a voice for men ( also known as avfm , avfm or av4m ) is a united states-based for-profit limited liability company and online publication founded in 2009 by paul elam .

a proponent of the men 's rights movement , or " men 's human rights activism " , it is the largest and most influential men 's rights website .

its editorial position is strongly antifeminist and frequently accuses feminists of being misandrist in their mindset .

a voice for men

here ' s a challenge for the drum . if a spokesperson for a voice for men were to write a direct response to this article , would you publish it ?
news _ image _ file : controversial . . . a voice for men , the advocacy website started for men , has grown steadily since publisher and ceo , paul elam , first funded it in 2008 . picture : a voice for men screengrab .
one place where it does not appear to go is to the more than 30 staffers who , according to elam , work for a voice for men .
a single human voice holds the power to change the world . imagine what could be done with a chorus ? speak louder . let your voice be heard .
donations to urltoken , elam says , go to
a fund owned and managed by a voice for men ,
but that funds earmarked for urltoken will go back into that website . urltoken is currently staffed by
literally all the other regular members of [ a voice for men ' s ] management team .
the first meeting of a voice for men ' s international conference on men ' s issues at a vfw hall in saint clair shores , michigan , on june 27 , 2014 .
a voice for men launched a site purporting to track female murderers and rapists , as well as women who scheme against men . the site’s motto : “fuck their shit up . ”
special , i’d agreed to a sit - down with paul elam . elam is founder and publisher of a voice for men ( avfm ) , one of the main hubs for the burgeoning “men’s rights’ movement . ” in a
no it is not . this has a become a common perception that anything which talks pro men is considered mysogynist and anything which is pro women is considered gender equality . a voice for men is constantly working for men and is associated with men ' s welfare . men welfare does not mean being mysogynist , people need to change their attitudes .
a voice for men posted footage of the protests , edited to play up images of angry feminists taunting police as they cleared the scene . the video went viral and helped make elam’s site a leading outlet for the movement . a voice for men later started posting video from other feminist demonstrations and publishing the names and photos of some of the protesters on register - her . com .
news _ image _ file : men’s advocate . . . paul elam , funder of men’s advocacy website “a voice for men” , has been described as a drug abuser and accused of abandoning his children in an explosive new article . picture : twitter .
according to elam , urltoken is a separate entity from a voice for men — sort of . a voice for men , he says , is a place for commentary and his own free expression ( he says it also pays his living expenses ) . urltoken is his attempt to publish
what we believe is the truth
about violence ,
rather than a sexually politicized bunch of lies .
when asked how he squares this new endeavor with his posts about violence against women on a voice for men , elam told cosmopolitan . com ,
i square it with two different operations .
notice : the views expressed by the members of this forum do not necessarily reflect the views of a voice for men ( avfm ) , its owner , or its management .
p aul elam , the founder and primary animating force behind the website a voice for men , is probably , for better or worse , the most influential figure in the men’s rights movement ( or , as he prefers to call it , the men’s human rights movement ) .
so here are some of elam’s thoughts on a variety of issues , taken from postings on his own website . i have linked each quote back to its source on a voice for men .
for someone who gets paid primarily to say sports words on the radio , listeners hating the sound of her voice is somewhat troubling .
adam mcphee , a board member for the canadian association for equality , says men are facing a crisis and need a centre devoted to helping them .
[ … ] voice for men’s maximum leader has long insisted that his notorious “bash a violent bitch month” post was nothing more than misunderstood “satire . ” that is , when he argued that men who are [ … ]
his ex - wife and his daughter said he has only been able to make a voice for men his full - time job because of the women who have supported him throughout his life .
julie dicaro is a weekend host for 670 the score in chicago and a columnist for cbschicago . com .
soon after , a voice for men launched a site called urltoken ; modeled after sex offender registries , it purported to track female murderers and rapists , as well as women who scheme against men . the site’s motto : “fuck their shit up . ”
here’s a post about a voice for men’s glorification of thomas ball , a disturbed man and self - admitted child abuser who set himself on fire on the steps of a courthouse in hopes that his death would inspire men’s rights activists to launch a campaign of firebombing attacks against courthouses and police stations .
i for one would * relish * such an opportunity to rationally dissect what a voice for men say . if you can organise them to write a reasonable and articulate submission that meets editorial standards , please encourage them to submit one . challenge or not .
here , courtesy of the wayback machine , is the post as it originally appeared on a voice for men in 2010 , where it was illustrated with a picture of a woman with a black eye , captioned “maybe she did have it coming . ”
men shouldn ' t be held responsible for raping women , as a corollary to the previous .
i know why feminists are trying to shut down the conference . it ' s because feminism is at its heart a hate movement against men , and it cannot tolerate the idea of men having a voice of their own .
spending on medical research for women specific disease last year was $ 800 million while for men it was $ 200 million .
while there are many mrm sites , a particularly influential one is paul elam ' s a voice for men ( avfm ) . elam ' s site is credited with taking already controversial mrm issues and making them even more contentious .
