The Daily Beast recently published a jaw-dropping investigative report revealing that a Republican state lawmaker is the creator of one of Reddit’s most notorious anti-feminist “men’s rights” subreddits called r/redpill. The creator, Republican New Hampshire state Rep. Robert Fisher, tried very hard to cover his tracks, but fortunately was not smart enough to escape detection, even if it’s years later.
If you’re unfamiliar with the r/redpill subreddit and its values, you’re one of the lucky ones. It quickly earned a reputation for one of the most harrowing places on the web. So-called “men’s rights activists” come together to whine about not getting laid and bash women; they are far too angry and busy exchanging tips on how to abuse women to consider their woman-hating is hindering their love lives. State Rep. Fisher was no stranger to anti-woman tirades; the information included in the report shows this man has no business representing citizens in New Hampshire—or anywhere, really:
...Fisher’s past comments on a host of Reddit forums are arguably far more disturbing than what his colleagues have said in public. He blasted women for their “sub-par intelligence.” He said that women’s personalities are “lackluster and boring, serving little purpose in day to day life.” And Fisher once commented, “It is literally the [female] body that makes enduring these things worth it.”
Unsurprisingly, this news spread like wildfire. And while Fisher ignored Daily Beast’s additional requests for comment, the politician gave a response to local news network WMUR:
...Rep. Robert Fisher, R-Laconia, said that many of the posts attributed to him in a story published on The Daily Beast website are untrue or taken out of context. Those, he said, include a post on a 2008 message board post, in which he allegedly wrote: “I'm going to say it. Rape isn't an absolute bad, because the rapist I think probably likes it a lot. I think he'd say it's quite good, really.”
Fisher, in a statement provided to WMUR, called it a “gross misquote.”
“Of course rape is a horrible crime,” Fisher said. “That was an out-of-context quote from a nearly decade-old debate about the failings of moral relativism. This kind of journalistic malpractice does a disservice not only to me, but to the women and men who are victimized, by perpetuating a false notion that the government doesn't care what happens to them. This discourages them from coming forward, which emboldens perpetrators to harm others.”
Fisher spoke to WMUR on the phone, but he refused to comment on his Reddit history verbally. He would only make official statements by email. He clearly won’t say why—but I have a feeling it’s because he knows that he’s been caught and must tread very carefully just in case he slips up.
Calls for his resignation are strong but, unsurprisingly, the Republican Party is defending his misogynist views.
State Republican Party Chairman Jeanie Forrester called the behavior attributed to Fisher, “disappointing, and it’s certainly not behavior becoming of a legislator, or anyone, for that matter.”
Forrester said it is up to Fisher’s constituents, and not her, to say whether he should continue as a member of the House.
Hey New Hampshire: get your ballots ready.
See Jon Sitzman’s diary posted Tuesday for more discussion.