Manspreading MRAs, Honey Badger topless waitresses, confessions of getting 'kicked in the nuts', Clementine Ford shouting "Adrian, let him speak!": tonight we debated male privilege in a Hack Live TV special.

It was intense.

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. I feel stressed. Peace and love guys #hacklive pic.twitter.com/hwTrNL2stP — Kahlia (@kahxox) June 20, 2017





With a panel including rival feminists and anti-feminists as well as young Australian men's rights activists (MRAs), we knew it was going to get heated.

Tonight's question: Is Male Privilege Bullsh*t?

Here's what went down.

'This is what interrupting looks like'

First up, MRA Adrian Johnson revealed that he felt "attacked as a man" and claimed men's issues like male suicide and mental health were being ignored.

He said there had been a massive surge of interest around the men's rights movement.

"We are mobilising because we're sick and tired of these issues being ignored."

In what has become a Hack Live tradition, people were noticing at least one dude on the panel was doing some manspreading.

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. Can he stop manspreading and start answering debate questions? #HackLive — Sarah McPhee (@_SarahMcPhee) June 20, 2017

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Whatsapp Adrian (red shirt) was accused of manspreading.

Feminist commentator Clementine Ford hit back, saying she recognised that some men experience disadvantage, but there was still male privilege.

"Acknowledging that privilege exists isn't the same as saying you don't deserve anything you've worked for," she said.

Nevo Zisin made his first appearance. Nevo is a transgender man who has written a book on his experience of transitioning. He said he could bring an interesting perspective because he had presented in society first as a woman and then as a man.

I don't get spoken over as much [as a man], I don't get interrupted."

"I'm really funny now. People laugh at my jokes.

"I get rewarded for being a feminist. People are blown away I care about women whereas when I was a woman I was called bossy and emotional."

The audience was noticing Adrian talking over the top of other panelists.

When he interrupted Nevo, Clementine Ford shouted: "Adrian, let him speak!". When it happened again later, Nevo shouted back at Adrian, "This is what interrupting looks like!"

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. Adrian: King of Interruption. Rude. #HackLive — Maddi (@MaddiLam) June 20, 2017

'I earn double as a topless waitress'

Anti-feminist journalist and commentator Daisy Cousens revealed she had been at the number one event for Australian MRAs, the International Conference on Men's Issues on the Gold Coast, two weekends ago. About 100 MRAs including former MP Mark Latham and Cassie Jaye (director of The Red Pill, she pulled out of appearing on Hack Live hours before showtime) gathered to talk men's issues.

"No-one was extreme, they were perfect gentlemen," Daisy said.

She said she had noticed more people were talking about men's rights issues.

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Whatsapp Daisy Cousens and Clementine Ford.

Sociology professor Michael Flood, who was sitting in the audience, said there was no evidence of growing support for MRAs.

"What there is evidence of is increased visibility," he said.

He said the problems men face weren't being caused by women or feminism, but by ideas of toxic masculinity, and if MRAs were serious they should be focusing on that.

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. To me, most of these MRAs are referencing problems caused by toxic masculinity, not by feminism. #HackLive — Adam Corcoran (@northonm31) June 20, 2017

Next the focus turned to the gender pay gap - the average difference between a man's and a woman's wages or salaries. In Australia, even when we compare only men and women who are working full-time, the gap is between 17-20 per cent.

Loren Murray, a member of Anti-Feminism Australia and aspiring Honey Badger (a small but relatively well-known group of women who are MRAs), revealed she earned more as as a topless waitress than waiters (even if the men went topless).

"I earn double," she said.

"When you're looking at statistics, they're not talking about every single person, There's a fine print we should all be reading."

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. Yes, obviously topless waitressing is different for a male than a female because their nipples aren't sexualised. Lauren, come on. #HackLive — Brianna (@willsybee) June 20, 2017

'Men get kicked in the nuts'

MRA Adrian told a story about growing up with friends who were girls, and then learning they were kicking their boyfriends "in the nuts" for annoying them.

"If you ask a man if he has been sexually assualted he'll say no, but if you joke about it they'll say 'yeah I've been kicked in the nuts'," he said.

He was making the point that men are victims of domestic violence, but are too stoic and proud to talk about this with others.

If this article brings up any issues for you, you can contact 1800 RESPECT

Here's a more in-depth look at domestic violence.

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. Omg is "Adrian" seriously likening a kick in the nuts to DV?? #jumpedtheshark #hacklive — Ms T (@AussieTrudes) June 20, 2017

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. my nuts. have never been kicked #HackLive — Marcus (@registradus) June 20, 2017

Clementine For strongly disagreed: "That's hardly the same as the statistic reflecting on average one women a week is killed by her partner.

"And as Dr Michael Flood can back up being an actual academic in this space and being able to use facts instead of anecdotal evidence about their childhood ... when men are the victims of domestic homicide at the hands of female perpetrator, most often she is defending herself from a violent attack."

'This debate has been so cis-centric'

Clementine Ford said she often received rape threats from anti-feminists.

"I don't think of myself as a crusader, I just see myself as a girl standing in front of a million boys, asking them to be better," she said.

She and Daisy got into a long discussion about whether feminists can tolerate men who disagree with them, until Joe Williams, an Indigenous former NRL player turned boxer and youth mentor, asked: "Can I ask what this has to do with male privilege?"

Nevo also laid down some hard truths: "This show has been so bloody heterosexual, we talking about dudes being the breadwinners and women staying home with kids."

It's been so cis-centric."

"We're talking about how all women have vaginas and men don't.

"We have think about how much privilege comes into it when we constantly make those assumptions."

Finally, it was time to sum up what we had learned. Clementine Ford said it was important for people to be open to acknowledging the privileges they have.

"We need to get over this idea equality is a loss," she said.

Nevo agreed, saying it was about not getting too attached to an ideology. Even Adrian seemed to be getting on the 'no to dogma' train. "It's a very complicated issue,' he said.

That's just a taste of what went down on the show tonight.

Miss the live debate? Catch up on Hack Live: Aussie Patriots on ABC iView.