“i am supposed to bemoan a biased system and the lost rights of fathers in this country , ” he writes on his website , a voice for men , which he founded in 2008 and which today attracts thousands of followers .
the response to female broadcasters’ voices is not new . sports are commonly perceived to be an arena for men — by men , of men — and anything that disrupts that makes some men uneasy .
an open discussion about men ' s shed - - a healthy way for men to relax , take part in activities , share skills , have a chat and a cuppa , and pursue hobbies - - takes place at the your voice office , clyde square , greenock on monday 7 august . for more information call 01475 728628 .
i think it ' s quite obvious that bias is involved , when only one side of an argument is presented . i challenge the drum to publish a response to this article from a voice for men . i can organise one .
despite elam’s claims of non - violence , a voice for men published ball’s long terrorist manifesto — including his calls for firebombing — on its website , in its “activism” section . it was only after the boston marathon bombings that avfm finally took the manifesto down .
a voice for men is a for - profit limited liability corporation , and so its finances are nearly opaque from the outside . asked repeatedly by buzzfeed news how the donations were spent — including those raised for
security
related to the conference — elam said ,
it ' s none of your fucking business .
i have just joined the proud cadre of men who have been banned from commenting on a voice for men by one of paul elam’s gatekeepers for challenging his article “f * ck you , judith grossman” , which condemned this courageous self - declared feminist who spoke out in the ws journal about the title ix witch hunts which labeled her college son a rapist for a consensual relationship gone bad .
mcphee is one of a small but swelling group who believe men have become the new underclass . he hopes to open a mancave that will serve as a refuge for his downtrodden brethren . the canadian association for equality , a men’s rights group of which he is a board member , has launched a campaign to establish the first “centre for men and families” in toronto .
the
men ' s rights
group a voice for men is trying to co - opt an international anti - violence campaign in the weirdest , scummiest way possible . the white ribbon campaign is a movement that started in canada in 1991 . it focuses on getting men and boys to step up in the movement against violence against women , and it has a number of global chapters . but this week , a voice for men started its own white ribbon campaign and is now claiming to be the original white ribbon campaign while warping the actual campaign ' s message and intent .
“it has nothing to do with you being a woman , ” they tell me , “i just can’t stand the sound of your voice . ”
paul elam is a “pacifist” whose mission in life is fight for men’s rights , not to insult women .
a voice for men has succeeded in bringing some women into the fold , among them karen straughan , a brash fortysomething waitress turned youtube sensation . her most popular video , “ feminism and the disposable male , ” which rehashes the central theme of the myth of male power , has racked up more than a million views . a voice for men also works with janet bloomfield , a driving force behind the viral social - media campaign women against feminism , which features photos of women holding signs with anti - feminist slogans .
this is a dramatic turnaround for a man who was once a leading voice for feminism . in the 1970s , farrell served on the board of the national organization for women in new york city . but he broke with the feminist movement when it strayed , in his view , from the idea that men and women should be equally involved in the workplace and the home .
elam calls avfm
the largest men ' s human rights group of its kind anywhere , ” though it does few of the things human rights groups typically do . it provides no services , offers no legal aid , and litigates no cases . it does not regularly lobby lawmakers , advise candidates , produce public policy proposals or original research . elam told buzzfeed news that a voice for men focuses on
bringing attention to injustices
by
pushing for a change in the dialogue
and publicizing the plight of men mistreated by society . on occasion , a voice for men has drawn attention to custody battles on behalf of men they feel are being railroaded by the legal system .
for his part , farrell actually tries to avoid the phrase
men ' s rights .
“i saw that [ a voice for men ] was not just a website , ” farrell said . “this was a person who had reached out to thousands of people , all around the country and the world , that was piecing together pieces that no one else in the history of men’s issues had ever been able to piece together . ”
jessica mendoza , a former softball player at stanford , is a baseball analyst for espn .
the whining was neither surprising nor accurate , kremer said : “one of the many positives about beth doing the game , in addition to her being a top - notch , seasoned broadcaster , is that she has a great voice that cuts through all the ambient noise in the stadium . whether you’re in the booth or on the field , you need a resonant voice that can be audible . the voice is like an instrument , and beth is blessed with some great pipes . ”
online sites offer places for men feeling like this to commiserate — and lash out . ( thinkstock )
a voice for men is essentially a mouthpiece for its editor , paul elam , who proposes to “expose misandry [ hatred of men ] on all levels in our culture . ” elam tosses down the gauntlet in his mission statement : “avfm regards feminists , manginas [ a derisive term for weak men ] , white knights [ a similar derisive term , for males who identify as feminists ] and other agents of misandry as a social malignancy . we do not consider them well intentioned or honest agents for their purported goals and extend to them no more courtesy or consideration than we would clansmen [ sic ] , skinheads , neo nazis or other purveyors of hate . ”
i apologise for miscalling your name , clementine and i thank aaron for calling my attention to that mistake .
our debut show at a voice for men radio . this program will give an overview of the men ' s movement , take as many right hooks at feminists and manginas as we can in an hour , let you hear exactly why the men ' s movement is growing , and why it isn ' t going to stop . paul elam , founder of urltoken and former editor - in - chief of men ' s news daily is your host . one listen to this show and you will find out why the new york times , cbs news and ms . magazine all have their panties in a twist over the work of mr . elam . strap in and buckle up for this one . this is a voice for men you have never heard before .
