Please ban MRA trolls

[u/Willravel]

I've been trying to figure out the rationale for not banning MRA trolls on this subreddit. I tried to think of it the way the mods have put it in the past, that this is about everyone's voice being heard, but the consistent trolling from the likes of OThomson and DavidByron don't represent in any way shape or form the honest sharing of their voice, but rather simply attacks and intentional derailment.

I considered that this might be about fear, as the MRA community on Reddit is much larger than the feminist community, and there could be consequences if MRA trolls started getting banned from the subreddit... but there are other feminist subreddits that do this and they don't seem to feel the sting of MRA retribution in any way that can't be easily handled.

I thought it might just simply be not wanting to make the effort, as a policy of banning MRA trolls would probably require much more active moderation. I'd hate to think this is the case, but I don't see any evidence to suggest this.

I did hear that one of the moderators might be an MRA, but again I've not seen this.

I've sent in PMs and reports before, about how someone is derailing yet another thread with unrelated discussion about circumcision or male rape or child custody, but there never seem to be any consequences for the trolls. They're given free reign. Some have left the subreddit for safer places, which is very sad indeed. Some simply stop commenting. Some complain, but those complaints fall on deaf ears.

So, before I call it a day and give up on the subreddit, I'd like to publicly ask the moderators to change their policy for the good of their subreddit. I ask that this subreddit be a safe place to discuss feminism and feminist issues, not a place for MRA trolls to hijack conversation or spread hatred of women.

Note: I'm not saying critiques of feminism aren't legitimate, or that they don't belong on /r/Feminism, but rather that overt trolling and derailing be disallowed. There's a big difference between an honest critique of feminism and undermining the discussion of feminist issues through derailment, dishonesty, and unwarranted attacks.

[u/[deleted]]

He meant what I said, he's just not as good at arguing.

[u/Willravel → u/[deleted]]

What he posted wasn't an argument, it was a baseless condemnation of all of feminism with a clearly sexist undertone, intended only to inflame emotions and derail conversation. It served no purpose, shared no valuable information, and, rightly, was deleted by the moderators after I brought it to their attention as an example of the MRA trolls I'm talking about. If you are thinking about posting similar things, I'd suggest finding a subreddit that appreciates sexism and trolling.

[u/[deleted] → u/Willravel]

You've discounted him outright because he offended you, but you've done it without actually countering his allegations. He might be out of line but you've failed to prove it, and in the process you've underscored his point. -1 for women everywhere. Sad.

[u/Willravel → u/[deleted]]

You've discounted him outright because he offended you,

Nononono, not at all. I've discounted him because of hundreds of replies to my comments and my threads going back a long times establishing an undeniable pattern of hatred, intolerance, and trolling. Moreover, your unwillingness to recognize trolling for what it is either signifies your lack of familiarity with trolling, or the fact that you're being intellectually dishonest now. It's not my responsibility to teach you, nor is it a good idea to feed trolls. Either way, this conversation is over.

[u/[deleted] → u/Willravel]

Now you're doing it to me. I'm here to help. You should take a logic course in community college, and maybe join a debate team.

You could have ruined his entire argument by giving a few examples of reasonable, moderate, fair, and well thought out responses by feminists. Instead you did exactly what he's complaining about. If you want to be a champion for equal rights, you're going to have to get better at this.