(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #228 - Melissa Blais: "The political objectives aimed at strengthening the male privilege" (fr)

This article is the long version (with development of resistance Masculinism in France and 
Quebec) of the article published in the May issue of Monthly Alternative libertarian.
We met Melissa Blais, feminist activist, a doctoral student in sociology at UQAM and 
professional research at the Institute for Women's Studies and Research (Iref), member of 
the Interdisciplinary Research Group on anti-feminism (Giraf). ---- Misogyny, machismo, 
virility, but less is known masculinism. What is the specificity of this movement? In 
particular, can you tell us how did this movement, he "claims" and how it is today? ---- 
Melissa Blais: As noted historian Christine Bard about anti-feminism, unlike including 
misogyny (hatred of women) or machismo (male superiority), which are common behaviors, 
masculinism is a form of anti-feminism that - feeding at the same misogyny - dovetails 
with feminist struggles to contest the claims, the scope and projects of social 
transformation.

In this sense, masculinism is organized and maintains a ratio of mimetic opposition 
(recovery / reversal) with feminism that is said about the "second wave". In other words, 
masculinist activists argue that men are victims of women and feminism, reflected in their 
statistics on suicide among men. In order to take feminism, they recover both the feminist 
term (patriarchy into matriarchy, for example), the modes of organizations 
(organizational-sex and groups of consciousness), and sometimes same color (purple) and 
the names of organizations.

Even if we find elements of masculinist discourse in the history of France, for example, 
is this idea that masculinity is in 'crisis' because of excessive feminization of society, 
organized Masculinism grows more during the 1980s, at least in Europe (Britain, France, 
etc..) North America (U.S., Canada) and Australia with the increasing fathers' groups and 
groups of "conscience" for men. Taking Quebec as an example (since it is the province of 
Canada that I know best), it is observed that arises Masculinism initiatives allies 
feminist men (pro-feminist) during the 1980s. Initially, profeminists regrouped to reflect 
the dominant masculinity. A split appears fairly quickly between groups of men who are 
thinking about gender relations from the perspective of women, that is to say between 
those who thought the domination and exploitation of women by men and those think about 
masculinity in and of itself, that is to say, a disembodied masculinity that exists 
without these social relations.

Slip once operated opened the door to the current discourse on the "crisis of 
masculinity." A crisis caused by the feminists who would have gone too far and women who, 
thanks to feminists now impose a so-called culture of femininity including the labor 
market. Can more easily be described as anti-feminist, other organizations appear in the 
90s and 2000, more precisely when government actions remind fathers that they must pay 
their child support. In general, active masculinist organizations now demand more rights 
for fathers and more resources for men. They essentially structured around three types of 
organizations are 1) groups of father, 2) support groups for violent men and abused and 3 
men) groups aware of psychoanalytic trend.

At first glance, their claims appear legitimate and consistent with some feminist claims. 
The research work is precisely to analyze the arguments accompanying claims and their 
speech because in these claims are hidden political objectives aimed at strengthening the 
male privilege. Thus, we must be careful and attentive, because the way a racist person 
does not say "I'm a racist" anti-feminist who identify themselves as such are rather small 
minority. As I said earlier, the whole job is to analyze the content of the websites of 
groups father and literature on masculinity to see them more closely.

One black episodes associated with this movement is the Montreal Massacre in 1989. Can you 
tell us the facts? The killer must be attached to it "masculinism organized", and vice 
versa masculinist they theorize the use of violence as a mode of action?

Melissa Blais: I want to clarify that masculinism masculinist intellectuals organized and 
provide rhetorical arguments to those who without being masculinist militants resume to 
better attack the feminists. I think here as to leftist intellectuals, political women, 
and anarchists. In this sense, the concepts of "left" and "right" too often limited our 
understanding of anti-feminism.

About the killer Polytechnique Montreal (December 6, 1989), found no source does not allow 
me to say that in a masculinist activist organization. He had on him however a suicide 
when he entered the ?cole Polytechnique, armed with a semi-automatic weapon that respect 
only women he murdered 14 women before taking his own life. During his political 
assassination, he also separated men from women within a class and before pulling the 
women he said, "I hate feminists." In his suicide note, he expressed his motivation he 
calls himself our policies. He borrows the same argumentative logic that masculinist even 
said that feminists "have always ruined his life."

