# Scott Adams: Men's Rights Activists are Pussies **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081 "2013-10-24T02:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/1 "2013-10-24T02:41:12Z")
This is a blog post/essay supposed posted on Scott Adam’s on website, but then later taken down (for obvious reasons.) It strikes me as pretty controversial, and therefore perhaps a great place for Great Debate. > [@](#): > > Scott Adams, the author of Dilbert, wrote a post today about men’s rights where among other things he calls MRAs pussies. After he wrote it, Adams decided to delete the post. Here is what he wrote: > > The topic my readers most want me to address is something called men’s rights. (See previous post.) This is a surprisingly good topic. It’s dangerous. It’s relevant. It isn’t overdone. And apparently you care. > > Let’s start with the laundry list. > > According to my readers, examples of unfair treatment of men include many elements of the legal system, the military draft in some cases, the lower life expectancies of men, the higher suicide rates for men, circumcision, and the growing number of government agencies that are primarily for women. > > You might add to this list the entire area of manners. We take for granted that men should hold doors for women, and women should be served first in restaurants. Can you even imagine that situation in reverse? > > Generally speaking, society discourages male behavior whereas female behavior is celebrated. Exceptions are the fields of sports, humor, and war. Men are allowed to do what they want in those areas. > > Add to our list of inequities the fact that women have overtaken men in college attendance. If the situation were reversed it would be considered a national emergency. > > How about the higher rates for car insurance that young men pay compared to young women? Statistics support this inequity, but I don’t think anyone believes the situation would be legal if women were charged more for car insurance, no matter what the statistics said. > > Women will counter with their own list of wrongs, starting with the well-known statistic that women earn only 80 cents on the dollar, on average, compared to what men earn for the same jobs. My readers will argue that if any two groups of people act differently, on average, one group is likely to get better results. On average, men negotiate pay differently and approach risk differently than women. > > Women will point out that few females are in top management jobs. Men will argue that if you ask a sample group of young men and young women if they would be willing to take the personal sacrifices needed to someday achieve such power, men are far more likely to say yes. In my personal non-scientific polling, men are about ten times more likely than women to trade family time for the highest level of career success. > > Now I would like to speak directly to my male readers who feel unjustly treated by the widespread suppression of men’s rights: > > Get over it, you bunch of pussies. > > The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles. > > How many times do we men suppress our natural instincts for sex and aggression just to get something better in the long run? It’s called a strategy. Sometimes you sacrifice a pawn to nail the queen. If you’re still crying about your pawn when you’re having your way with the queen, there’s something wrong with you and it isn’t men’s rights. > > Fairness is an illusion. It’s unobtainable in the real world. I’m happy that I can open jars with my bare hands. I like being able to lift heavy objects. And I don’t mind that women get served first in restaurants because I don’t like staring at food that I can’t yet eat. > > If you’re feeling unfairly treated because women outlive men, try visiting an Assisted Living facility and see how delighted the old ladies are about the extra ten years of pushing the walker around. It makes dying look like a bargain. > > I don’t like the fact that the legal system treats men more harshly than women. But part of being male is the automatic feeling of team. If someone on the team screws up, we all take the hit. Don’t kid yourself that men haven’t earned some harsh treatment from the legal system. On the plus side, if I’m trapped in a burning car someday, a man will be the one pulling me out. That’s the team I want to be on. > > I realize I might take some heat for lumping women, children and the mentally handicapped in the same group. So I want to be perfectly clear. I’m not saying women are similar to either group. I’m saying that a man’s best strategy for dealing with each group is disturbingly similar. If he’s smart, he takes the path of least resistance most of the time, which involves considering the emotional realities of other people. A man only digs in for a good fight on the few issues that matter to him, and for which he has some chance of winning. This is a strategy that men are uniquely suited for because, on average, we genuinely don’t care about 90% of what is happening around us. > > I just did a little test to see if I knew what pajama bottoms I was wearing without looking. I failed. [Link](http://www.antifeministtech.info/2011/03/scott-adams-deletes-post-where-he-calls-mras-pussies/) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/2 "2013-10-24T02:51:25Z")
Some things never change; whenever someone is telling you something like “be a man about it” or “don’t be a pussy”, they are telling you to do something _stupid._ Something that makes _them_ happy, but is stupid for you. I figured that out as a kid, it’s an obvious enough pattern. I mentioned it to my mother once back then, and her response was "For us, it was ‘ladylike’ _'Ladies_ don’t do that! You shouldn’t do that, it’s not _ladylike!’"_ The difference is that since she was a girl women have largely gotten over it, while men are mostly still stuck with the old cliches. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/3 "2013-10-24T02:56:01Z")
That’s dated March 7, 2011. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/4 "2013-10-24T02:58:38Z")
[From here.](http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/im_a_what/) > [@](#): > > Regular readers of this blog already know what the commotion is about. I posted, and later removed, a piece that mocked the Men’s Rights Movement. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/5 "2013-10-24T03:02:47Z")
