In the bizarro world of the right wing, those who are waging a relentless war on women's reproductive rights claim that there is a war on men being waged by feminists who are trying to emasculate American men. As the echo chamber for this alternate reality, Fox News' anathema lists now include feminists who have the audacity to question the patriarchy so beloved by the Fox enabled right wing who actually believe that women who don't know their place are hurting America! Fox & Friends has engaged in feminist bashing meme as well as promoting the dark and angry world of men's rights. On Monday, they established, as Fox Fact, that there is a war on men because nasty feminists accused a men's right's conference, which called for the defeat of feminism, of fostering hate speech. Funny, Fox & Friends fully supports free speech for Christians; feminists, not so much!
In bashing feminism, Fox & Friends has hosted a woman who claims to have been bullied by feminists, anti-feminist Suzanne Venker, and the infamous "Princeton Mom" who advises women to forget about getting a degree and focus on getting a husband. IN May, "Dr" Keith Ablow pushed misogynistic men's rights talking points. On Monday, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was able to advance the meme of intolerant feminists while promoting men's rights. Her piece was teased by Steve Doocy who, earlier, reported that "feminists are up in arms calling a men's conference a hate group even though it included all races and sexes." He asked "so who are the ones being intolerant?" The Cavuto marked chyron framed the propaganda message, "War on Men."
Hasselbeck began her segment with her report that there is backlash against a Detroit men's rights conference because "some feminists are comparing the gathering to hosting a hate group." She asked, "Does the intolerance show that there is a feminist war on men?" She introduced her guests, former Miss and Democratic strategist Zerlina Maxwell and Kirsten Haglund, a former Miss America (Future Fox host?)
Hasselbeck asked "who is the victim." (Oh, Elisabeth, it's poor men, right?) Considering that Fox & Friends is the show for victimized Christians, Haglund said that it seems like "every protected class" says they are victims and this produces a reaction from those who are seen as the oppressor. She opined that "as the feminist movement has gained strength and gained certain things, men have said "what about us." She did admit that some of the language, used by the men's rights guys, was as "vitriolic" as what they claim the feminists employ.
The chyron proclaimed, as Fox Fact, "War on men, feminists liken conf to 'hate speech'," Hasselbeck asked if what the men are saying is hate speech. Maxwell noted that these groups have been classified, by the SPLC, as hate groups which scapegoat feminism rather than fully examining changes in gender roles and how the court system needs to adjust to that. Hasselbeck provide the Fox Message with the comment "Some would argue...that feminism is the cause of men having less right in the courtroom as it pertains to violence against them." The chyron reinforced the Fox Message: "Muzzling males, are feminists in America waging a war on men?"
Haglund responded that while you want people empowered, you don't want it "at the expense of another group." She encouraged respectful debate which, as demonstrated on the chyron, isn't a concern for Fox & Friends: "Protesting the men, are feminists the ones being intolerant?" Hasselbeck wanted to know if feminists "want to hear" what the poor men are saying. Maxwell cited a rather unsavory comment, from "Voice for Men's" founder, who appeared at the conference, about how women are asking to be raped if they behave in a certain way. Hasselbeck said that he has since said that it was just a joke.
So only in the bizarro world of Fox & Friends are those who protest hate considered to be intolerant. Guess those Civil Rights protesters were the intolerant ones, eh? Guess Elisabeth Hasselbeck thinks it's just dandy that Voice for Men thinks that feminists are a "social malignancy." But the double standard here is amazing. Fox & Friends fully supports those Christians who feel that they have been maligned. Not so much for feminists who, in the whacky world of Fox & Friends, don't deserve First Amendment rights!
And about that violence towards men thing - 85% of domestic violence victims are women.
(3/27/18 update: video is no longer available)
Seriously, though, women should definitely be held responsible for all the ills of the world, since
“No birth? No problem!”
Finally, the Hasselbeck will say anything for a buck.