This event deeply affected the Quebec feminist movement. Since then, feminist organizing 
an annual commemoration in memory of the 14 women, the opportunity to denounce violence 
against women. Conversely, anti-feminist looking year after year are to depoliticize the 
crime by saying that it is an act of madness or make the killer a hero. Reduce the scope 
of the action to the mental health of the killer is the most common rhetorical strategy. 
It is anti-feminist in that, in doing so, these carriers speech accuse feminists have 
recovered the act of a madman to draw attention to a false problem (violence against 
women) and capture funds for public organizations fighting against male violence. 
Anti-feminists who seek to transform the hero killers are much more marginal. Although the 
phenomenon appears marginal, it seems worrying, because men incite violence and murder 
against feminists (and women identified as feminist).

I have a lot to say about the masculinist reflections concerning men's violence against 
women and not only in terms of means of action. Unfortunately, I will limit my remarks. I 
just want to emphasize that some masculinist justify the use of male violence as part of 
the "natural" reactions of men in conflict. Others say that in some cases, it is 
"self-defense" on the part of men treated unfairly by the family courts. Some even use 
violence threatening feminists.

In France recently, several private fathers custody and visitation of their children, and 
also convicted of "subtraction child" or violence, made a sudden burst of media by 
climbing cranes to publicize the " Because dads "and denounce systematically favorable to 
mothers justice. But this action and discourse that accompanies it, are they not to bring 
certain actions "fathers for justice" in Quebec? What is the role of the 'fathers' sakes 
"and this type of action in the masculinist strategy and should we see a coordinated 
international strategy?

Melissa Blais: I'll answer largely in answer to the first question.

There already in Quebec forms of organized resistance to the masculinism (both 
theoretically and in practical terms), and have they worked?

Melissa Blais: Yes, there was and there still. Recently, say since 2005, different 
resistances have emerged. Occasional struggles like the antimasculiniste coalition in 
2004, 2005 was held to counter the Word Congress of Men in Montreal. This coalition is 
intended to be temporary. During the year of mobilization, it also raises awareness in 
anarchist circles and students, product brochures, developed various workshops in parallel 
to the conference, including workshops on lesbophobia the masculinist discourse.

Some feminist organizations have made ??a priority area Masculinism struggle. They 
conducted workshops on balancing domestic violence and training they provide in the 
feminist popular education and education environments. Research has been carried out, 
including the study of anti-feminist attacks designed to better document the actions that 
target movement organizations and their effects on women's. All, besides the collective 
work of masculinism in Quebec

By cons, to analyze the results of these activist practices I should conduct a study on 
the subject. The little I can say in terms of results is that with these mobilizations 
feminists know and recognize. They are also more numerous in France to recognize their 
speech and thus be able to replicate when needed. They managed to counter a number of 
masculinist projects, including a project to transform a feminist government Council, 
Council for Equality. This would have allowed them to obtain resources and expand their 
space vehicle speeches, spaces are treated symmetrically relations between men and women.

If I compare Quebec to France is that since I'm in France, in March, I observed that 
research is carried out here just to cross the walls of the ivory tower academic. I feel 
that the researchers and scientists fail to be heard. Perhaps another aspect of the 
problem is the lack of work "public" on the subject. In short, I was told that there is no 
research here or that the phenomenon does not exist in France, which is false. Research 
exists and masculinist are active. The mainstream media have suggested that the action of 
"men crane" is the time X on day 1 of the appearance of masculinism in France. It would be 
fair to say that masculinism began to be widely publicized with the action of men to the 
crane. Masculinism existed before this action, it is enough to learn a little. Besides 
militant groups like Stop Masculinism existed before February 2013. This has produced a 
brochure and continues his excellent work in education. I think some feminist 
organizations in France are also trying to establish a balance of power. However, it seems 
important to increase efforts in France to prevent it from spreading.