I’d agree MRAs are mostly silly. Especially when they traffic in stereotypes but then whine and complain like a woman. Deal with it, tough guys. This is a good rule of thumb: If women aren’t happy, it’s men’s fault. If men aren’t happy, it’s men’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/6 "2013-10-24T08:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Women will counter with their own list of wrongs, starting with the well-known statistic that women earn only 80 cents on the dollar, on average, compared to what men earn for the same jobs. My readers will argue that if any two groups of people act differently, on average, one group is likely to get better results. On average, men negotiate pay differently and approach risk differently than women. No, men don’t get paid more for the same job. Men get paid more for doing more hours. Men get paid more when choosing jobs with higher rates of pay. The fact that the difference in pay hardly exists among the unmarried shows why it happens. > [@](#): > > Women will point out that few females are in top management jobs. Men will argue that if you ask a sample group of young men and young women if they would be willing to take the personal sacrifices needed to someday achieve such power, men are far more likely to say yes. In my personal non-scientific polling, men are about ten times more likely than women to trade family time for the highest level of career success. In my experience a more common counterargument would be that men make up the vast majority of those in the worst jobs, the most dangerous and unpleasant jobs. > [@](#): > > Now I would like to speak directly to my male readers who feel unjustly treated by the widespread suppression of men’s rights: > > Get over it, you bunch of pussies. > > The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles. Okay, would anyone like to defend the idea that you shouldn’t defend yourself against an attack by someone who is violently insane? Anyway, morally and factually the path of least resistance is rarely the best. It is, however, the pussilanimous way to do it. So I’ll be a pussy and treat people as individuals, and demand women act reasonably and fairly, and not like juvenile mental patients. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/7 "2013-10-24T09:16:03Z")
Scot Adams is a sexist dick? Who knew? Oh, [only everyone](http://jezebel.com/5813290/dilbert-creator-scott-adams-weighs-in-on-rape-now). ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/8 "2013-10-24T10:13:47Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Okay, would anyone like to defend the idea that you shouldn’t defend yourself against an attack by someone who is violently insane? Not even insane. Why let yourself be hit by anyone? If a woman hits a man she \*should \*expect to be hit back. > [@](#): > > Anyway, morally and factually the path of least resistance is rarely the best. It is, however, the pussilanimous way to do it. Indeed, who is being the pussy here? Men should just always say ‘Yes, dear’ and do as they’re told? No confrontations please, ‘save the energy’ for supposedly “imoportant stuff”. This blog post is the moral equivalent of ‘Go back to the kitchen and make me a sandwich.’ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/9 "2013-10-24T10:18:10Z")
I agree that there are areas where the societal expectations placed upon men are unfair and that perhaps we should try to reconsider our words and behaviors to avoid being part of the problem. I also agree that MRAs tend to be a bunch of hypersensitive whiners looking to magnify those areas disproportionately and that they suffer from an overblown sense of entitlement. And I thirdly agree that Scott Adams is an asshole. That about sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/10 "2013-10-24T10:58:07Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I agree that there are areas where the societal expectations placed upon men are unfair and that perhaps we should try to reconsider our words and behaviors to avoid being part of the problem. > > I also agree that MRAs tend to be a bunch of hypersensitive whiners looking to magnify those areas disproportionately and that they suffer from an overblown sense of entitlement. > > And I thirdly agree that Scott Adams is an asshole. > > That about sums it up. Couldn’t have said it better myself. ---
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/11 "2013-10-24T12:26:14Z")
> [@Latro](#): > > This blog post is the moral equivalent of ‘Go back to the kitchen and make me a sandwich.’ I took it as more of him trying to send men into the kitchen. > [@Gyrate](#): > > I agree that there are areas where the societal expectations placed upon men are unfair and that perhaps we should try to reconsider our words and behaviors to avoid being part of the problem. > > I also agree that MRAs tend to be a bunch of hypersensitive whiners looking to magnify those areas disproportionately and that they suffer from an overblown sense of entitlement. > > And I thirdly agree that Scott Adams is an asshole. > > That about sums it up. The MRAs have a point…to a very short end. But they then go so far into the deep end I think they dropped their drug stash down there or something. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/12 "2013-10-24T12:58:18Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Some things never change; whenever someone is telling you something like “be a man about it” or “don’t be a pussy”, they are telling you to do something _stupid._ Something that makes _them_ happy, but is stupid for you. It usually means we don’t want to solve your stupid problem for you. ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/13 "2013-10-24T13:07:48Z")
> [@Farin](#): > > I took it as more of him trying to send men into the kitchen. Yes, that’s what I meant. It is the same dismissiveness that was shown to women that complained about their position in society. Before they got emancipated. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/14 "2013-10-24T13:08:03Z")
I’ve learned never to read Scott Adams in any medium longer than 4 panels. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/15 "2013-10-24T13:13:19Z")
