The Rights Of Man

NEWS UPDATE

Here is a few recent ones and than you to those who forwarded them

Guardian - How a feminist debate was derailed by asking all men to leave (Marta Owczarek) and then man-hater and anti-equality activist Julia Long's response.

Daily Telegraph - Women to escape prosecution in Humberside (Wesley Johnson)

National Post - Women's Federation sells fear and hatred of men (Barbara Kay)

Mike Buchanan - Fighting feminism, let's get practical

Accountancy Age - Watering donw women on boards is not the way to go (Fiona Hoston Moore): Another special treatment anti-equality advocate. She says "I hope that by the time my daughter joins the workforce in 2020 we will finally  appoint board members based on merit, rather than gender, school or background." Obviously, if she has a son, she is content that merit won't count towards his appointmemt onto a board - what will her response be when he is barred because of his gender.  

Posted by Skimmington 

HYPOCRISY ABOUT MEN ON WOMEN'S HOUR

Dave kindly pointed out in a recent comments section that Radio 4 Women's Hour (35:28 minutes in) on Thursday had a debate about the objectifying of male and female actresses and how hypocritical it was for women and feminists to complain about the objectifying of women when so many women objectified men.

It is worth listening to the hyprocrisy of Lucy Cavendish that shows how modern-day feminists want their cake and eat it.

Posted by Skimmington

USING POLITICAL TRIANGULATION TO ATTACK MEN

A PR trick invented in the 90's in terms of political discourse and much loved by Clinton and Blair was triangulation.

This is where you take two different issues (or groups of voters) and find a way of enabling both issues to conjoin. Blair did it by convincing Labour's traditional voters and disillusioned Tory voters that he was on both of their sides at the same time. He won three elections on the back of it!

The relevance here is the use of triangulation by anti-male campaigners. A classic example is in this piece of utterly biased and sexist research from Houston that appeared in the Daily Mail. The issue raised by the 'researchers' is that:

Women who work are more likely to be abused by  male partners than women who don't, a study has found.

Here we see the triangulation of domestic abuse and working women. The whole aim of the research is to demonise men so that working women fear having successful careers and a husband/partner. The issue is compounded when the research does not seem to look at whether a man is more likley to be a victim if he and his wife/partner have successful careers, just the women.

On other domestic abuse news, we see an article in the Daily Telegraph about the effect of the recession of domestic abuse (19% rise over three years) where while the NCDV's comments are gender neutral the picture and comments from Refuge are obviously not. The journalist takes the easy option to portray men as the perpetrators when I suspect any increase is actually committed by men and women (and of course - more men are committing suicide because of the recession).

Yvette Cooper a few weeks ago 'forgot' that male victims exist and Rahila Gupta in the Guardian does not believe there is such a thing as a male victim. The article is written as if it is straight from a set text on a typical men-hating gender studies course.

Fortunately, more grassroots organisations are ignoring this and providing services based on reality - as can be seen in Redcar.

Posted by Skimmington

VICTORY FOR FATHERS AS NSPCC ADMITS DEFEAT IN ITS DEMONISATION CAMPAIGN

Sometime ago I wrote about how by campaigning and complaining responsibly, rationally
and without being too inflammatory (albeit I know it can be hard) will bear fruit. Also
campaigning using the language of equality, using hard facts and ensuring support from women are other key success factors.

Tonight, via friends from the UKFRM Yahoo Group I was emailed the news that Sean Geoghegan has secured a brilliant success against the NSPCC.

This Christmas they have been running a campaign that states "All I want for Christmas is daddy to stop hitting me".

This is despite the fact that their own figures (in a post by the ManKind Initiative chairman on the group) show that mothers are more likely to be the perpetrators of violence against their children, especially so against their daughters. We have also shown the way the NSPCC ignores their own figures here before. The NSPCC campaign was only aimed at abuse fathers not mothers (or mothers and fathers).

The NSPCC (who have form as we know in not telling the whole story - see NSPCC letter in News Update) had got tetchy when they received complaints and issued this statement.

 Now they have capitulated completely and withdrawn the ad in an email to Sean.

 We are always grateful for feedback on our campaigns and the one you're referring to has generated some interesting points for consideration. There has been much discussion about the `All I want for Christmas…' adverts and, on reflection, we have decided to discontinue these specific adverts but
continue with others such as those for our `Letter from Santa' product.

The NSPCC firmly believes that gender bias plays no part in preventing cruelty to children and we have always said that men and women are both capable of cruelty to children. And of course both parents are equally important in protecting children and giving them a happy and healthy upbringing. The NSPCC works with both fathers and mothers who are struggling with a range of problems, through our family support and parenting services http://bit.ly/11FMVf9.

We really appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your feelings about this campaign. It would be sad to think that we have offended anyone through an activity which was only ever intended to improve the lives of vulnerable children around the UK.

I hope that our removal of this campaign helps to reaffirm our impartiality  when it comes to gender and our support of the positive roles both fathers and mothers can play in children's lives.

This is a significant victory not just in itself, but also in setting a precedent, within both the NSPCC and other organisations who wish to demonise men/fathers. Especially so when their own figures do not stack up.

One issue remains of course is their whole thought process in terms of deciding to run such a one-sided ad which actually went against their own evidence. Institutional sexism is the only conclusion. 

Sean and those others that complained in the right spirit have secured a landmark victory and all fathers (and all those who support fathers) should be grateful to them.

 Posted by Skimmington

MOVEMBER TOWN

Please discuss from the Evening Standard

FOX NEWS - THE WAR ON MEN

This is an article of great interest for this wishing to discuss it. Shows the War on Men starting to be taken seriously and it is women who are helping to take the debate forward.

