We live in an era with many platforms available to people wanting to get their ideas out. Social media, blogs, YouTube. There is an abundance of opportunity for those seeking an audience. Those of us in an audience must decide who to give our time and attention to.
I was moved to write, negatively, about the inclusion on TPQ of an article by William Costello. I did this because I have a body of knowledge about the website that he first had his article published on, and about the “men’s rights movement” he is part of. And I believe that that website, that movement, and by extension, William’s article, are not deserving of people’s time and attention.
William calls this “guilt by association”.
Some background: A Voice for Men (AVFM) published William’s article. GQ magazine described AVfM as “the flagship political site of the movement” – that is, the “men’s rights movement” which is also known as the “manosphere”.
William said that he doesn’t consider his association with AVFM “to be a slur”.
Readers can watch this video (it’s mercifully short) and decide for themselves if they would consider an association with these people a slur. AVFM founder and publisher Paul Elam is filming and leading the chants, the audience made up of writers and contributors to AVFM. I wonder what William thought when he watched this video? Was he inspired?
I wouldn’t want to be associated with repugnant drunks, hooting and hollering about “getting a blowjob from Jessica Valenti” (a woman they harassed), and neither would I want my writing published alongside an article from Elam addressed to Jacylyn Friedman where he says:
Elam has described how his “activism” on AVFM sexually excites him, and addressed another woman saying “by the time we are done you will wax nostalgic over the days when all you had to deal with was someone expressing a desire to fuck you up your shopworn ass”. This was a blatant threat, given AVFM’s history of targeting and doxxing individual women, and harassing journalists.
And neither would I wish to be included on a roster of writers that included Chris Cantwell, the “Crying Nazi” of Charlottesville infamy, and Roy Den Hollander, the “men’s rights” attorney (who sued bars and gyms for running promotions for women) and alleged murderer of a federal judge – among various other cranks, misfits, and bigots.
Is it wrong to judge William for choosing to have his name among the ones listed above?
William spent some time on establishing his liberal credentials in his verbose rebuttal, but despite that, confirmed exactly what I thought of him: anyone who believes that Elizabeth Hobson does “great work for men’s rights” is either delusional, an idiot, hard-right, completely unconcerned for vulnerable men, or a combination thereof.
I believe that no serious writer with any degree of self-respect would choose to be share a platform with the rabble described above, unless they were of a similar political persuasion. And nobody interested in actual men’s issues would see Elizabeth Hobson as an ally. Either way, in my opinion, uncritical association with a website like AVFM, or a “movement” like the “manosphere” makes a writer completely undeserving of time and attention.
I was moved to write, negatively, about the inclusion on TPQ of an article by William Costello. I did this because I have a body of knowledge about the website that he first had his article published on, and about the “men’s rights movement” he is part of. And I believe that that website, that movement, and by extension, William’s article, are not deserving of people’s time and attention.
William calls this “guilt by association”.
Some background: A Voice for Men (AVFM) published William’s article. GQ magazine described AVfM as “the flagship political site of the movement” – that is, the “men’s rights movement” which is also known as the “manosphere”.
William said that he doesn’t consider his association with AVFM “to be a slur”.
Readers can watch this video (it’s mercifully short) and decide for themselves if they would consider an association with these people a slur. AVFM founder and publisher Paul Elam is filming and leading the chants, the audience made up of writers and contributors to AVFM. I wonder what William thought when he watched this video? Was he inspired?
I wouldn’t want to be associated with repugnant drunks, hooting and hollering about “getting a blowjob from Jessica Valenti” (a woman they harassed), and neither would I want my writing published alongside an article from Elam addressed to Jacylyn Friedman where he says:
I find you, as a feminist, to be a loathsome, vile piece of human garbage. I find you so pernicious and repugnant that the idea of fucking your shit up gives me an erection.
Elam has described how his “activism” on AVFM sexually excites him, and addressed another woman saying “by the time we are done you will wax nostalgic over the days when all you had to deal with was someone expressing a desire to fuck you up your shopworn ass”. This was a blatant threat, given AVFM’s history of targeting and doxxing individual women, and harassing journalists.
And neither would I wish to be included on a roster of writers that included Chris Cantwell, the “Crying Nazi” of Charlottesville infamy, and Roy Den Hollander, the “men’s rights” attorney (who sued bars and gyms for running promotions for women) and alleged murderer of a federal judge – among various other cranks, misfits, and bigots.
Is it wrong to judge William for choosing to have his name among the ones listed above?
William spent some time on establishing his liberal credentials in his verbose rebuttal, but despite that, confirmed exactly what I thought of him: anyone who believes that Elizabeth Hobson does “great work for men’s rights” is either delusional, an idiot, hard-right, completely unconcerned for vulnerable men, or a combination thereof.
I believe that no serious writer with any degree of self-respect would choose to be share a platform with the rabble described above, unless they were of a similar political persuasion. And nobody interested in actual men’s issues would see Elizabeth Hobson as an ally. Either way, in my opinion, uncritical association with a website like AVFM, or a “movement” like the “manosphere” makes a writer completely undeserving of time and attention.
⏩ Brandon Sullivan is a middle aged, middle management, centre-left Belfast man. Would prefer people focused on the actual bad guys.