Well, a lot of that is silly, but I do think he hit on one thing that resonated with me. The fact that most everything that goes one around me I don’t actually give a damn about. And if I don’t care about it, I don’t want to argue about it. I’ve long called this the ‘curtain’ rule. I don’t care what color the curtains are so whatever is fine. I’d rather save my discussion and debate energy for things that I do care about. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/16 "2013-10-24T13:17:15Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I agree that there are areas where the societal expectations placed upon men are unfair and that perhaps we should try to reconsider our words and behaviors to avoid being part of the problem. > > I also agree that MRAs tend to be a bunch of hypersensitive whiners looking to magnify those areas disproportionately and that they suffer from an overblown sense of entitlement. > > And I thirdly agree that Scott Adams is an asshole. > > That about sums it up. I agree wholeheartedly with this except for how Scott Adams is characterized. Not that he’s not an asshole, but because I never spent much time researching the guy or anything so I have no idea. The rape culture link was not necessarily asshole behavior, but it did show an aloofness and insensitivity towards the subject that made me roll my eyes a bit. And even the OP screed I have a few things I disagree with ([not](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2111941/I-thinking-karma-I-act-Good-Samaritan-pulls-road-rage-driver-child-burning-car-wreckage.html) [only](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1914&dat=20010430&id=mthGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3vMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1435,5175267) [men](http://web.caller.com/2000/june/27/today/local_ne/3395.html) [save](http://www.kingscountynews.ca/News/2012-09-06/article-3069168/South-Alton-woman-pulls-driver-from-burning-car/1) [people](http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Woman-saves-trucker-from-S-F-freeway-crash-flames-2326293.php) [from](http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/846497/woman-pulls-grandson-from-burning-car/) [burning](http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/18/loc_in-burningcar18dg.html) [cars](http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/3586567/woman_pulls_driver_out_of_burning_suv_in_greene_twp)) even though I generally agree that MREs are pussies. I have advantages in this world as a white male due to my skin color and my gender. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages almost all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Karrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71c47a/32.png) [@Karrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karrius)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/17 "2013-10-24T13:42:58Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > No, men don’t get paid more for the same job. Men get paid more for doing more hours. Men get paid more when choosing jobs with higher rates of pay. The fact that the difference in pay hardly exists among the unmarried shows why it happens. I wouldn’t be so sure of this. [Both male and female hirers give lower starting salary to woman than to identical man in study.](http://boingboing.net/2012/09/24/you-might-be-discriminating-ag.html) [Unemployed black woman pretends to be white, job offers skyrocket.](http://www.techyville.com/2012/11/news/unemployed-black-woman-pretends-to-be-white-job-offers-suddenly-skyrocket/) [Man named “Kim” specifies that he’s a man on resume, job offers come rolling in.](http://whatwouldkingleonidasdo.tumblr.com/post/54989171152/how-i-discovered-gender-discrimination) There’s a lot more in play than “Woman just don’t work as hard or work as good jobs”. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/18 "2013-10-24T13:43:53Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > It usually means we don’t want to solve your stupid problem for you. Pressuring or outright telling someone else to not solve a problem but to simply endure it goes well beyond a desire to not solve their problems yourself. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/19 "2013-10-24T13:48:03Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Pressuring or outright telling someone else to not solve a problem but to simply endure it goes well beyond a desire to not solve their problems yourself. You’re missing the part of his post where the problem in question is _stupid._ It’s embarassing that there are people who think it’s a worthwhile thing to spend mental energy trying to “solve.” ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081/20 "2013-10-24T13:54:39Z")
I think he went too far with some of his comparisons and some of his conclusions, but I do think there is a valid point to be made here about the Men’s Rights movement. There are some things that these guys complain about that they should just shut up about. His example about it being assumed that women are served first in a restaurant, being expected to hold the door open for someone, etc. Besides the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone complain about it outside of the context of Men’s Rights, they’re small things that aren’t worth fighting about. Society just expects certain things out of certain people based on them being parts of certain groups, whether its gender, age, class, or whatever. Many of those expectations are completely innocuous or so minor that most people who have to deal with them just plain don’t care or at least don’t see them worth making a stink about. At the same time though, like with any group, there are certain aspects about how society treats men that probably are worth making a stink about. I think inequities in the justice system are a big deal, that men are convicted more often and get harsher sentences than women is a bad thing for everyone, not just the men involved. That men are often in a bad spot dealing with divorce and custody is a bad thing for everyone. That men victimized in domestic violence are often either assumed to have done something to deserve it or told to man up is a bad thing for everyone. But the way I look at this, these aren’t Men’s issues because, these issues affect more than just men, and there are inequities with virtually every group out there. As a society, we can’t just fix everything overnight, so what we need to do is pick out the most egregious inequities and focus on those first. And that’s where Men’s Rights Activists fail, by lumping in a lot of benign crap with some very real and important issues, they’ve done everyone a disservice by expending energy and awareness on minor issues and detracted from the few major issues they might address. The real point here shouldn’t be to pick the path of least resistance, because that generally means never changing anything, as the path of least resistance is almost always just to keep doing what we’ve always done. The point should be to pick your battles, because some things aren’t worth the time and energy to change, but some things are. And, moreso, that it shouldn’t be about men’s rights, it should be about human rights and equality. I want to see everyone with equal rights and fair treatment, not just the groups I’m a member of. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scott-adams-mens-rights-activists-are-pussies/672081.md?page=2)