Bake Sale Guilt

There was a bake sale today at work. Someone was raising money for something, I don't remember. We have these all the time and everyone feels the need to consume fattening baked goods which make my stomach ache and my head spin with the blood sugar spike. I couldn't afford the carbs after three weekends of binging, so, I just walked past on my way to the bathroom. I heard someone mention a spelt/flaxseed cookie which almost got me to stop, but, I just said to myself that it probably wouldn't be worth it. It's just food. I eat every day.

A co-worker mentioned that he didn't use the washroom all morning, just so he wouldn't have to deal with the hopeful glances from the bake sale people and deal with the guilt of not buying anything. I told him that he has a guilt addiction.

The fact is, he shouldn't feel guilty at all for not buying something. He's under no obligation to help other people by spending money on harmful goods. Giving money to charity makes us feel good because it assuages feeling of guilt. Even if we have a nagging feeling that the money is not doing much good. Even if we realize that the people running the charities are capitalizing on guilt to justify their existence.

Every time I see someone ask for money, I see an industry built on the guilt addiction of others. It's not that I don't believe in charity. It just seems that there are too many people working on keeping people helpless, in order to skim money off of industrious people and carving out a supposedly morally righteous living.

Am I too jaded in my middle-age? Either way, my eyes are open to the motivations of many of the guilt industry zealots and their vapid, thoughtless justifications for their work have no affect on me. I have heard too many people trying to vilify the hard working people just to guilt them into giving up hard earned cash. I am no longer vulnerable to the guilt balms they peddle.

Twisted By Knaves to Make a Trap For Fools

Now two men have been called up in front of the feminist firing line too feed the pious cravings of the masses. Paul Elam bravely appeared on ABC's 20/20 to be roasted like a Thanksgiving bird for the pleasure of the main stream media audience. (Has that aired yet? I can't view it online in Canada.) Now Gavin McInnes has appeared on Huffington Post Live to be tarred and feathered by the self-righteous inquisitors of the Church of Social Justice. The entire mano/alt-right sphere might as well be a flock of roosters to the elite liberals they were facing - all they'll hear is roosters crowing. See, it doesn't matter what you want to say to these people, they will not listen to anything that doesn't conform to their world view. If you start to challenge their pre-conceived notions, they will quickly put you into one of the categories of daemons that can be disposed of without due process.

Seriously, you have no right to share this planet with them. You should just stop taking up oxygen that could be used by some young open-minded gullible student who is willing to just accept the truths presented by their sociology professors and get on living in the brave new world. In their minds, you've given them the right to destroy you and pretend you never existed.

To them, you are outdated. You represent the powerful old-guard, afraid of threats. Thomas Sewell said, in Intellectuals and Society, that one of the technics that intellectuals will use to discount the reasoned arguments of those not espousing the anointed vision is to project emotional motivations upon the presenter of the argument, reducing their logic into emotion that can be brushed off. Count how many times Mary Anne Frank referred to Gavin's fear. Funny, I didn't sense any fear in him. All of the panelists completely missed the nuance, not hard when it's Gavin's nuance is masked by his showmanship, and plopped him into the evil category and went on spouting their nonsense about there not being any differences between the sexes. 

I think Gavin could have done a better job of making his points, but, it wouldn't have mattered. Personally, I would have stated outright that the attempts to stunt masculinity are damaging to men, boys and society. The ivory tower ideas being forced on society are trying to reverse the realities of nature and turning people into neurotic fools. I would have asked them to face the problems that feminism is causing to both men and women - and he did bring up the problems faced by women, but it was supposed to be a show about masculinity.

Look at Hugo Schwyzer. The man was raised by a feminist single mother to be basically ashamed of his masculinity. When it inevitably began to form, it was psychopathic. Without a strong example of masculinity and permission to explore his own masculinity, he never learned to express and control his own emotions and he turned into the fraud artist we all know and mock.

