To cut to the chase, we propose that those who are concerned about the defamatory representation of men and men's issues in the media - and we know there are many - pool their resources to form a common-interest network for the purpose of creating mass public awareness of men's issues.
That's the proposal, stripped of its bells and whistles.
To help this rooster hatch, we are providing a sophisticated email forum system (see "Hairy Male Technical Stuff" below), automated Web publishing (soon), plus a reasonably civilised environment in which to get business done (inasmuch as one can ever accomplish such a thing).
A. The Men's Media Network is not a policy-making body, and, apart from its general policy of publicising men's issues as stated in its Aims, it does not have policies towards specific issues.
A. No, it is a cornerstone of our organisational strategy of preventing policy-driven splits by adopting a non-ideological stance. Policies and principles vary considerably throughout the men's movement on a number of significant issues. If the MMN endorses specific policies, it will almost certainly alienate those who disagree, resulting in fragmentation and ineffectiveness in pursuing our central goals. Advocacy of specific policies is properly the domain of groups and individuals, not the broad network we are seeking to achieve.
A. - Widespread public awareness of men's rights and men's issues. Restoration of the good name of men after three destructive decades of systematic gender fascist slander. The ultimate elimination of gender ideology as a major cultural and political force in our society.
A. A Directory of Members will always be available at our Web Forum site (not accessible by non-members; a publically viewable directory is a possibility, but only with the express permission of those who agree to be listed). Annual renewal of membership is also something to consider, to avoid false membership levels based on inactive past members.
A. In the sense of political control, nobody. In the sense of creating the framework within which it is envisaged the network will operate, then Brian O'Higgins, the Web site owner and author of this document, might be said to have "control", but in a very limited capacity. Once the networking facilities are fully in place - i.e. autonomous forum system, autoresponder email server, autonomous Web publishing system, and secret ballot email voting system - the question of control should become largely academic. Some basic regulatory council may eventually be required; at what point, and what powers it should have, are matters that are best left democratically to an enlarged membership.
A. No.
A. Good question :-)
A. Damn right it is. Maybe it's time to get cheeky. What do you think?
We already have a magazine/forum/discussion list. What the hell do we need you for?We're open to any ideas for using existing outlets rather than creating new ones, but different people have different concepts of content, form, and other aspects of publishing. If these can be resolved in the context of one single outlet, great. This can only be achieved by discussion, however - for which a network is an ideal, and logical, medium.
We were here first, weenie. Why don't YOU join US?It's not ruled out. If you can show how you can accomplish these goals, and persuade others likewise, the nameplate on the door doesn't matter as much as what it stands for. To our knowledge, though, no such network currently exists.
Geez, another two-bit wannabee men's grouper with a dime-a-day Web site. Drop dead, sonny.No, we're not proposing another group, but a network, focused on a specific field of interest. Subject to very basic conditions (below), an informal style of membership is open to anyone, including those who are, and will remain, members of groups.
Go away, I'm busy.A common complaint, but if that's your only objection, why not join anyway and lend us your moral support? And if you're well known, you could become a valued "patron" without making any futher demands on your time.
If you REALLY think the media is IMPORTANT, dummy, you are DELUDED! My own SIMPLE, easy to understand, NO-NONSENSE "One-Point Plan For Defeating Feminism" is the ONLY way forward! Check it out at my Web site: http://www.junkscience.org/bridge_for_sale.htmlYou are, of course, absolutely right, as always. Do keep in touch.
I don't agree with John X., I can't stand Jim Y., Joe Z.'s rantings make me retch"... etc...Fair enough, this is a major objection, but let's try and keep differences and dislikes in perspective. There are indeed serious and irreconcilable philosophical and even personal differences that can render collaboration unacceptable under any circumstances, but most of our differences are surely not so grave; our terms of membership are framed in such a way as to put these issues as much into the background as is realistically possible.
A nice idea, but...{ insufferably patronising lecture... }...{ unprintably robust response ... } ). [g]
We collect suitable articles from The Liberator, The Backlash, MMN Free Press, etc. (only with permission, naturally), give pride of place to articles by well known published men's issues writers - who of course would have to be persuaded (or threatened!) to contribute - throw in a good smattering of satire, gentler humor, nice graphics, facts and quotes (The Liberator is an excellent source) and generally create a bright, readable, well-presented ENTERTAINING mix, put it on CD- ROM with a free sampler on a Web site, and advertise it all over the Internet.
