#mencallmethings: “mentally compromised,” “should be removed from society,” “it”

Content note: misogyny, ableism

Jerk on my blog, in response to my year-old post on The Amazing Atheist:

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The author of this article is an uneducated and mentally compromised, it should be removed from society and made into an example of how not to live.

#mencallmethings

I see. So in an effort to persuade people that The Amazing Atheist isn’t really sexist or misogynist and we should give him a chance to explain himself, this person goes onto a feminist’s blog and tells her that she’s mentally compromised and should be removed from society. Also, he (the online handle doesn’t give clues about gender, but the email address did, so I’m assuming the commenter is male) literally dehumanizes me, referring to me as “it.”

I’m reminded once again of Lewis’s Law: “Comments on any article about feminism justify feminism.”

And I’d like to point out: That post came out over a year ago. I’m reminded of the sexist atheistbros who are still — STILL — dredging up wildly distorted versions of Elevatorgate and arguing with them. It’s funny — almost — in the light of how often feminists get accused of hanging on to old injuries and dredging up old muck.

Note: The #mencallmethings hashtag does not say #allmencallmethings, or #mostmencallmethings. If you want to learn more about the history of this hashtag and why people started using it, please read But How Do You Know It’s Sexist? The #MenCallMeThings Round-Up and Why Are You In Such A Bad Mood? #MenCallMeThings Responds! on Tiger Beatdown, where the hashtag originated. And please do not start a “but not all men are like that, so the #mencallmethings hashtag is reverse sexism!” argument. That has been addressed, at length, in the comments in the #mencallmethings: “FUCKIN HOE,” “FUCKIN FEMINAZI SLUT” post, as well as elsewhere. Please read Why “Yes, But” Is the Wrong Response to Misogyny if you’re wondering why I will not take kindly that that particular line of conversation.

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Greta Christina is author of four books: Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God, Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories About Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns, & More.

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#mencallmethings: “mentally compromised,” “should be removed from society,” “it”
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14 thoughts on “#mencallmethings: “mentally compromised,” “should be removed from society,” “it”

  1. 1

    Note: The #mencallmethings hashtag does not say #allmencallmethings, or #mostmencallmethings. If you want to learn more about the history of this hashtag and why people started using it, please read

    But…but…but….you’re awesome! My friend just had to place his Mom in a hospice. This reminds me I need to get your Comforting Thoughts about Death that have nothing to do with God for my friend to read. Thanks for being awesome and keep at it!

  2. 2

    An appalling comment all around — I’m almost in awe at how many horrible things were packed into such limited space. What a jackass.

  3. 3

    The author of this article is an uneducated and mentally compromised, it

    Bro, do you even grammar? Or does this sentence actually make sense in Old High Douchebag?

  4. 5

    @ Sarah:

    Or, we could notice the fact that the sentence makes absolutely no sense if “it” refers to the article.

    Namely:
    * Articles do not form societies, and thus cannot be removed from societies
    * Articles don’t live, and therefore cannot be examples of how to live

    On the other hand, a bias towards reading comprehension is very strong at Greta Christina’s blog.

  5. 6

    I think your bias is showing.

    The commenter might have been referring to the article when saying “it.”

    And maybe by “mentally compromised” they were just referring to the balance, or “compromise” between excitatory and inhibitory neural impulses that make cognition possible! And maybe by uneducated…um….well maybe….

    ….actually, no, bending over backward into an X-rated Moebius strip to be generous to a bigoted troll is a stupid waste of time.

  6. 8

    @NateHevens
    I don’t agree with the commenter (or Greta, if I remember the original post currently) . I just don’t automatically think the worst of people who disagree with me.

  7. 10

    It’s quite clear that the message is directed at the author of the article. You can tell this by the way starts out with “The author of this article…”

  8. 11

    I don’t agree with the commenter (or Greta, if I remember the original post currently) .

    Sarah @ #8: There’s a link in the piece to the original post. Right at the top, where it says “in response to my year-old post.” You don;t have to rely on a year-old memory to remember the original post correctly — you can read it.

    I just don’t automatically think the worst of people who disagree with me.

    I’ll echo what others have said: It makes no sense to say that an article on a blog “should be removed from society and made into an example of how not to live.” That only makes sense if the antecedent is a person.

    Also: You think calling me “mentally compromised” constitutes “disagreement”?

  9. 12

    I just don’t automatically think the worst of people who disagree with me.

    Yes you do: you’re automatically thinking the worst of Greta’s standing up for herself and calling out harmful, wrongful behavior.

    And the fact that you consider this an acceptable alternative to taking a bigot at face value is damning.

  10. 13

    You know if you guys could stop overreacting when someone disagrees with your opinion people might take feminism more seriously. Seriously, it’s the Internet, if you can’t learn to ignore comments then you should maybe leave. Also, you labeled this person a misogynist but they didn’t say anything gender specific. As a feminist, I’m deeply bothered when the results of decades of women’s rights movements are a bunch of hot tempered, name calling, (sometimes) misandrist, attention seekers. It’s so bad that movement has even been related to fascism. Oh well, frame me up there with the rest and reference that Lewis’ law you adore so much. Or, this time you could evolve as a person and accept that some people just disagree with your opinion. Not gonna place any bets on that happening though. Also just a small point I’d like to make, when radical feminists argue that young boys should be informed about rape and violence in culture, it sounds an awful lot like a clockwork orange. Just my opinion but maybe you could revise your plan, we all know how it worked on Alex.

  11. 14

    Right. Maybe you’d leave your job, your school and the public space altogether if you can’t learn to ignore comments. Seriously, it’s only sexism. And a little bit of ableism. Of course feminists can handle a little disagreement, right?

    Jesus fucking Christ. Now we are the ones overreacting. Dude, did you even care to read?

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