Mary Anne Frank believes that masculinity is just a construct. She states that there are no innate differences and we are moving to a healthier society. How, please tell, can we be healthier if we deny our own nature which rules us?

I am coming to realize that it is pointless arguing with feminists. I am still not done yet, though. I realize that it is impossible to defeat those who will not admit they've lost; victory should not be the goal when arguing with feminists. The first goal should be to make them uncomfortable - they have felt free range to spout idiotic tenants of an disproven theory and they should no longer feel that their BS will go unchallenged because of the sympathy garnered for women. The second goal should be to show those watching that it is ok to challenge feminism with observable facts.

Gavin allowed himself to be made fun of. That's not that bad. Enough people understand what he's saying even as the three effeminate men and the woman guffaw and laugh arrogantly to gain some new supporters. I think it is entirely reasonable to call someone a fucking idiot when they're being a fucking idiot and insulting you by putting words in your mouth. They chose him specifically because he is known for being outrageous. That makes him easy to mock as long as they continue to misrepresent his ideas - remember he's a daemon who no longer exists in their world. It would have been more constructive to calmly point out that they were putting words in his mouth, but, allowing them to mockingly dismiss truth presented so will, eventually, backfire.

Contrary to what these people say, we still need men who are tough, as Gavin argues. They seem to be under the impression that the world is suddenly going to turn nice and then everyone will begin working together. They don't really believe this. If they have children, they're enrolling them in competitive sports, fighting classes, dance classes, gymnastics and extra studies, precisely to prepare them for the tough world ahead of them. They simply have to spout this rhetoric to keep their positions in the hierarchy of madness that is the Politically Correct Left.

The ivory tower priests act high and mighty, but, they are simply the knaves that all men must learn to bear.

Thank You Paul Elam

Although I've not visited AVFM for quite some time, I still have an appreciation for the work that they do. Some time ago, AVFM changed the name of their movement from the Men's Rights Movement, for which I had a modicum of support to the Human Men's Rights Movement. It seemed like a petty change, but, it meant that ideologically, they were aligning with Human Rights, identity politics. It made me uneasy to see them taking this direction, even knowing that some of the leaders of the site are libertarian leaning. Karen Straughan and Paul himself are two that come to mind.

So, even though I felt that they were alienating a lot of Manosphere people, like me, I could see what they were doing as an important step forward for men's rights, or rather, the anti-feminist movement as a whole. To look like a worthy movement, you need to have an organization that follows the norms of society. The norms, at this moment, are a sticky mess of politically correct rules about proper discourse. If the rules are not followed and the wrong kind of words are allowed to be spoken, the main-stream media will automatically write everything off as hateful, backward, harmful, evil and whatever terms they save for the most vile creatures with whom they would rather not share the world’s oxygen. It's a good thing that the entire planet is covered in a layer of oxygenated atmosphere, because, if leftists could remove a person's right to breathe the air, they would.

So, when Paul allowed his site to become a bastion for Men, as an oppressed class, ideologues and began moderating comments, I understood why, even as I became disenfranchised from it. I commented along these lines at Chapin's Inferno. I realized when they began moderating comments on simple discussions between disagreeing parties, such as Greg Swann and Steve Moxon that it was not a place that I'd like to hang out. When the moderator pled for Greg to "stick around" while deleting his arguments, I laughed. How can you expect someone to participate in a site when you've sent the loudest possible message that they are not welcome?

So, I said adieu to AVFM. I could still follow Typhon Blue and Karen Straughan on their You Tube accounts; while AVFM became one of those sites I just stopped visiting - not because I made a conscious decision, just because it didn't seem worth my time anymore. I knew what men were facing, for me, it was more about politics. Men's issues and fighting the feminist regime are only one part of my goals, but, I see the importance of a site that focusses on men's issues while following the church of political correctness's rules. The vast majority of men have not learned about the problems with feminism. They still believe that women are all oppressed by all men, even if only sub-consciously. They've prostrated themselves to allow room for gentler women and then they wonder why they are getting stomped on. Even leftist men are suffering and they need help.