Use the proceeds (if any) from sale of the CD-ROM to put the whole thing on paper, published by, say, Bioenergetics Press.
Hit every male-sympathetic journalist we know of with it.
Too expensive? Can't afford to make a CD-ROM? - Ok, put it on Adobe Acrobat and sell it via the Web, using First Virtual, Digicash, etc. Now that we CAN afford. THEN put it on CD-ROM, and finally onto paper.
This is hardly earth-shattering stuff. There's nothing - absolutely nothing - preventing us from doing this right now except the will to go for it. We could see this realised in six months, maybe even less.
That's only a small start, and whether it's taken up or not, is offered as a sample of what a little judicious collaboration could achieve.
An agency, initially voluntary but ultimately commercial, to market men's issues writings, circulating a constant stream of suitable articles (revisions encouraged if necessary) to the mainstream newspapers and magazines until it becomes obvious that there is a wealth of talent and political relevancy in the men's movement that cannot be ignored - and for which, it might well occur to editors, there is an untapped readership, tired of the same old rantings of media feminists, and hungry for something new and different.
This IS ambitious, requiring commitment and a reasonable level of recruitment, but the potential payback could be fantastic.
Training for media exposure - for those who plan to go that route - developing effective debating ploys, smart answers to trick questions, short 'n' sweet soundbites, slogans, a "men's manifesto" in 30 seconds or less(!), and other interesting ways to slip past the feminist defensive shields.
We're already doing this with the MMN Free Press and links to specific pages - as opposed to sites - that are especially relevant, such as articles from The Backlash. We will shortly offer a facility for members to auto-link their own pages or writings into our main index, without requiring editorial approval.
Some in the movement think it's cool to knock the Internet as a diversion. History will be the best judge of that, but while it's true the Internet is only a small fraction of the audience we need to reach, it's an important base, inexpensive, largely uncensored, and growing in influence every day. We should use it.
With programs like Adobe Acrobat, the Internet can also be used as a beachhead to break out into hardcopy publication, without costing a dime (o.k., maybe a dime [s]).
Do you know any journalists? Any editors? Any radio producers? TV personnel? Do you know anyone who does? Do you know the most effective means of getting an article published? If not, could you find out? What approach should you adopt for specific newspapers or magazines etc.?
Sharing information and contacts in this way could be one of our most valuable strategies - and again, it doesn't have to cost anything.
Develop blueprints for tabloid-style campaigns, (e.g. "The Men's Pledge: We Take No More!"), sound-bites for buttons, t-shirts, stickers etc. (e.g. "Male And Proud Of It", "Feminism Liberates Men Like Butchery Liberates Beef"), cheap and cheerful counter-propaganda handbooks (e.g. "The Men's Sex Wars Primer") etc., then put these at the disposal of all men's groups to use at will. This is the fun part.
There are always specific issues, such as the State Farm Insurance Co. male- bashing on domestic violence, or Playboy's funding of feminist causes, that can serve to build an identity for the Men's Media Network as a media lobby group, maybe even something eventually to be reckoned with.
There are no doubt other ideas lurking out there. This is only a sampler of what we could do without busting our guts or bank balance.
The Men's Media Network exists to promote an awareness of men's RIGHTS and men's ISSUES. It does not endorse or advocate theories or dogmas concerning the "correct" organisation of society or the "correct" behavior of individuals. Any such theories or dogmas you may hold to are strictly your own business. Any attempt to hijack the Men's Media Network as a vehicle for such theories or dogmas will be fiercely resisted.
Members are asked to refrain from initiating or provoking personal attacks on other members. Due provocation is recognised as an extenuating circumstance, but within reason; restraint in reply is encouraged.Our aim is to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and cordiality, where possible, and of dignified disagreement where not. The purpose of the Network's discussion facilities is to get business done, and not to accommodate the whimsies of political pyromaniacs, trainee tyrants and sundry neurotics.Members are asked to respect their political differences with other members, and to refrain from constructing any criticism of such differences in a manner likely to be personally offensive (ok, this is a bit "iffy", but the spirit of the idea is what matters most - it might even catch on [s]).
