Maude Save Us

Well, if there was any doubt (there wasn't) that Whataboutthemenz?!, Inc.—aka Men in Power—was little more than a misogyny club for angsty hipsters to lament being born in an age when men's birthright of undeserved privilege is questioned by uppity bitchez, the appearance of its founder, Steve Saltarelli, on MSNBC earlier today (recorded and uploaded for us by dear Mr. Petulant) pretty much stomps the fuck out of any lingering possibility something good might emerge from its existence.


[Transcript below.]
1. If he had been writing a genuinely satirical piece, that means he would have been supporting the formation of a "Men in Power" ironically and hence would have, in reality, never supported its actual formation, no less personally orchestrated it. More evidence that "hipster irony" is actually "mega bullshit."

2. No one's overlooking men's issues. And using prostate cancer underlines what a foolish claim that really is, given that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the US. Meanwhile, breast cancer researchers and clinicians are still struggling how to best detect and diagnose breast cancer, though it claims as many lives (1 out of 35) as prostate cancer.

3. Really? Father's rights groups? Really? Really? Really? Really? Really? Really? Wow. Aligning yourselves with father's rights groups is an awesome idea. Way to convince people you're not just the College MRA Brigade.

4. If women are still not making as much as men even after attaining, as a group, a greater number of higher degrees than men, why the fuck are you worried about the numbers of women getting degrees versus the number of men? Clearly, not having a degree isn't an impediment to men's success, so the assertion that women are going to RULE THE WORLD OH NOES! in the "coming future" is total horseshit.

5. How is "a discernible change in the workplace gender dynamics" a bad thing if you believe in gender parity, given that the workplace still currently strongly favors men? (See: pay disparity, maternity leave affecting tenure, lack of diversity in middle and upper management, etc.)

6. "Um, our group is absolutely not [laughs] against women at all. Um, we're merely advocating for men."—This is literally the exact same thing said by white supremacist groups and the jokers who put on "straight pride" parades. It's patent codswallop when they say it, and it's patent codswallop when you say it.

7. Grow up.

Female Anchor Whose Name I Don't Know: —men, including our own Barack Obama. You don't think we've noticed that?

Saltarelli: Um, the article, it was an article for our school paper, the Chicago Maroon, and it was satirical in tone. Um, the group itself only formed afterwards, when I started receiving emails from around campus that there was an actual interest in, in male advocacy in, and some of the issues that uniquely affect men on campus.

Anchor: So here you are, you write this satirical letter—and it's pretty entertaining, I have to say—and then you get response from guys saying, "Yeah, that's right; we need some representation." Do you really feel that there's something missing from your life, and maybe other guys like you, that need advocacy?

Saltarelli: Well, I think it's really easy to overlook a lot of issues that, um, that affect men, especially our age. Um, we have to deal with things like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, um, men age twenty to twenty-four have an instance of suicide seven times higher than, um, females of the same age. Um, in addition, there are a number of issues with, um, fathers' rights groups, uh, that we will also, uh, be looking into talking about.

Anchor: Let me ask you, see, those are obviously very serious issues, but do you think men are being underserved in that respect?

Saltarelli: I'm not sure we're being underserved, but I think, I think it's easy to overlook us, and I think it's easy to—

Anchor: How so?

Saltarelli: —to brush us—

Anchor: How is it easy to overlook?

Saltarelli: Um, well, I mean, if you look in the media, uh, prostate cancer, for instance, isn't covered nearly as, as aggressively as breast cancer is. Whereas, they affect people, um, in about equal numbers—

Anchor: But heart disease, for example, in men— But heart disease, for example, was once seen as a disease of men, when, in fact, it was affecting women in great numbers.

Saltarelli: Yeah, I mean, that may be the case, but, um, these issues are still pertinent.

Anchor: What about workforce issues and pay? You have women still making seventy cents to the dollar that men make.

Saltarelli: Right, I mean, if you look at the Fortune 500, 97% of the CEOs in the Fortune 500 are men. But we think that this represents, um, the structure that was in place in universities and in the types of degrees women were getting 30 years ago. And now if you look at it, you have 58% of graduating, uh, college seniors as female. And another 60% of graduate students are female.

Anchor: Let me ask you—

Saltarelli: So this is going to represent a discernible—

Anchor: What kind of—

Saltarelli: —a discernible change in the workplace gender dynamics in the coming future.

Anchor: What kind of response have you gotten? I read a couple of women on your campus believe this is misogynistic, and that, obviously, women needed advocacy groups because you have—and you still do—have a glass ceiling above the heads of so many women.

Saltarelli: Yeah. I mean, overwhelmingly our response has been positive. Um, our group is absolutely not [laughs] against women at all. Um, we're merely advocating for men. It's not a zero-sum thing. Um, if, if we cultivate men in leadership, it doesn't mean that there can't, that there has to be less women in leadership. Um.

Anchor: And how many members do you have?

Saltarelli: But overwhelmingly when I talk to people— How many numbers?

Anchor: How many members?

Saltarelli: Uh, about— How many members? We have, um, about 125 members right now.

Anchor: And has the school approved your application to form this group yet?

Saltarelli: They have not approved it yet. Um, it is pending; it was approved by the student advisory board, and the university has never gone against the ruling of the student advisory board.

Anchor: All right, well, we'll see what happens, uh, once it's—you're approved or not. Hopefully, we'll follow up with you, Steve. Thank you.

Saltarelli: Thank you very much.

Anchor: Sure! [looks like she wants to vom]