A socialist man simple writes off any conservative or libertarian speaker who tries to raise men's issues. But, they still live under the lies of feminism and suffer. They still meat out abuse to their sons by denying them the ability to feel proud of whom they are while being unable to discipline their daughters leading to sons with poor self-esteem and daughters with poor self-control. They back down when their wives or girlfriends get angry in every single argument and wonder why they end up losing their respect. AVFM is still, open to these men, once they open their eyes, ever so slightly, to the realities of women the feminist regime has hidden. Once they start to witness the truth of feminism, it is possible that the truth of leftism as a whole will begin to creep into their minds. Well, maybe I’m thinking wishfully, but it is inevitable that some will realize that pitting one interest group against another is not going to produce anything worthwhile.

So, Paul wanted media attention. Now he has it. When ABC pounds AVFM with a sledge hammer and then dances around the ring celebrating victory, won't they be surprised when AVFM gets off the canvas and yanks the sledgehammer out of their hands. They can't knock them out, because AVFM has built themselves according to the rules of the church. When people see the sincerity of the folks at AVFM, and I don't doubt their sincerity, combined with the lack of so-called "hate speech", the tide will turn. When every accusation from SPLC rings flat and more stories of male victimization or unfairness rings true, another hole in the veil of feminism will be exposed. Paul had his media friendly message ready and they can't deny the truth that he presents.

Here is where Chapin's points are worth mentioning. Men will never garner as much sympathy as women.  Our biological tendency to protect and sympathize with women will make many laugh when men stand up and say they've been wronged. But, when they see how feminism has exploited this tendency, more will realize that identity politics as a whole is just a power grab. Again, this may be over optimistic. Maybe it is impossible for people to want to stand up as individuals when they can push government to give themselves more and then blame government when things go bad. Taking responsibility is not in everyone's immediate best interest when there is always more money to be taken from “evil rich people”. Until you realize that the evil rich people are the ones running government so they'll never ruin their own interests.

Still, feminism is the biggest dealer in the feel-good drug of leftist politics. Along with other identity politics groups, anti-poverty groups and environmentalists, they trick people into feeling guilty and bad about them and then give them a shot of euphoric accomplishment by voting for the right candidate or donating to the charity. The money or votes, however, are accomplishing nothing but empty emotions and ceaseless dependency. It entrenches the power of the government and starves the working class of jobs while claiming that they help them.

So, Paul's plan is working. Did he expect to be given respect right off the bat? I don't think so, unless he thinks the bat coming down on his head is a sign of respect. Take your licks Mr. Elam and get back in the fight. In the end, even the conservatives who are laughing will have your back. For as long as you speak truth, your message will help everyone.

Addendum: I wrote this piece before it was supposed to air, but, wasn’t able to publish it until after. Apparently, the 20/20 piece wasn’t aired. I can’t imagine that someone at ABC actually found something wrong with the report and decided it wasn’t worthy for television.

Atheist Free-Market Thanksgiving Blessing

Thank you to all of the people, around the world, who have worked hard so that the world may become a better place and that we may enjoy some of the fruits of their labour in this glorious meal. May they receive proper compensation for their toil and may that work lead them to their due wealth and happiness. Through each individual's efforts, day by day, may we keep working, as each person can best contribute, to make the planet a better place to live.

At my thanksgiving dinner this weekend, I actually said a blessing somewhat similar to this. Most of the people present are atheists and I think it went over well. Someone mentioned farmers and I began spouting off the other jobs that I was thinking of that directly contributed to the meal - food processors, truck drivers, store workers, business people and yes, bankers who finance the operations.

All people who work to support themselves are contributing to a better planet. We owe it to each other to keep this whole system working.

FYI, Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving.