#EndFathersDay Was A Big Huge Hoax

If you logged on to Twitter last weekend, you probably noticed that #EndFathersDay was trending. It appeared to bring out the absolute worst in “feminist activists," and people in general but, according to Buzzfeed, it was definitely a 4chan-fueled scam. Yep, these so-called "feminist" tweets written by so-called "feminism activists" protesting Father's Day were actually started by a post on 4chan, a forum site/mecca for trolls. The post was created by anti-feminists in hopes of enraging actual activists to speak out, potentially in agreement and thus embarrassing themselves. Luckily, many people either saw through it or spoke against it.

Telegraph UK posted the original 4chan message in a recent article about the hoax. Prepare to be, well, enraged:

Almost all cases of domestic violence, domestic rape, child abuse, adultery, and discontent in the home are caused by men, i.e. fathers. A holiday that celebrates this is another symptom of the disease known as the patriarchy, and has no place in a progressive society.

This is a holiday celebrating misogyny, demanding appreciation and gifts for doing what a father should be doing anyway, especially when almost all cases of domestic abuse stem from the father. Fathers all over the country are refusing to pay alimony or child support, which should not be celebrated and rewarded, but should be shamed. "Father's Day" should not be about celebrating the role of a father in the family, but about correcting it. It shouldn't be celebrated in its present form.

We are calling on all feminists and social justice warriors to join us in a campaign to redefine this disgustingly misogynist holiday. #EndFathersDay in its present form, if not entirely. We will be descending upon Twitter and Tumblr to get the message out that this patriarchal 'holiday' has no place in our society.

I know.

Well, at least it's over. Thanks a lot for all the Father’s Day frustration, 4chan.

Oh wait. There’s more.

Buzzfeed notes that this is actually part of a much larger operation (I know, the Internet will steal your soul if you let it). Oh, and it’s actually called an operation, “Operation: Lollipop” to be exact. According to Buzzfeed, it was an initiative started by people working within the Men’s Rights and Pick-Up Artist communities. Basically, they would pose as feminism activists via fake accounts on Twitter and use them them fuel the #endfathersday fire.

Fortunately (I know, thank god there’s a “fortunately”) something is being done. A Twitter user who goes by @sassycrass is attempting to reveal the fake accounts with a campaign called “Your Slip Is Showing.” By requesting that other users and activists tweet the handles of likely fake accounts with the hashtag #yourslipisshowing, we will be able to appropriately block them to avoid future scams. Now, over 200 accounts have been outed and posted on the campaign's Storify account. Hooray, social justice!

I wish I could say, “at the end of the day, it’s just Twitter, so who cares?” but seeing as the social media platform is one one of the most effective ways to have your voice heard, this situation is especially unnerving. Anyway, enough of that, let’s take a look at these new emojis, shall we?

Images: Giphy