men ' s health is a topic for discussion at the conference . there is a men ' s health week the mainstream media hardly covers it despite the best efforts of a lot of men . cover of women ' s health issues is guaranteed all the time .
elam , apparently trying to project a more respectable image , has replaced the original a voice for men post containing these passages with a disingenuous disclaimer . but the internet never forgets . an archived copy of the original post can be found through the wayback machine here . the quote is not any better in context .
elam — whose arguments against the feminist movement and the disruption of the natural gender order have been ongoing since he funded a voice for men : humanist counter - theory , in 2008 — summarised his true feelings in a “ message to women ” , delivered one year after his mission began .
it is offensive , because people in general look on men in pain pleading for help with contempt , whereas people take angry men seriously . for decades , men’s advocates had sought to work alongside or with feminists and got nowhere , but now when men are clearly angry about it people start to pay attention .
the men ' s rights movement has some dedicated critics , such as david futrelle , who has chronicled the movement ' s rise on his blog , we hunted the mammoth , for years . but a voice for men is often portrayed in the media as a relatively sober voice of reason in the abrasive world of men ' s rights . “if men ' s rights activism has a gloria steinem , it is paul elam , ” emmett rensin wrote this week for vox . “the website is one of the oldest and , if there is such a thing , most respected hubs for mra activity . elam and his staff do , at the very least , engage in genuine advocacy on behalf of men . ” rensin didn’t cite any examples of said advocacy . this is not surprising , given that the site ' s advocacy efforts are difficult to discern .
everybody who came in is a volunteer ,
said john hembling , the site ' s former editor who has since left a voice for men and has dedicated himself more to writing and his own activist group — named community organized compassion and kindness — which he said will soon offer a domestic violence hotline for men .
for a short period of time i was getting paid a fairly token amount as an avfm employee , but as far as i know nobody else is getting paid simply because we’re really too small for that to be viable at this point .
a voice for men a voice for men is essentially a mouthpiece for its editor , paul elam , who proposes to “expose misandry [ hatred of men ] on all levels in our culture . ” elam tosses down the gauntlet in his mission statement : “avfm regards feminists , manginas [ a derisive term for weak men ] , white knights [ a similar derisive term , for males who identify as feminists ] and other agents of misandry as a social malignancy . we do not consider them well intentioned or honest agents for their purported goals and extend to them no more courtesy or consideration than we would clansmen [ sic ] , skinheads , neo nazis or other purveyors of hate . ” register - her . com , an affiliated website that vilifies women by name who have made supposedly false rape allegations ( among other crimes against masculinity ) , is one of elam’s signature “anti - hate” efforts . “why are these women not in prison ? ” the site asks .
i ' m all for men and all for equality . but let ' s stop joking around about the real problem here and do something to achieve it .
with all due respect what you are describing is the hijacking of the word feminism by either gender to mischievously disparage its merits and progress . in my eyes a ' true ' feminist promotes equality and is as interested about the wellbeing of men as they are women . a voice for men , clearly hate women and some women clearly hate men , but these women are not and never will be feminists
these quotes , and these articles , are really only the tip of the iceberg . i invite anyone interested in finding out more about what paul elam believes to look through my archives at some of my other posts about him , and about a voice for men more generally .
lol . because it ' s always been so hard for men to have a voice . feminism is not about some kind of female supremacy . it ' s about equality of rights and opportunity for everyone regardless of their sex or gender identity . as clementine has pointed out , the reason this feels to some men like a loss of power is because the power was unequally distributed in the first place .
the crowd wasn ' t huge , but it was enthusiastic . the event was a real - world gathering organized by the website a voice for men , part of an informal collection of websites , chat rooms and blogs focused on what ' s known as the men ' s rights movement . speaker after speaker insisted that history would remember this moment .
men’s ministry is a place where we can create the framework of vital relationships among men , with a distinctly masculine context . this ministry will help you create a deeper intimacy with god and become accountable for other brothers in christ . develop a pure heart , become a servant leader , honor our women , mentor for our next generation and most importantly be effective witnesses for christ .
how ironic . my dear , men already take responsibility for their actions . maybe someday women will too .
women in sports broadcasting are used to men criticizing their voices . in my three years in sports radio , i’ve had more men complain about my voice than everything else about me combined — and trust me , there are a lot of other things they don’t like about me .
click around that site and you will find rants about domestic violence shelters and lots of other misogynistic vitriol , all being marketed under the banner of the white ribbon campaign . a voice for men ' s paul elam called the site something he ' s
very proud of .
even adult volunteers earn “knots” for accomplishments like being a den leader for the cub scouts or offering a training course . tabata recently earned the william d . boyce award , for example , by initiating a new venture group on kaua‘i .
elam told reporters at a q & a session set up for the press that this was not “a gender war . ”
these controversial lectures were organised by a student group called the canadian association for equality or cafe for short . cafe has come under fire from student groups and media who not only disagree with their actions and ideology , but have associated them with the extreme , vitriolic american men’s rights website a voice for men . where avfm is upfront and open about its hatred for feminism and - ists , calling them “ rape farmers ” , cafe takes aim at feminism with misleading information and careful rhetoric , barely ever using the word “feminist” itself .
@ dubious the third - in other words , exactly the same sort of feminist articles that the drum publishes , week in , week out . not a fresh voice or a new idea amongst them .
i find you , as a feminist , to be a loathsome , vile piece of human garbage . i find you so pernicious and repugnant that the idea of fucking your shit up gives me an erection ,
elam wrote on his site , about feminist educator and author jaclyn friedman . in her incisive investigation into the men ' s rights movement , friedman reported that one woman who was targeted by elam , a voice for men , and their audience of men ' s rights activists for having the audacity to get into an argument with a men ' s rights activist had her personal contact information published online , while commenters said they hoped she would
enjoy being anally defiled
and
i would actually cum cutting that bitch ' s throat .
the southern poverty law center has flagged men ' s rights groups , and elam ' s a voice for men in particular , as spreading hate and misogyny .
tell me why you’re here ,
elam says , his voice soft . he fixes her with a gaze that says ,
i really want to listen to you .
once we can establish that , by the way , men are human beings — so are boys — it is ok for us to stand and talk about their issues ,
says paul elam , who founded the website a voice for men in 2009 .
[ we can ] seek solutions even if , god forbid , they ' re not solutions that are prescribed through the feminist lens .
unfortunately , as it ' s being hosted by a voice for men - a motley crew who espouse hatred and fear of women - it promises to be about as useful to the advancement of men ' s issues as a condom made out of sticky tape . ( condoms are very important to the men ' s rights movement , because mras are convinced paternity fraud is a thing . they even have a
nationally recognised expert
speaking on the matter . you guys , it ' s not a thing . )
for men ' s rights groups , feminism has come at the expense of men men ' s rights movement leaders say they ' re pushing back against the excesses of feminism and highlighting the problems of men and boys . critics argue that misogyny is lurking just below the surface .
the list of grievances for mras is long . it includes the elevated rate of suicide for men , educational discrimination against boys , economic and workplace conditions for men , violence against men , false rape reporting , fathers’ rights in custody battles , rates of male imprisonment and prison conditions , and the horrors of war . many of these issues deserve a thoughtful response and the force of an organized movement for address them . it’s too bad that’s not what men’s rights activists are offering .
it is time that the drum did have articles about men ' s issues for sure . it could be about men ' s inability to locate their feelings , and to then find soft targets to blame for their accumulated anger . surely that ' s a men ' s issue worthy of discussion . or it could be about why many men seem incapable of being respectful of other humans , and get scared / aggrieved about some perceived loss , if they cannot control others . there ' s so much to contemplate and discuss , however , the
voice for men
folk appear to want to ' skirt ' around such matters which affect men ' s emotional wellbeing and mental health . just for the record , i too am male , and a bit over all this ' poor boy , men ' s rights ' nonsense .
at the podium , farrell was introducing paul elam , the founder of a voice for men . farrell explained how he’d initially heard that the site was a hub for “angry” activists , but later discovered it was a thoughtful group of people wrestling with the same issues he cared about . he added that one of the main differences between him and his protégé was that elam was “secure enough internally to allow the space for the anger . ” he then embraced elam , who went on to give a speech about the plight of blue - collar men .
“feminists talk about raising women’s equality to that of men , ” he says . “meanwhile , they’re not raising anything for the men who were already below the women . ”
much of the social - media discussion of mowins’s voice was preceded by the always dubious claim that the criticism had nothing to do with the fact that mowins was a woman . setting aside that starting a tweet with “i’m not sexist , but” usually ensures that what follows will be sexist , it’s hard to imagine how to separate mowins the woman from mowins the voice . beth mowins sounds like a woman .
as a three - decade leader and activist in the men’s movement , i have zero tolerance for men like paul elam , who do so much damage to efforts toward gender equity and mutual respect .
at first , bonnie was happy her dad had a hobby ; she was interested and supported his passion and was proud when he began to gain a real following . as the mother of two sons , she was concerned about resources for young men , and thought his perspective — he said he was a drug abuse counselor and noticed men were getting abused so he made it his mission to find them resources — was admirable . she said she remembers elam made thousands of dollars through online fundraising in just days to launch a voice for men that year .
this summer , a few hundred men and a handful of women gathered in a vfw hall near detroit to attend what organizers billed as the first international conference on men ' s issues .
that incest can be a good thing—has recently signed on as a regular avfm contributor . for over a year , avfm hosted in their “activism” section a call to
some men insist they turn to sports to get a break from women . this is something i hear more than you would probably believe . i’ve been told my voice is too high , too low , too young - sounding , too chicago - sounding , too harsh , too soft , and “just generally obnoxious . ” the only time i’ve ever been complimented on my voice was when i had bronchitis and a bunch of men called in to tell me my voice was sexy . but bronchitis is hard to maintain on any kind of regular basis just to please the lonely faction of my male listeners . and anyway , antibiotics forced me to go back to sounding like myself .
with irate phone calls and even death threats pouring into the hotel in the run - up to the conference , its organizer , a voice for men , was forced to move the event to a local veterans of foreign wars hall . the group warned ticket holders by email that “ideological opponents” were likely to show up , and that they would be “looking for anything they can to hurt us with . ”
what is clear is that elam has amassed tens of thousands of followers — and lined his pockets with their donations to the for - profit avfm , which are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars . ( when asked how this money is spent , elam told buzzfeed news that a voice for men ' s finances were
none of your fucking business .