Posted by Skimmington

 

STALKING LAW CHANGE - MEN RELEGATED TO SIDELINES

This week is always depressing as the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (with 16 days of campaigning) swings into action. Not that anyone would want to not end violence against women, it is both the demonisation of men and also the blind eye taken to the domestic and sexual violence that men suffer that sticks in the gullet.

Quite prescient considering I saw Coronation Street resurrect the Tyrone domestic abuse storyline tonight.

There are always announcements and a good example is the one on two new stalking laws yesterday. It was great that men were included in the Home Office release. It also showed that as with domestic abuse - one in three victims are male.

Then you look to the coverage - commentary from the Home Secretary only mentions women. The home page of the Home office website only mentions women. So  does the Daily Mail with the Minister Jeremy Browne doing all he can to avoid mentioning men. The  Telegraph does not mention men either.

As for Wales, they are pretty unreconstructed and this new White Paper and campaign on teenage relationships does not mention men or boys. Only girls suffer in Wales according to this.

Happy to list any other examples of the 16 days of Action being used to demonise men.

Posted by Skimmington

MIKE BUCHANAN AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CAMPAIGNING FOR EQUALITY

Last week, we mentioned Mike was appearing at the Select Committee into Women in the Workplace. Please read his comments about it (here and here) and he kindly has supplied a link (1 hour 34 mins in) so you can watch the appearance. Must see TV and shows how sensible and responsible activism can succeed.

Posted by Skimmington

WINNING

How do you know when you’ve won a discussion or debate with the majority of modern women? For all men out there I’m here to reveal the big secret to it – they storm off and refuse to talk about it anymore because you’re apparently being argumentative/difficult/insert your own derogatory
character trait here.

Which in reality means you have outreasoned them with your point of view but, as they have been conditioned to think modern women are never wrong about anything, they won’t admit it and stomp off as a face saving exercise.

However, despair not – once you know the above then you can recognise what is really happening and not let it get to you or fall into the ‘apology’ trap. Instead, you can relax safe in the knowledge that you have sidestepped their attempt at emotional manipulation and proved your point through well presented fact.

As a further aside, what is the ‘apology’ trap I refer to above? It is a device of emotional manipulation that a lot of women use when they can’t get their own way on things.

It works like this – basically, they cry/storm off/display negative emotional behaviour that makes you feel bad even if you are in the right on whatever issue is at hand. If you let it, this in turn (as a decent human being) forces you to find some way (usually an apology or backing down even if you are right) to make them feel better.

This then ensures they get their own way come hell or high water. As a male it is imperative you recognise this type of behaviour and not respond to it – like a toddler throwing a tantrum she will soon get bored and realise this is not the way to try to get what she wants.

The use of emotion by women to attempt to control and manipulate a situation to their advantage is an extremely interesting area to ponder on. In some ways I think they are actually unable to separate the emotion from whatever situation is at hand which can lead to this and which makes them so unreasonable at times in discussions.

If it is a particularly emotive subject they are unable to focus on the facts and instead respond on the basis of how they feel. That is why, in my personal experience, many women do not make good managers or leaders as a result of this character trait that seems inherent to the female gender.

Posted by Anthony Humphreys

NEWS ARTICLES

Hi Everyone

A couple of things - first as you know sometimes my work and other activities mean I am unable to keep up with posting which sometimes leaves the site looking a bit outdated. It means many readers link new articles or news in the latest post. I think this does those who kindly do that a grave disservice because they want to start a debate but I cannot keep up.

One way around this is to go back to A-level days ( I would have said O-level but only those of a certain vintage would know what I meant!) and if I post something like "GENDER PAY GAP NEWS - PLEASE DISCUSS", due to a news item then readers can comment away.

Happy for comments on this and here are some latest news articles anyhow - in no particular order:

The Guardian - Why do so few men take gender studies courses (Jane Martinson): An amazing article when gender studies should be renamed men-hating studies. The front of it.

Lords Select Committee - Women on Boards report

Daily Express - We are the battered husbands (Sadie Nicholas)

Daily Mail - BBC News snubs economist becuase he is a man (Tom Kelly)

The Independent - Movember, why would a woman grow a moustache (Rita Amin)

Daily Mail - Met Police could be sued for promoting women (Martin Beckford)

Daily Mail - Men are better at multi-tasking (Mark Prigg)

The Guardian - It's time to break the glass ceiling (Viviane Reding): Reding desperately wanting sexism

Men's Network - German government funds men's conference

Daily Telegraph - French minsters attend sexism classes : There is a women's ministry. These classes sound like sonme Opus Dei-like self flaggelation!

The Guardian - Female experts wanted (Caroline Criado-Perez)

The Guardian - Government reforms place domestic abuse victims at risk (Alexandra Topping): Men not mentioned.

The Guardian - Boardroom quotas are dangerous (Zoe Wood)

Equalities and Human Rights Commission - Equality Advisory Service launched

Business Insider - F4J want Asda advert banned (JIm Edwards)

The Guardian - Judge wants poistive discrimination for female judges (Owen Bowcott) Lord Sumption, another sexist judge

CBBC - Should Guides just be for girls

Ally Fogg - Reconciling feminism with the Men's Movement

The Guardian - Gender discrimination is banned, car insurance and annuities (Patrick Collinson)

Daily Telegraph - Male presenters on Today too aggressive

Daily Telegraph - Girl Guides are the ultimate feminist organisation

Sunderland Echo - Vera Baird pledges to not bother about male victims of domestic abuse

The Guardian - Men to blame for not going to Doctors (Jamie Doward): Always men to blame

Reddit - British male nursery teacher speaks out

Daily Mail - Women winning gender pay war

Daily Mail - 20% of primary schools have no male teachers (Laura Clark)

Posted by Skimmington