Take several seats, woman-haters. You've been played.

Last week, I had the unnerving experience of having one of my stories go viral.

It was, unsurprisingly, a piece about the only conversation Australia is having right now - the cultural juggernaut that is Married At First Sight.

Specifically, it was about Ines, arguably the most hated woman on television, and how her abusive behaviour towards Bronson, had she been a man, would not have been tolerated. It struck a nerve, likely because Ines’ treatment of her cowering groom was so far over the line that it left no doubt in viewers’ minds that we were seeing something sickeningly abusive take place.

At first, as I watched the climbing numbers in the back end of the whimn website, it seemed like a great result. Australians were not only recognising and calling out bullying for what it was, but our outrage was emblematic of a society that knew what it would and would not accept.

But then, two things happened. Firstly, Bronson dropped the C-bomb on prime time television in reference to his hellcat bride and was chastised for it by Mel Schilling, one of the show’s alleged love experts. The second thing that happened was that my article was then co opted by angry misogynists on Reddit who insist on viewing Ines’ behaviour as some sort of ‘come to Jesus’ moment.

“See?” came the rallying warble of incels everywhere.

“Women are abusers! Women get away with whatever they want and poor innocent men like Bronson get penalised!”

“Ines IS a c**t,” they wrote, “this is the silent abuse men suffer every day!”

“#mentoo!” They bleated en masse.

Uh - guys? I'm going to need you to take several seats.

Ines is proof of precisely one fact: that MAFS producers have well and truly earned their bonuses this year by finding someone willing to kamikaze any shred of decency they once had for the sake of ratings.

Ines exists on the show to deliberately provoke the ire of the nation. And she’s done a bloody good job of it, because let’s face it - it doesn’t take a flame half as ferocious as Ines to spark the smouldering tinder heap of hatred towards women in this country into an inferno.

Using Ines to make a point about women in Australia is like using WWE wrestlers to make a point about healthy conflict resolution.

The irony in all of this is that the righteous anger that erupted on behalf of someone being bullied on television has now morphed into the exact kind of dangerous bullying we were rallying against.

"She should do Australia a favour and neck herself," snarls a comment online, "what a waste of tits and skin," spits another.

Ines, whose “affair” with Sam last night resembled two cyborgs who’d been programmed by a seven-year-old to simulate human flirtation, is a caricature. She exists purely to stoke the outrage of viewers, and producers have made a wise decision in casting a woman in the role.

Because while I stand by my assertion that Ines’ behaviour would not have been tolerated if she was a man, the reason for that is not a national conspiracy against men.

The underlying reason it could never have been a man in Ines’ role is that male rage is already on display every single day in this country, and the results of that are too close to the bone even for the festering clump of personality disorders that is Married At First Sight to get away with.

Proof of endemic male rage in Australia fills our headlines and our hospitals and our morgues, but hey, sure MRAs, please email me again to tell me how pleased you are that finally someone’s lifting the lid on the ‘real problem’ in this country.

MAFS 2019 Episode 10 Recap: Truth & Treachery Australia's favourite couple are rocked as one newlywed's sexual history is almost too much to take. Plus a certain wife (lol Ines) makes her first move on another hubby. Catch up on a brand new season of Married At First Sight with the recap to end all recaps.

One nice dude getting reamed out on telly by one cleverly cast villain does not a gender conspiracy make. If you want to look at the real evidence of whose abuse is causing the most damage in this country, check out the Counting Dead Women project.

And before you @ me, let me be clear: abuse against anyone is not OK. But neither is co-opting it to validate your own misogyny.

Let us never forget that our anger is being deliberately mined by people very skilled at what they do. The resulting outrage is the fuel propelling the water cooler sensation that is MAFS. But make no mistake - it's entertainment, not a microcosm. We're all just - to coin a phrase from a clever colleague - MAFSturbating into the wind here.

Ines' behaviour is not an indictment on the women of Australia.

But some mens' reaction to her speaks volumes.