Deconstructing Men’s Rights Activism: An Analysis of D.A.R.V.O. in MRA Discourse on Rape Culture

This work examines the attitudes of men’s rights activists (MRAs) towards Rape Culture (RC), a term describing a social environment in which sexual misconduct is trivialised, normalised, and justified. By performing a discourse and thematic analysis of a corpus of threads from MRA forums, the study aims to determine whether their representation of RC amounts to a form of collective D.A.R.V.O., a tactic used to delegitimise a phenomenon by denying its existence, attacking its advocates, and reversing the roles of victims and perpetrators. The analysis reveals that MRAs’ representation of RC arises from a reductionist definition of the term, which limits its interpretation to actual rapes and denies it as a socio-culturally ingrained phenomenon. This narrow definition hinders progress in addressing all forms of gender-based violence, harming men and women alike. The study concludes that a broader understanding of RC is necessary to combat its effects and improve gender relations.