)
lurking around the edges of the male studies movement , moreover , in web sites like paul elam’s a voice for men , is a certain amount of anti - feminist hostility , if not outright misogyny . there used to be a link on the web site for the foundation for male studies to an interminable screed by someone called the futurist , who was convinced the overvaluing of women and undervaluing of men was about to create a civilizational cataclysm . the piece began more or less rationally , but soon flared with gas jets of anger and worries about “rage - filled ‘feminists’ who would gladly send innocent men to concentration camps if they could . ”
“i think it’s weird that he advocates for fathers and he had an opportunity to step up , but the one time something got uncomfortable he bailed . he didn’t fight for me . he should fight for me . i think i’m worth fighting for . ”
cafe goes to great lengths to keep their rhetoric innocuous ( we ' re not anti - women , is the general message , just pro - men ) . and it ' s a tactic that has worked ; they were granted official charity status by the harper government last year . but look at the company they keep and you will see a darker picture emerge . they are actively supported by the u . s . organization a voice for men , the very openly misogynist men ' s rights organization that coined the term
rape farmers
for feminists .
we aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate . that means :
for critics , he says , he has
a whole garage full of don ' t give a fuck .
a mass murder in california throws a harsh light on the world of women - hating ‘men’s rights’ activists . it’s not a pretty sight .
last november , cafe came under fire when several women who protested at one of their university of toronto events , featuring guest lecturer dr . warren farrell , were later profiled on the website register - her . com . the site is run by u . s . - based men’s rights website a voice for men and is dedicated to exposing females they allege are “false rape accusers” and bigots .
these ideas have given rise to aggressive tactics and rhetoric . the national coalition for men —whose board of advisers includes farrell—has fought to cut off state funding for domestic - violence programs if men aren’t included . a voice for men’s founder , paul elam , who is a friend and protégé of farrell’s , has justified violence against women and written that some of them “walk through life with the equivalent of a i’m a stupid , conniving bitch—please rape me neon sign glowing above their empty little narcissistic heads . ” other activists have published names of women they consider enemies and have praised online stalkers , such as the “gamergate” mobs who bombard feminist critics with rape and death threats .
last june ' s international conference on men ' s rights was not just an important moment for the movement , but also a bid for mainstream attention and acceptance . originally slated for the doubletree hilton in detroit , the conference had been moved after local feminist activists protested the venue and there was a demand for further security costs from the hotel after it was deluged with threats .
a ridiculous comment . feminism is not a hate movement against men , it is one that attempts to empower women . in doing so it needs to disempower men to a certain extent , but not to the extent that the power is all the other way . just because there are some female feminists who hate men it doesn ' t mean that the focus of the movement is hatred . this is the same as the fact that even though there are some men who hate women ( and there are ) not all men do . men ' s voice has not been silenced , but it has been muted ever so slightly .
a female missouri state assistant sociology professor wants men to measure their manhood and send her photos . she wants the photos for veriification purposes . . . .
the abs reports that 93 % of dv against men is by women . they also report a dramatic increase in men reporting dv . it was always there but now men are not content to stay quiet anymore .
the men who frequent a voice for men and similar mra communities are not interested in equality between humans as they claim . their agenda is not to restore ' human rights ' for all but to re - establish the dominance that has historically been enjoyed by men both legally and socially . spend a fraction of time on their forums and you ' ll see the ferocity with which they despise and ridicule women . mras might complain about women wielding their brazen power over them , but the speed with which they want to avoid being compared with them is telling .
the voice of scouting exists to tell the world the good news of scouting . stories are found from across the nation and the world on how scouting influences the lives of young people .
if you go to the website urltoken , you ' ll see a page that purports to be an anti - violence organization .
end violence against everyone ,
the banner reads ; a woman ' s bruised face stares back at you . the name , white ribbon , is a widely recognized one , known for being a campaign started by men to fight violence against women , and to encourage men and boys to raise their voices against gender - based violence . the urltoken website writes on its front page ,
urltoken is owned and operated by a voice for men ,
and warns against imitator sites perverting the anti - violence message .
it is not ' female privilege ' for a woman to have the final say over whether or not she grows a fetus inside her for nine months before birthing it and then raising it .
in daffodils for dumpsters the gash gets you in , and you don’t really have a choice .
never miss a story from speak louder . , when you sign up for medium . learn more
it’s a serious question , because the answer to that question … should inform you of what will work for you or not work for you in dealing with me .
whtm is now ad - free and depends on readers like you for survival ! please donate what you can by clicking below . no need for a paypal account .
the article , entitled “leader’s suicide brings attention to men’s rights movement , ” provoked a tremendous response among men’s rights activists ( mras ) and their sympathizers .
