Daryush Valizadeh planned to hold 165 meetings in 43 countries on Feb. 6 for his online community.
But days before, the meet ups were “canceled” after public outcry against the group swept across the world.
Valizadeh, known as ‘Roosh V,’ is a 36-year-old blogger who maintains a self-proclaimed “neomasculinist” website.
Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park was, apparently, included as one of the meet up locations.
But Valizadeh, while his hateful beliefs are real, fooled everyone. His social gathering amounted to nothing more than a failed faux-revolution.
According to the Washington Post, last summer Valizadeh attempted to schedule a similar meeting, but barely any of his “followers” showed up. In the previous pursuit, Valizadeh scheduled “… A well-publicized, eight-city lecture series last summer — his largest crowd maxed out at 77 in New York City.”
While 77 people is a far cry from millions, it doesn’t deter from the hateful intent of his group’s ideals – ideals that received coverage from a score of news outlets that capitalized on the radical nature of his claims.
Valizadeh first incited fury last year with his article “How to Stop Rape,” where he blamed women for not being more responsible and said the best solution was to legalize the violation of women on private property.
He later recoiled, calling the article “satirical.”
Valizadeh places much of a woman’s worth in her appearance. If he does not find a woman beautiful, he often won’t give her the time of day. He has denied several interviews with female reporters because he “wouldn’t want to sleep with her.”
In his “neomasculinist” tenants he explains that, “A woman’s value significantly depends on her fertility and beauty. A man’s value significantly depends on his resources, intellect and character.”
What took place earlier this month amounts to a social ad campaign that was founded on the overreaction of news agencies and social media platforms.
The public’s hatred of Valizadeh’s opinions caused an explosion on the Internet. Articles that portrayed him in a negative light were shared in viral numbers across social media sites.
Unfortunately, it gave him a spotlight of temporary importance.
