By David Futrelle

I have to say, I expected a bit more from our nation’s Men’s Rights Activists. Yesterday, arkoudaphobic education secretary Betsy DeVos handed MRAs a huge gift, announcing that she would be putting an end to Obama-era policies on campus rape that MRAs and conservatives have been pitching fits about for the past six years.

But the reaction from MRAs has been surprisingly muted so far. On on the Men’s Rights subreddit — the biggest MRA forum there is — the regulars are much more interested in talking about a woman who accused someone of “mansplaining” on Twitter than they are in talking about DeVos’ decision. The topic devoted to the former non-issue has garnered 9640 upvotes and more than 900 comments; the top post on DeVos’ gutting of the Obama administration’s campus rape policy, by contrast, has earned only 153 upvotes and one-sixteenth the number of comments.

And while most of those commenting are happy with DeVos’ move, they aren’t exactly dancing in the streets.

“Welp at least we achieved something with Donald Trumps victory,” writes someone called keonkla.

This is why I voted for trump mainly, He was are best bet in seeing some Lessening of the Gynocentric War on men and masculinity. Looks like its paying off to.

As 5th_Law_of_Robotics sees it, meanwhile, this is “[p]erhaps the only good thing to come from this adminstration.”

In one of the handful of other threads on the subject, a fellow calling himself ISOanexplanation is a bit more spirited in his response:

White-knight gynocentrism has always facilitated the weaponization of women’s unhappiness but feminism has now anonymized it on campus and expanded the definition of sexual assault to such a ridiculous degree that a man’s unwanted word or glance is tantamount to rape. If feminists wanted rape to be taken more seriously their first mistake was calling everything rape. I just wish DeVos’ deputy hadn’t apologized for her statement about most college “rape” being awkward drunk sex.

The most enthusiastic response I found came in yet another thread on the subject, from a fellow who claims the new policy had convinced him that it was safe for him to stay in the United States. Bowaustin begins his comment by complaining that

in the modern age facts don’t matter if your male your a second class citizen and are assumed guilty until proven innocent if the accuser is female.

But DeVos’ announcement has given him new hope.

I had honestly given up hope that this would do anything but get worse and was planning to just move to a country with fairer laws in this regard as soon as I finish college, but now maybe I won’t, if it keeps getting better and we start seeing actual fair and equal treatment being pushed for I may actually stay. One thing is certain though I will never agree with the feminists and I will never do anything but oppose them at this point they are power drunk border line fascists pushing more and more for special treatment and it is high time that they stop being handled with kiddie gloves. I say this because I am tired of having to live in fear of being persecuted for something I didn’t do because some bitch accused me for personal gain.

Apparently accusing random innocent college dudes of rape is a path to instant riches. Who knew?

Over in the MRA-adjacent Men Going Their Own Way subreddit, meanwhile, the regulars are even less enthusiastic than their MRA brethern.

While one commenter hails DeVos’ move as the “[f]irst tangible rollback of weaponized feminism we’ve seen in nearly 2 decades,” others aren’t so sure. Indeed, one commenter thinks Devos’ move is part of a “gynocentric” plot against men, intended to keep them docile slaves of women. He apparently also thinks DeVos has a stinky vagina.

“That smelly smell,” sneers rtmlex.

Gynocentrism is as strong as ever, this is a siren’s song to get you back to the plantation. “Look, men, we’re doing things for you. Now work.”

So why aren’t MRA’s more enthusiastic in their response? Probably because the overwhelming majority of so-called Men’s Rights Activists aren’t actually activists at all. They’re just guys who like to complain about women endlessly online. So naturally they’re much more interested in kvetching about a random woman on Twitter than they are in talking about government policy — even when they’re handed a policy victory on a silver platter.

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