missing from that coverage were the group’s fierce tactics , which have continued unabated . in october , with vicious misogyny raging online around the gamergate controversy , feminist pop - culture critic anita sarkeesian canceled a talk at utah state university after administrators received an email threatening “the deadliest school shooting in american history . ” a voice for men responded with an essay asserting that the email’s author was in fact a feminist posing as a men’s rights activist , and insinuating that sarkeesian stood to profit from the episode .
he believes , “from the bottom of my heart” , that he is supposed to “demand changes to the system and justice for men” .
conservatives rushed in to defend the men’s movement : helen smith , who blogs for the website pj media , argued that “feminists and their supporters who block funding and education going to boys’ and men’s issues” may have been to blame for rodger’s attack . after the protesters showed up at the hilton doubletree in detroit , fox news suggested their goal was “muzzling” men . “feminists are up in arms , calling a men’s conference a hate group even though it included all races and sexes , ” said morning show host steve doocy , pointing to the diverse community elam had built . “so who are the ones being intolerant ? ” an opinion piece on cnn . com by marc randazza , a first amendment lawyer who has spoken up for rush limbaugh , violent video games , and the pornography industry , suggested that a voice for men had endured protests and threats simply because it had the “audacity to question certain issues from a man’s perspective . ”
contreras - godfrey , rossanna . “giving voice to black and latino men : first - year students ' perceptions of the relative impact of family support and college aspirations on their decisions to enroll and actual college enrollment” , phd , boston college , 2009 . urltoken
like feminism , many in the mrm argued for equality between the sexes . one of the movement ' s earliest activists , warren farrell , told salon ,
i definitely agree with choices for women , but i do not agree with choices for women when they eliminate choices for men . i think that the sexes need to make choices that lead to the maximum amount of win - win for both sexes .
and farrell himself has some decent feminist credentials : he served on the board of the national organization for women ( now ) for three terms .
all men are bad clem . i won ' t argue . i have suffered because of the actions of other men more than you ever will . so yes clem . all men are bad .
“i think it ' s weird that he advocates for fathers and he had an opportunity to step up , but the one time something got uncomfortable he bailed . he didn ' t fight for me . he should fight for me . i think i ' m worth fighting for . ”
farrell , a self - proclaimed technophobe , rarely ventured online , but he continued to write books and seek publicity for his cause . in 2003 , he ran for governor of california against arnold schwarzenegger on a fathers’ rights platform , garnering around 600 votes . later , farrell approached the obama administration with a proposal for a white house council for men and boys and signed on luminaries like former michigan gov . jennifer granholm , but the plan did not come to fruition .
don’t believe it ? here is another example of privileged male vocal fry : noam chomsky . he’s been speaking in public with vocal fry for over 50 years , and i bet his superiors have never received a tide of letters to complain about his voice . i chose a video of a much younger chomsky to show that his vocal fry is not simply a product of his age :
it’s hard to know what to do about mras beyond taking every possible opportunity to expose them as the hatemongers they are . but i think that the above list of feminist victories for men provides a clue . when she interviewed me for the
the word ‘mental’ had negative connotations for men and was associated with illness rather than health . to men , being asked to do something to improve mental health indicated there was a problem that needed to be fixed in the first place .
the politics of backlash have been a republican specialty for decades , but liberal anger continues to rise .
this is a great piece , clementine . the blind sexism of men ' s rights activists is such a frustrating and idiotic backlash against the struggle for equality , which is the purview of feminism .
elam once stated that if he should be called to sit on the jury for a rape trial , he ' d automatically vote not guilty , even if the evidence of the accused ' s guilt was overwhelming . this , and most of his most shocking writings , are published on his online publication a voice for men— which the red pill ' s director cassie jaye comes across at the start of the film , when she ' s researching
rape culture .
mcphee , who was sexually abused by a girl when he was a teenager , adds there is a lack of support systems for male victims of domestic abuse .
a voice for men is basically the jezebel of the men ' s rights movement . elam sometimes brings up good points , but he falls into the same trap of exaggerating problems that feminists do . he acts like an edgy twelve year old and constantly tries to stir up drama for attention . he ' s on record saying that he doesn ' t think shoe0nhead is hot anymore because her boyfriend disagreed with him , and saying that the mrm has no extremists . he ' s pretty much the strawman of men ' s rights that radical feminists constantly attack . he spends too much time attacking feminism to really focus on men ' s issues .
julie dicaro , a chicago radio journalist , says she has been told that her voice is “too high , too low , too young - sounding , too chicago - sounding , too harsh , too soft and ‘just generally obnoxious . ’”
when it comes to pregnancy women have options men have none .
that ' s because women can become pregnant and men cannot .
cafe has sprung up in several campuses across central canada in the past year . they have groups on - site at universities in guelph , montreal , ottawa and peterborough , as well as two toronto organisations and off - campus groups in ottawa and vancouver . most recently , ryerson university caught a controversial mix of praise and indignation for banning the group from their campus . cafe claims to be “committed to achieving equality for all canadians” and identifies as a human rights group that focuses on men’s issues . however , despite their claims or how they identify , the events that cafe has been planning have been covered to an unusually extensive degree by a voice for men .
today a small feminist group has succeeded in shutting down a screening of a movie that discusses issues that they fear might interfere with their agenda ,
the petition says . vice reached out to men ' s rights melbourne for comment but has not heard back . the group is apparently hunting for a new venue to screen the film .
