male Power- Why Men are the Disposable Sex
Warren Farrell
The Decline of Males- The First Look at an Unexpected New World for Men and Women
Lionel Tiger
Men and Marriage
George Gilder
Who Stole Feminism- How Women have Betrayed Women
Christina Hoff Sommers
The War Against Boys- How Misguided Feminism is Harming our Young Men
Christina Hoff Sommers
Heterophobia: Sexual Harassment and the Future of Feminism
Daphne Patai
Professing Feminism: Education and Indoctrination in Women’s Studies
Daphne Patai
Women Who Make the World Worse: and How Their Radical Feminist Assault is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military and Sports
Kate O’Beirne
Save the Males: Why Men Matter- Why Women Should Care
Kathleen Parker
Women: Theory and Practice
Bernard Chapin