You’ve seen it before, you’ll see it again; there’s an inane Facebook debate going on in a comment thread. Some asshole thinks they are being clever, and someone else is doing their damnedest to correct them. Spam comment after spam comment links to misleading studies about abused and unfortunate men, as if that makes it okay to criticise a woman for having an abortion…!?
But the unfortunate truth is, that they start to look convincing.
And a part of you has to admire the tenacity of those MRA’s, the people who make misogyny into a form of activism, they know when they have a successful formula, and they are sticking to it. What’s that? It’s not a successful formula? Don’t be ridiculous, why would they use it so much if it wasn’t successful??
Don’t be fooled by the appearance of a comment chain full of clever well sourced responses to hysterical conspiracy theories and junk posts. Yes, the feminist is winning, as in, they are talking the most truth, and they are right, and probably have more support and sound less ridiculous to a person with an ounce of sense. But the MRA is achieving *their* goal; being compared to feminist, appearing on the same playing field, demanding to be debunked and debated. No, it doesn’t matter if they are defeated, because if your angle is “scrappy underdog”, then being thoroughly beaten only adds to your imaginary kudos amongst you and your friends, it only adds to your conspiracy theory that everyone else is knowingly wrong and conspicuously in on “it”.
It’s tempting to debate this Horde. but that’s exactly what they want, and what they think they deserve. They don’t. You need to be credible in order to be discredited, and they aren’t credible. Spending your time talking to them only legitimises them (to themselves, and their supporters) as a genuine ideological/political opponent as opposed to an ignorant nuisance. The time they spend clogging up your mental airways is a far greater gain to them than it is to anyone else; if you’re legitimising them, and playing on their playing field, you’re not legitimising yourself or your beliefs, because their only goal is to discredit you. And that can easily be interpreted as, oh, don’t fight them, because they will win, because really we’re wrong, and they will do that. They will goad you and taunt you. And don’t mention how that’s childish, because that will be met with further taunting. You can’t win in their field, because that’s not where the game is played. The game is played with getting you ONTO said field, where their inane and repetitive claims feed off your strong and well meaning political convictions, and attain the status of scrappy underdog to any idle passerby.
To conclude: Feeding the trolls will only drain you, and make them stronger. So “win”; and step off their field, cos they are only jackasses anyway.
Human Beings Godammit 