violence against women is largely perpetrated by men . violence against men is largely perpetrated by . . . men . i think i see the problem . . . those who campaigning against violence against women are not promoting violence against men . it is not an either / or issue . both are a problem .
the intelligence report is the splc ' s award - winning magazine . subscribe here for a print copy .
jacob herr , eagle scout troop 270 , salutes during a presentation for the kaua‘i bsa volunteer recognition dinner .
in some ways , the manosphere is old news . as long as there has been feminism , there has been a misogynist backlash . warren farrell , considered by many to be the father of the modern men ' s rights movement , has been at it since the ' 80s . but the internet has proven a powerful accelerant for these discontents : according to alexa . com , a web analytics service , a voice for men ' s traffic has more than doubled in the past year ; the site ' s u . s . traffic ranks at 10 , 303 as of this writing ( by way of comparison , the
the real irony of the above duke university video is that bill mayew exhibits vocal fry throughout , and no one thought it enough of a problem to correct in a video about the professional dangers of vocal fry . his voice is fine , because we assume his authority .
scum stands for “society for cutting up men , ” and it is true that solanas continues to be much - read and quoted in some feminist circles . ( “we don’t really cut up men , ” the tagline of the feminazis blog cheekily declares . “well , unless they deserve it . ” )
now , men ' s rights advocates argue , feminism is more concerned with promoting the interests of women — often at the expense of men .
leaders in the movement say they want to bring more attention to the problems of men and boys . critics worry , however , that these sites are a breeding ground for misogyny .
reddit : mens rights a “subreddit” of the user - generated news site reddit , this forum describes itself as a “place for people who feel that men are currently being disadvantaged by society . ” while it presents itself as a home for men seeking equality , it is notable for the anger it shows toward any program designed to help women . it also trafficks in various conspiracy theories . “kloo2yoo , ” identified as a site moderator , writes that there is “undeniable proof” of an international feminist conspiracy involving the united nations , the obama administration and others , aimed at demonizing men .
@ aj - for the vast majority of history , the vast majority of men have not had the right to vote . women received the right to vote only a few decades after men did - and that right was granted by the men who voted . you should look at history from a broader perspective , rather than through the lens of patriarchy theory .
the veteran n . f . l . reporter andrea kremer said she was hardly surprised by the backlash against mowins’s play - by - play on the sport’s biggest stage . “i have no doubt that ‘hating the sound of her voice’ is code for ‘i hate that there was a woman announcing football , ’” kremer told me .
a voice for men’s paul elam tried on a collegial tone at first . “the goals of splc and avfm are quite similar , ” he averred in open letter to the splc’s president , richard cohen . “we both work to identify groups who seek to oppress others , and inform the public of the inequities they would perpetuate . ” but just days later , in a post headlined “ southern poverty law center linked to hate activity , ” he changed his tune .
if you are a college graduate of a certain age , you probably remember that there used to be an all - purpose discipline that studied men and their behavior . it was called history . there was also a subject , called literature , that studied what men wrote . and art examined the pictures men painted .


the victor insulator company based in victor , ny ( founded 1893 by fred m. locke ) is the oldest insulator company in north america .

they originally made glass insulators for electrical lines .

they suspended operations during the great depression , but resumed operations in 1935 as victor insulators .

in 1984 , the managers purchased the company from brown boveri and resumed operating under the name .

they also made diner coffee mugs in the 1940s , 1950s & 1960s which are considered iconic to diner culture aficionados .

they are still making insulators at the same location to this day .

victor insulator company

victor insulators , inc . website ‘marker to note role of victor insulators’ democrat & chronicle ( june 14 , 2014 ) fred m . locke history page locke insulator manufacturing company in national insulator association journal ‘the humble victor diner mug” on huffington post ( september 19 , 2015 ) victor mugs website ( * not associated with victor insulators , inc . )
note that the timeframe shown here indicates the period the the company made insulators , not the full time of the company ' s operation .
another excellent article about a local source of pride . i go by victor insulator dozens of times through the course of the year . i knew a little about the company and what they did . but this article made it even more ‘home - made’ .
although the company that fred locke established in victor ny has changed names over the years , victor insulators , inc . is the direct successor to the operation that he began over 100 years ago . for a “time line” of the wet process insulator manufacturing industry in the usa , click here .
detailed history of the lima insulator co . can be found in my book , fred m . locke : a biography . when fred locke lost control of his company , locke insulator manufacturing co . , in victor , ny in early 1904 , he at once decided to start a new insulator manufacturing plant in nearby lima , ny . since he was forbidden by the locke company to open a competing insulator plant , he had michael burke purchase six acres of land for $ 1 , 000 on the eastern side of lima , ny . the purchase was made on july 21 , 1904 and nine days the ownership was transferred to the lima insulator co . , which had been incorporated on july 14 . by november 1904 , the plant was in full production with a crew working nights and reporting that they could not keep up with orders . many of the workers previously worked at the locke victor plant . the locke mechanical genius , cornelius vanbennett was persuaded to leave victor and join the crew at lima . michael burke was president and manager of the new lima plant . he had been a director and stockholder of the locke company . other investors were from victor .
