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Southern Poverty Law Center on MRA lies about women
Misogynists in the men’s and fathers’ rights movements have developed a set of claims about women to support their depictions of them as violent liars and manipulators of men. Some suggest that women attack men, even sexually, just as much as men attack women. Others claim that vast numbers of reported rapes of women, as much as half or even more, are fabrications designed to destroy men they don’t like or to gain the upper hand in contested custody cases. What follows is a brief look at some of these claims and what the best science really shows. . . .
THE CLAIM In another effort to show that men are discriminated against, many men’s rights activists assert that women attack men just as much as men attack women, if not more. The website MensActivism.org is one of many that criticizes what it characterizes as “the myth that women are less violent than men.”
THE REALITY Men’s rights groups often cite the work of Deborah Capaldi, a researcher with the Oregon Learning Center, to back their claim. Capaldi did find that women sometimes initiate partner violence, although women involved in mutually aggressive partner relationships were more likely to suffer severe injuries than the men. But Capaldi studied only a very particular subset of the population — at-risk youth — rather than women in general, invalidating any claim that her findings applied generally. In fact, the 2000 Department of Justice study found that violence against both women and men is predominantly male violence. Nine in 10 women (91.9%) who were physically assaulted since the age of 18 were attacked by a male, while about one in seven male assault victims (14.2%) were victimized by females. Similarly, all female rape victims in the study were attacked by a male, while about a third of male victims (35.8%) were raped by a female.
THE CLAIM Close to half or even more of the sexual assaults reported by women never occurred. Versions of this claim are a mainstay of sites like Register-Her.com, which specializes in vilifying women who allegedly lie about being raped. Such claims are also sometimes made by men involved in court custody battles.
THE REALITY This claim, which has gained some credence in recent years, is largely based on a 1994 article in the Archives of Sexual Behavior by Eugene Kanin that found that 41% of rape allegations in his study were “false.” But Kanin’s methodology has been widely criticized, and his results do not accord with most other findings. Kanin researched only one unnamed Midwestern town, and he did not spell out the criteria police used to decide an allegation was false. The town also polygraphed or threatened to polygraph all alleged victims, a now-discredited practice that is known to cause many women to drop their complaint even when it is true. In fact, most studies that suggest high rates of false accusations make a key mistake — equating reports described by police as “unfounded” with those that are false. The truth is that unfounded reports very often include those for which no corroborating evidence could be found or where the victim was deemed an unreliable witness (often because of drug or alcohol use or because of prior sexual contact with the attacker). They also include those cases where women recant their accusations, often because of a fear of reprisal, a distrust of the legal system or embarrassment because drugs or alcohol were involved. The best studies, where the rape allegations have been studied in detail, suggest a rate of false reports of somewhere between 2% and 10%. The most comprehensive study, conducted by the British Home Office in 2005, found a rate of 2.5% for false accusations of rape. The best U.S. investigation, the 2008 “Making a Difference” study, found a 6.8% rate.
THE CLAIM In another effort to show that men are discriminated against, many men’s rights activists assert that women attack men just as much as men attack women, if not more. The website MensActivism.org is one of many that criticizes what it characterizes as “the myth that women are less violent than men.”
THE REALITY Men’s rights groups often cite the work of Deborah Capaldi, a researcher with the Oregon Learning Center, to back their claim. Capaldi did find that women sometimes initiate partner violence, although women involved in mutually aggressive partner relationships were more likely to suffer severe injuries than the men. But Capaldi studied only a very particular subset of the population — at-risk youth — rather than women in general, invalidating any claim that her findings applied generally. In fact, the 2000 Department of Justice study found that violence against both women and men is predominantly male violence. Nine in 10 women (91.9%) who were physically assaulted since the age of 18 were attacked by a male, while about one in seven male assault victims (14.2%) were victimized by females. Similarly, all female rape victims in the study were attacked by a male, while about a third of male victims (35.8%) were raped by a female.
THE CLAIM Close to half or even more of the sexual assaults reported by women never occurred. Versions of this claim are a mainstay of sites like Register-Her.com, which specializes in vilifying women who allegedly lie about being raped. Such claims are also sometimes made by men involved in court custody battles.
