Just when Reddit does something cool, a new terrible subreddit emerges. The Feminist Victims Fund is a new subreddit that was created as a reaction to the Adria Richards scandal from last week.
Screenshot of r/FVF.
Created by members of the subreddit Men's Rights, The Feminist Victims Fund is trying to raise money to help those they deem "victims of feminism." The first supposed victim they hope to give to is a former PlayHaven employee, fired after making a "dongle" joke at a tech conference that Richards later blogged and tweeted about. Richards, in turn, was fired from her job at SendGrid for inappropriate behavior.
In a post called "Donate Today!" Redditor redpillschool explained the thinking behind the group:
Unfortunately in today's climate, being a man has become a financial liability. Say the wrong thing in the wrong place and you can find your entire life ruined. Destroyed.
Feminists have fought for equality, but now they're out for our rights.
They're destroying us financially. They're trying to tear apart our families.
We're saying that enough is enough. No longer should men fear masculinity.
The group is attempting to raise $1,000 for the man who was fired, collecting money via Bitcoin, an online currency that allows one to transfer money anonymously. There is some concern within the group about how those who donate will know that their money will get to the fired PlayHaven employee, whose identity isn't public. User Jesusz asked: "How do we know he will actually get the funds which are donated?" It should also be noted that this page is by no means popular. The subreddit has 38 subscribers, while Reddit has over 40 million active users each month.
Reddit can be a really terrible place for women. With horrifying subreddits like "beating women," "killing women," "raping women," and "hot rape stories," it shouldn't be surprising when a new sexist subreddit emerges. The Feminist Victims Fund, while certainly not nearly as terrifying or upsetting as the aforementioned subreddits, is still evidence of an upsetting trend in the Reddit community. Though there are certainly many female voices on link-sharing site, the general Reddit environment isn't necessarily a comfortable place for women.
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