Return of the Kings, or is it?

With the recent cancellation of their visit, a timeline of the Return of Kings outbreak at MSU

It was a normal Wednesday afternoon. I was sitting in class trying to figure out if I am going to take a nap after or work on some homework when I received a text from my friend at the University of Wisconsin, Madison warning me to be careful because a “pro-rape” group called “The Return of Kings” is about to make a stop near Ann Arbor. Naturally, I was shocked. What is a “pro-rape” group? What is so “masculine” and “heterosexual” about a sexually violent act? Additionally, how much of a man’s man are you if you need to force sex out of a woman? I immediately looked the website up to find out more.IMG_1922

What I found on the website was truly appalling. Not only is the group pro-rape, it is practically anti-women and anyone else that is not a “heterosexual, masculine man.” This statement is furthered later with “woman and homosexuals are strongly discouraged from commenting here.”

However, once I looked into the site some more, I realized “The Return of Kings” mostly targets women who they believe are valued only based on “fertility and beauty.” The website is filled with insulting ideas and articles that are mostly summed up with the “ROK’s Hall of Fame” which consists of 35 misogynistic articles; among the worst are “‘Rape Culture'” Was Manufactured To Wage An Unjust War Against Men,” “Modern Woman In Wanting To Be For Herself, Has Destroyed Herself”, “The Intellectual Inferiority Of Women,” and “Help Raise Awareness About Rape Tourette’s.”

As I looked through the website, my jaw keeps dropping and my eyes are wide with shock. Then I saw the heading “Join Us February 6, 2016.” When I click this, I am taken to a page that has a listing of all the cities and meeting places for the “International Meet Up” for the “Return of Kings.” This meet up included “Lansing’s River Trail at the top of the fish ladder steps” which is about a nine minute drive away from campus, obviously much closer to home than Ann Arbor. 

The creator of the “Return of Kings,” Roosh Valizadeh has been active since 2012 and has written many books that fall under 3 categories: Game Guides- techniques for picking up girls and sealing the deal, travel guides- foreign pickup tips and country guides, and other works- memoir, short stories and satire.

His idea for an international meet up came after meeting two readers of his at separate times in Poznan, Poland in early 2015. They exchanged contact info and began to meet every so often in small groups. These groups were soon named “Tribal Meetings” and Valizadeh “received so much value from the meetings” that he wanted it to spread.

Now in the beginning of 2016, his wish was going to become a reality. On Saturday, February 6, 2016 countless men who “do not agree with the direction that Western culture is headed” and follow ideas and beliefs based on “neomasculinity” would hold a sort of meet and greet. Of course these meetings have not received the warm welcome they wanted.

If you google “Return of Kings,” you will be met with news articles that talk of the opposition the group has met; people all over the world are against the meeting of men who seem to be against anything “heterosexual and masculine” and “pro-rape.”

The students at Michigan State feel no different. The men that are a part of this “male activist” group that supports “male dominance and rape culture” are not welcome near campus, and to prove that, six students have asked all men and women to peacefully protest the meeting.

But at 4:30 yesterday, Valizadeh took to Twitter, and later the website, to announce the cancellation of the meeting stating “I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6…”

This cancellation is a little surprising since the whole point of the meeting was to have masculine men meet up to enjoy each other’s company. The cancellation almost makes us all question how  truly committed these men are to their “neomasculine” ways, especially since they are unwilling to face the opposers they mocked on their website.

However, Valizadeh continued with “while I can’t stop men who want to continue meeting in private groups, there will be no official Return Of Kings meet ups.” This being said, it is still important to remain aware on Saturday night and every other night. Do not take your safety for granted; you can never underestimate the power of extremists. It seems as though we will have to wait with baited breath for the return of these kings. 

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