THE REALITY This claim, which has gained some credence in recent years, is largely based on a 1994 article in the Archives of Sexual Behavior by Eugene Kanin that found that 41% of rape allegations in his study were “false.” But Kanin’s methodology has been widely criticized, and his results do not accord with most other findings. Kanin researched only one unnamed Midwestern town, and he did not spell out the criteria police used to decide an allegation was false. The town also polygraphed or threatened to polygraph all alleged victims, a now-discredited practice that is known to cause many women to drop their complaint even when it is true. In fact, most studies that suggest high rates of false accusations make a key mistake — equating reports described by police as “unfounded” with those that are false. The truth is that unfounded reports very often include those for which no corroborating evidence could be found or where the victim was deemed an unreliable witness (often because of drug or alcohol use or because of prior sexual contact with the attacker). They also include those cases where women recant their accusations, often because of a fear of reprisal, a distrust of the legal system or embarrassment because drugs or alcohol were involved. The best studies, where the rape allegations have been studied in detail, suggest a rate of false reports of somewhere between 2% and 10%. The most comprehensive study, conducted by the British Home Office in 2005, found a rate of 2.5% for false accusations of rape. The best U.S. investigation, the 2008 “Making a Difference” study, found a 6.8% rate.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/myths-of-the-manosphere-lying-about-women
We've seen a lot of these arguments around. It's important to know that they are generated by right-wing hate groups dedicated to attacking the civil rights of half of the population. It's important to call these arguments out for exactly what they are: Extremist right-wing hate.
102 replies
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It's important to call these arguments out for exactly what they are: Extremist right-wing hate.
Exactly right!
I'll take it. 
And a progressive one, at that!
Of all the nerve! 
rather than progressive sources. Hopefully they'll let this one get by.
http://www.cracked.com/funny-8503-mens-rights/
The only credible source for information on women's rights
The only credible source for information on women's rights
If you're a Men's Rights Activist, you're probably a man, at least genetically, and are almost certainly the kind of mush-dick who blames his inadequacies on his mother. Through some random miracle, you may even be a functioning member of society, but driving cars and paying taxes seems trivial when you're busy building female-impenetrable bunkers and robots that only kill things that nag or menstruate.
If you're a man, and are not a Men's Rights Activist, congratulations on being able to walk upright and having a functioning penis!
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/funny-8503-mens-rights/#ixzz2zCXhjBXl
If you're a man, and are not a Men's Rights Activist, congratulations on being able to walk upright and having a functioning penis!
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/funny-8503-mens-rights/#ixzz2zCXhjBXl
I think I remember the very beginnings of the MRAs in the 70s. There was this one guy who used to wear a skirt and go on Donahue to whine about how oppressed he was by women. Back then, virtually no one bought into that crap. Sadly, it's more pervasive today. Like all fringe groups, the internet lets them spread their batshittery and hatred.
Especially that first link.
I can't say I've seen that here at all.
But seriously, what I see there (and believe me, I'd be happier if I hadn't read through it) is a whole bunch of people taking sides and blabbering about a bunch of posts on a site that isn't DU, posted by a bunch of people who aren't DUers any longer...from 2 years ago.
What I don't see is anyone voicing support for transphobia/TERF positions.
If my memory serves, people have been banned from DU for posting transphobic posts. I presume that will continue, so I think your concerns about TERF influence are ill conceived.
So, I don't see how that could be an influence on DU.
Quelle surprise. 
It was clear when I spoke to you last time that you had no idea what the experience of domestic violence was like and were entirely uninterested in hearing my perspective on it, as usual.
If you weren't trying to misrepresent, why did you excerpt out the part that identified the quote as coming from Mr.MRAsma, Paul Elam?
And Redqueen's comment is exactly the same as the fact that virtually any woman who speaks her mind on the internet is threatened with rape. You have no perspective, and it's clear you simply do not give a damn.
Nice to see you finally admit your affinity for MRAs. It's not like it's exactly a surprise.
It was the concluding paragraph, after the quote from the "thoughtful MRA blogger."
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2012/05/15/intelligence-report-article-provokes-outrage-among-mens-rights-activists/
Thank you BB, thank you SPLC.
Finally, the concept that misogyny is dangerous is filtering out past the confines of Women's Studies. Been a long fucking wait.
and, I guess I must have the DU "Talk to the Dick" contingent on ignore too....... 
