Australian officials barred Julien Blanc’s visa to the country earlier this month when videos and tweets from the misogynistic “dating coach” who works for company Real Social Dynamics went viral on the internet; in those videos and tweets, Blanc discusses his violent sexual harassment of Japanese women — including choking — while espousing other highly misogynistic views that represent an extreme version of the seduction community’s “dating game”. Protests were launched by DC-based activist Jennifer Li, who started the twitter hashtag #TakeDownJulienBlanc.
After Australia responded to widespread digital and offline outrage by condemning Blanc’s misogyny and objectification of women, activists then turned their attention to Canada. Thousands of tweets were tagged with the #KeepJulienBlancOutofCanada. Two women — journalist Kate Wheeler and actress Maria del Mar — independently created two petitions on Change.org asking Canadian immigration officials to deny Blanc an entry visa; as of the time of this writing, over 5,000 people had signed each petition.
Now, it seems like those efforts may have paid off: although Real Social Dynamics had until recently included a number of Canadian cities — including Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto — on their worldwide free workshop tour which may have included appearances by Blanc, those Canadian cities have now disappeared from the listing of cities that RSD’s free workshops are being offered in.
In response to the Change.org petitions, Canada’s immigration minister Chris Alexander tweeted acknowledgement of the protests. He further denounced Blanc’s views and vowed to look into barring Blanc’s entry.
https://twitter.com/MinChrisA/status/531916975992479744
https://twitter.com/MinChrisA/status/531917195878883328
https://twitter.com/MinChrisA/status/531917458245189632
These efforts come in the context of a national Canadian conversation on rape culture surrounding popular radio personality Jian Ghomeshi, who has been accused by multiple women of rape and sexual assault.
Real Social Dynamics still lists several cities in the United Kingdom, including London, on its website, and efforts are also underway to exclude Blanc from entering the UK. 28,000 petition signers have added their names to a petition demanding that Blanc be barred from the United Kingdom; no official response has yet been issued by the UK to these efforts.
While it looks as if Julien Blanc may not be appearing in Canada in the coming weeks, I repeat my assertion that these efforts should not limit themselves to Blanc, but also should challenge the entire objectifying pick-up artist sub-culture where women are routinely treated as “targets” and expected to authenticate through our attention the male ego and masculinity of pick-up artists. Blanc is an easy scapegoat due to his extremist, violent views but a careful consideration of the seduction community’s core values regarding women reveals that the entire dating “game” facilitates an entitlement complex over female sexuality. The Washington Post notes that dating coach businesses like Real Social Dynamics profit by catering to a subculture populated by many men’s rights activists, a growing countermovement of men who center their advocacy around combating feminism:
Blanc works for Real Social Dynamics, a business that profits from a growing online subculture of men’s rights activists and pick-up artists (PUAs). They pay thousands to attend “boot camps” at which Blanc and others teach guys how to “game” their “targets” (PUA lingo for women) using tactics criticized as misogynistic and even violent.
What most strikes me about the #TakeDownJulienBlanc efforts is how other countries — Australia and now Canada, and possibly the UK — are lightyears ahead of America in their condemnation not just of Julien Blanc but also of the objectifying misogyny of the sub-culture he represents. Again I wonder — where is the American response?
Real Social Dynamics’ free workshop tour still lists a number of American cities, including a workshop in two days in Los Angeles on November 13. Will we finally take this protest of Julien Blanc and the misogyny he represents home?
Act Now! There’s still time to sign both Change.org petitions asking Blanc be barred from entering Canada for work, as well as the UK petition.
- PETITION: Keep Julien Blanc Out of Canada
- PETITION: Keep Julien Blanc and Real Social Dynamics Out of Canada
- PETITION: Deny Julien Blanc a UK Visa
