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Rise of the Brobots

Some men are reacting to the “women in tech” movement by complaining that a “feminist cabal” is trying to subjugate men.

Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."

13 Comments. Leave new

  • mhenriday
    October 6, 2017 12:53 AM

    But Ted, it’s like dealing with an invasive species – if it’s not exterminated as soon as it appears in a new region, it will inevitable exterminated the native flora and fauna…. 😉

    Henri

  • Glenn
    October 6, 2017 8:50 AM

    “Women can’t do that kind of work,” can be spoken as an imperative, or as a reference to an innate inability.

    Meaning is so very susceptible to drift.

    • mhenriday
      October 6, 2017 8:54 AM

      Or (a third alternative) as a noa phrase for «I want to reduce the competition as much as possible»….

      Henri

      • derlehrer
        October 6, 2017 6:41 PM

        noa =
        Notice of Absence? Notice Of Approval? Noodles Of Asia? Not Otherwise Approved? National Onion Association?

        I really wish that you wouldn’t use acronyms that aren’t understood by me!

      • mhenriday
        October 7, 2017 2:55 AM

        My most humble apologies, mein verehrter Lehrer ! «Noa» is not an acronym, but rather a Polynesian word – the opposite of «taboo» – which has found its way into English. An brief explanation of the concept can be found here….

        Another noa phrase commonly used in the United States for «I want to reduce the competition as much as possible» is «threat to national security», cf Huawei, ZTE, Kaspersky, etc, etc….

        Henri

    • lburanen
      October 7, 2017 8:53 AM

      Glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what ‘noa’ meant. 🙂

      • mhenriday
        October 7, 2017 9:03 AM

        And for my part, I can’t but wonder if anyone is glad that he or she found out ?… 😉

        Henri

      • derlehrer
        October 7, 2017 3:09 PM

        @ mhenriday –

        I appreciate your explanation. You see I wasn’t the only one in the dark. Good grief, how is one to know?

        The English teacher in me is fighting the urge to lecture you (and losing) about the purpose of the written language: “communication”! A term that is not readily understandable calls for a parenthetical clarification, don’t you think? I spent not an insignificant amount of time searching (Google, etal.) and never did come across the Polynesian word. At least now I have an inkling of the meaning of your comment. Yes, I’m glad that I found out. 🙂

        Apology accepted — but try to do better, okay?

        😀

      • mhenriday
        October 8, 2017 3:51 AM

        «Apology accepted — but try to do better, okay?

        😀»

        I shall study deserving…. 😉

        Henri

  • CrazyH
    October 6, 2017 12:52 PM

    AARRRRGH! Men *do* have issues in our fupped duck society.

    -= BUT =-

    Women in the workplace or any other place is most *emphatically* NOT one them. A strong, self-confident man is in no way threatened by a strong, self-confident woman. (Or Muslims, gays, Jews, blacks, trans….)

    Witness Gamergate – a whole bunch of male idiots making a whole lotta macho noises. Thumping their chests and peeing on trees and generally role-playing “Alpha Males” – all while hiding behind an internet in their mommy’s basements. I know what they thought they were saying, but I doubt they have any clue what I heard.

    “Weh! Weh! Weh! No Fair! I might get beated by a girl!“

  • GuitarGrrrl
    October 6, 2017 7:18 PM

    A study was done that showed (no big surprise) that the gamergate bullies were losers. That is, the men who were winning the games were not the ones who were bullying female players.

    Certainly, everyone has problems–male, female, rich, poor, black, white, etc. But white men as a group don’t face discrimination in our society, and our society is largely run by men. Therefore, while individual men have problems, they’re not so much societal. Since men run things in our society, it is up to men to make changes if they’re unhappy with the way things are. Unfortunately, women do not have that power, at least not in the work place and not in politics. Hence the need for women’s rights activism.

    Blaming feminists for our society’s problems doesn’t make sense when women don’t have much political power. We feminists want to release men as well as women from gender stereotypes that limit a person’s potential to be the best he/she can be. We believe that men are freer to be themselves when they’re with strong, independent women ’cause there is less pressure put on men to be providers and protectors. Traditionally, many men worked hard (way too hard!) to provide for their families and to keep them safe. We think life’s easier for men when women can share that burden. Seriously, isn’t it easier to support a family when there are two paychecks coming in? Isn’t it more fulfilling to be free to spend more time with your children, nurturing them without someone suggesting that that is only what the mother should be doing?

    Not sure why some men feel threatened by feminism, but my guess is that they are mostly single men who feel insecure, have low self esteems and are having trouble in relationships in general… Techies are known for often not having the best social skills. Easier to blame women for your own inadequate social skills than to admit to being a nerd who can’t get a date.

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