Members must not use the facilities of the Men's Media Network to barrack, heckle or harangue other members in any way, for any reason (again, due provocation is recognised).
It is possible that a sysop will be required for decisions relating to the Code of Conduct. Since it isn't anticipated that anyone will be in a hurry to take on this job anytime soon, our forum software has been designed instead to allow each member to individually cut persistent disruptors out of the loop in a 100% democratic fashion, leaving those who just want to get on with the job, to do so in peace.
on a line of its own in a message to MenMedia
and your name will be added to our email forum system (see below). You should receive confirmation within 5 minutes or less (Compuserve and other on-line service providers may take considerably longer). If you experience any problems, contact Brian.
When you join, you can opt to remove your email address from all postings and/or the Member Directory.
You can also opt to use an alias (pseudonym) on your postings, should you have any reason to do so - and we appreciate there may be valid reasons for that, which is why we have made the facility available.
If you do opt for anonymity and/or aliasing, your real name and/or email address will not be disclosed to anyone else without your authority.
I consider it axiomatic that the feminist propaganda machine is one of the central dynamos driving the movement relentlessly forward. Until we take that out, or at least sufficiently neutralise it, our political progress will be severely hampered (not everybody will agree with this analysis, but that's ok, because I'm not insisting they do).
We're all familiar with the daily round of lies, deceptions, half truths, canards, misandries, double standards, selective spins, statistical misrepresentations etc. that are the standard fare of the matriarchist project.
We are equally familiar with the enormous difficulty in breaking through the picket lines of the "PC Patrol", the "Lace Curtain" that prevents these lies and deceptions from being exposed, and an alternative viewpoint publicly aired.
This extraordinary fear of being subjected to critical scrutiny in the mainstream media - or anywhere else for that matter - in my view reveals a realisation at some level of awareness that this ideological house of cards cannot withstand a sustained challenge to the fragile layer of claims and doctrines on which it is built.
Just as artillery around a building in wartime tells us what value is placed on its integrity, so too does the defensive shield known as the Lace Curtain reveal the importance feminists attach to their control of the media.
Somehow, we need to find a way to break through those defences and sap the energy from one of their most precious and vital resources.
As a relative newcomer to this field, I don't pretend to have the answers, but I know there are people on this list whose experience could help towards that end, and there are many others whose anger and revulsion at the systematic degradation of men, both in culture and in law, by the mean-spirited warriors of the gender revolution, can be constructively channelled into a coherent response that could help to turn the tide.
I'm appealing to you all to give this idea earnest consideration, to put aside niggling doubts, look ahead to what might be achieved, and join together. After all, if you don't like it you can always shrug your shoulders and leave.
(Gee, that wasn't too painful [g] ).
After a lot of experimentation, it's obvious that Web-based forums, although well structured, are too clumsy for the average user.
Traditional email discussion lists, on the other hand, suffer from a total lack of structure, such that discussions can become difficult to follow, customisation is next to impossible, and the prospect of mailboxes filling up with acres of unwanted postings can put some people right off their breakfast.
Our solution is to combine the two, an operation that is being refined week by week, and is now functional.
Messages are posted and received via email. Every message posted forms part of a discussion thread, and is published at our Web Conference site, where it may be viewed (by members only) in the context of all preceding and subsequent messages, should anyone lose the drift of a discussion (also invaluable for newcomers to savvy-up on what's going on - messages can be retrieved from the Web and replied to by email).
In operation, there is no difference between posting a message and posting an email letter.
ONLY MEMBERS can post to the forum. Thus you need have no fear of receiving multiple emails from non-members being distributed through our system. A separate email address Info is being set up to distribute such circulars, for those interested in receiving them (by default, members will not be on this list).
Ability to:
We envisage having this ready by the end of the year.
So, if you don't like the idea, the solution is simple - don't join. And if you have a better idea, just do it.
Advance warning - posts from persistent detractors will be deleted and eventually blocked - we're not paying good money to indulge negative snipers. And don't call it censorship please: you have the Internet at your disposal. Start your own forum.
[ End of sabre-rattling :-) ]
Email to the Editor