In February, federal Conservative leadership hopeful Maxime Bernier received an endorsement from Alberta Wildrose MLA Derek Fildebrandt.
It was an important coup for Bernier who would normally face an uphill battle convincing right-leaning Albertans to bet on a Quebecer. He wanted to tweet something clever, something to show that Fildebrandt “gets it” — that he sees the real thing when he sees it. So he posted the following meme.
It’s an allusion to a scene from the 1999 film The Matrix in which the main character is offered a choice: take the blue pill and remain in the artificial reality you’re blissfully trapped in now, or take the red pill and discover what’s really going on behind the scenes.
As metaphors go, it’s a sledgehammer. And it’s been exploited endlessly since the film came out. We’re being manipulated by the system. Do you want towake up to reality, or stay asleep?
The tweet would have seemed innocuous — except for one thing.
In the past few years, the term “The Red Pill” has been hijacked by men’s rights activists (MRAs) in the form of a Reddit forum by that name. And the movement gained even more traction with the release last year of a similarly titled documentary by American filmmaker Cassie Jaye.
So, Bernier found himself pilloried by feminists of all stripes, who were convinced he was giving a wink to the MRA cause.
I was personally unaware of the MRA connection — as was Bernier, apparently.
So I decided to rent The Red Pill online.
Below is an extended trailer:
Jaye presents her film as a journey of discovery. She’d done a couple of pieces on women’s issues such as abortion and single motherhood and wanted to try something different. She typed the term “rape culture” into Google and found a flood of rebuttals from the MRA brigade. Hmm, she thought. What’s all that about? I think I’ll tumble into that rabbit hole and see what happens.
And fall she did. Head over heels.
“Why aren’t more people angry about discrimination against men?” asks outspoken MRA Paul Elam. “The only reason that I can think of is that people aren’t angry because they don’t see men as human beings.”The opening sequences seem innocent enough. Jaye summarizes her beginnings as a child actor, and her frustration at landing only bit roles as a victim — she had a good scream, she says. So, at the tender age of 21, she decided to try her hand at filmmaking.
The meat of The Red Pill then consists of Jaye driving to the homes of well-known MRAs and lending them a sympathetic ear. She listens intently as they posit a supposed pattern of discrimination against men and boys, aggravated by hard-hearted women.
Jaye could have lent some credibility to their claims if she had actually asked a tough question or two. That doesn’t happen. Instead, she seems entranced by this horrible new revelation that men are the real victims in the battle of the sexes.
Interspersed throughout the film are short video diaries, where Jaye ponders her findings thus far. It should be a chance to offer analysis and context. But she comes across as bereft of critical thinking, unable to distinguish fact from fiction. I don’t know what to think, she says time and time again.
“(S)ometimes I think the MRAs are just duping me and giving such a strong pitch about what they believe in to convince me of … some out-there theory that men are discriminated against and that women have the advantage,” she muses at one point.
Alas, the notion never seems to stick.
Jaye solicits a few comments from feminists, but they only offer broad strokes. The MRAs spout their grievances at length. Counterpoints get short shrift.
First, let’s get one thing straight: men do have legitimate issues.
Men often have a hard time in custody battles. Even when both parties are competent, the woman usually prevails.
Men do experience domestic violence. Those that do deserve as much support as women.
And it’s no secret the education system has failed boys in many respects.
But The Red Pill ultimately fails to properly address any of this.
On the contrary, it tries to make the exception the rule.
Listen to what her subjects actually say. It’s truly remarkable.
Fellow warrior Dean Esmay chimes in with his own lament: “It’s an ocean of pain out there.”
And it’s a walk in the park for women?
So what’s the evidence for this holocaust of hatred?
When you look at hard numbers, you get a different picture — like these cited in the Huffington Post, based on actual Justice statistics.
When the film first came out, it was greeted by a storm of protest. In some places, such as Australia, opponents even managed to shut it down.
In reality, the movement has provided a front for what is nothing short of raw misogyny. You can see it every day on far-right websites, and even in mainstream media. They undermine rape victims and bully women over abortion rights.
Take the clip below of British MRA Mike Buchanan from a recent TV spot. As soon as it’s his turn to speak, he has little to offer but nasty insults. If I were on this show, I’d be a lot angrier than these women appear to be.
But I haven’t walked in their shoes.