Vermischtes vom 4. Januar 2016

1. Der britische Student George Lawlor, der sich öffentlich weigerte, an Hochschulkursen teilzunehmen, die ihm beibringen sollten, mit Leuten keinen Sex zu haben, die dazu nicht einwilligen, schildert, wie man ihn zu brechen versuchte:

Lawlor became the victim of online and physical abuse. He showed me hundreds of messages, including death threats and rape accusations. He was even physically attacked and chased by a group of enraged feminists on a night out in Leamington Spa.

Ich schätze, wenn Online-Mobbing den "Richtigen" trifft, geht es für die Social Justice Warriors okay: Wir müssen etwas gegen die Belästigung von Frauen auf Twitter tun! Männer sollen mal sehen, wo sie bleiben.

2. Die Filmkritiker-Plattform "Variety" kürte den von CNN ausgestrahlten Propagandastreifen "The Hunting Ground", der trotz fehlender stichhaltiger Belege behauptet, dass es eine "Rape Culture" an US-amerikanischen Universitäten gebe, zu einem der "beschissensten Filme des Jahres 2015".

3. Laurie A. Couture nimmt den aktuellen Star-Wars-Film als Aufhänger für eine generelle maskulistische Filmkritik des Gegenwartskinos und anderer Medien:

The insinuation, through dialogue, struggle and drama, that Kylo Ren’s invasive use of The Force on Rey, a woman, was more violating than when used just as violently on Resistance pilot, Po, a man. Likewise, violence against males was presented as collateral damage and even suggestively comedic, while Rey’s vulnerability to harm was always the cliffhanger.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens certainly isn’t alone in feeding this unhealthy Millennial gender dynamic; I can’t seem to escape encountering it. It saturates the philosophy of nearly every social institution and popular media source, from the education industry to the health and human services, right down to every type of media entertainment that we ingest. On the surface, these media and cultural messages seem benign to the general population: Are they not "empowering" women? Even if hostility, aloofness and rejection were the definitions of being "empowered" (which they are not), what are these cultural messages depicting about men? Are boys being showed role models of men being "empowered"; their needs and feelings important to be considered? Is male suffering and violation treated as egregiously wrong as female suffering and violation? Are boys shown men who are confident, competent, masterful and who are also respected for being vulnerable? Are boys shown males being loved for who they are rather than given only brief admiration for when they "change" or sacrifice their bodies? Or are boys primarily shown men in roles of being shamed, of being dangerous, of being mocked or of being beaten or murdered as punishments for their "badness"?

The consequences go beyond mere entertainment laughs. The incessant derision of males and the promotion of female hostility is having serious repercussions for our culture: Natural boy behavior is pathologized in schools, causing boys to be prescribed mind-altering psychotropic drugs in epidemic numbers. Young men are subverting higher education as campuses have become increasingly hostile to young males, viewing them as sexual predators and obstacles to women. Empirical research has shown that sexual and domestic violence by females against males is equal to or has surpassed male violence against women. While innumerable organizations and campaigns are in place to empower girls and women, and to bring attention to violence against females, there are no such counterparts to empower boys and men and bring attention to violence against males. Most tragically, 80% of all suicide victims are men and boys.

4. Und zuletzt ein selbstkritischer Artikel der Publizistin Sheena Sharma, der sich an eine bestimmte Sorte Frau richtet: Wenn jeder Mann, mit dem du dich verabredest, ein Arschloch ist, bist vielleicht du das Arschloch.