victor has the most complete product line of any north american insulator manufacturer . our wide product line , commitment to customer service and competitive pricing make us the preferred source of insulators .
in 1945 , victor insulators published a 24 - page booklet titled
a story of victor
. it describes how insulators were made at the insulator factory . here is what they said about their
heavy duty chinaware
:
istory will show that because of the victor insulator ' s simple , yet immensely functional design , the victor mug was imitated into extinction . mr . nelson mckee , a fourth generation company employee , now sales manager of victor insulators , inc . stated
we made the decision to no longer manufacture coffee mugs when it became apparent that people would rather pay a low price for inferior quality than a fair price for superior quality .
in 1893 , fred m . locke founded the victor insulator company right in victor , new york . he set up the shop which would go on to manufacture different porcelain insulators used throughout the world . today , it’s the oldest porcelain insulator company in north america . equally as impressive , much of the plant is believed to be the first pre - stressed poured concrete building in upstate , which is on the exact same plot of land locke first began over a century ago . in fact , because of his contributions to the industry , locke is now considered to be the father of porcelain insulators . while i have an immense respect and admiration for the company’s endeavors that keep electrical lines doing their thing , what i really wanted to know was how they invented and marketed an american icon : the diner coffee mug .
ceramic processing is controlled by a highly trained staff of professional engineers dedicated to ensuring that product quality remains our number one priority . victor is continuously updating manufacturing methods and equipment and participates in research programs with major universities to ensure that we remain at the forefront of insulator technology .
several years ago an investigation was made by victor insulators , inc . , to determine the advisability of manufacturing additional products . although the insulator business is not seasonal in the same way that many industries are , the management felt that additional products would provide steady employment and insure weekly wages year ' round for victor ' s employees .
located in victor , ny ( near rochester ) victor’s plant today consists of over 320 , 000 square feet of manufacturing space .
today , victor is a privately held ( employee owned ) company dedicated to the same ideals that have been successful since 1893 . our commitment to quality , service and competitive pricing continues to make us the preferred supplier of insulators .
at present a substantial part of victor ' s business is devoted to the production of victor chinaware for the armed services .
victor manufactures the widest product line of any north american insulator manufacturer . the manufacturing process produces insulators ranging in weight from a few ounces to hundreds of pounds and application voltages from hundreds of volts to hundreds of thousands of volts . insulators are manufactured from standard strength silica porcelain , high strength alumina porcelain , epdm rubber and silicone rubber .
during the 1960’s and 1970’s , the victor coffee mug was literally everywhere , and even today , the design is synonymous with vintage americana . most people probably think it was a common design for mid - century america , and it was , but only because of one company .
victor insulators , inc . was founded in 1893 by fred m . locke .
garbin also noted that while victor may have popularized the bottom - heavy diner mug shape , they may not have been the first to create it .
syracuse china already offered the same mug [ . . . ] we saw a company catalog that listed that shape as early as 1926 ,
he said .
if you see such a mug out there today , it will be stamped opco on the bottom ( onondaga pottery company ) .
take note , thrift - store treasure seekers .
though true victor mugs are now out of production , fishs eddy is one place where nostalgia - seeking mug appreciators ( ahem ) can find charming , sturdy dishes that recall the diner days of yore . the company’s aesthetics are inspired by the “in vogue
shapes and trends of the mid 20 th century .
the article said that the victor mugs were originally used on navy ships because the mugs did not tip over easily . the navy would place orders for 1 million at a time . later during the war the army started placing orders . the handle - less military version was popular stateside , too . victor sold the mugs through an exclusive agreement with buffalo china to sell the mugs commercially . victor also made cereal and soup bowls for buffalo china until the company found they could make the bowls cheaper with labor that was lower cost than that paid in the electrical porcelain industry . victor continued to make the mugs and sell directly to businesses .
insulators are manufactured from standard strength silica porcelain , high alumina epdm rubber and silicone rubber . the mechanical and electrical test laboratory and the ceramic laboratory are used to verify product and process conformance . these labs have the capability to perform all necessary tests to ensure product quality or to assist customers in developing products for new applications . victor makes use of our laboratories available to customers at a nominal fee to assist in verification , selection and analysis of insulator
n the 1980 ' s , when victor mugs were distributed by buffalo china , i bought a case of the classic creamy white mugs to give away as house warming , wedding , and birthday presents . my belief was that these victor mugs would invite a sense of stability , permanence , and comfort . years later , as relationships split or the hazards of moving created losses , my friends would ask for replacements . as life would have it , i ran out of my cherished collection . i then scoured garage sales , restaurant and online auctions and flea markets to find the occasional , very used , but still intact victor mug . i recently contacted the manufacturer of the victor mug , victor insulators , inc . in business in victor , new york to inquire if the company would consider reissuing the world ' s most favored mug . with the help of mr . nelson mckee , their sales manager , i was able to acquire the last of the available inventory of the famous victor mug . the mugs i have purchased are
new old stock
that were manufactured in 1987 and have been stored in the company warehouse for the past twenty years . they are , by far , the most unique find in all my years of collecting .
victor , new york , was home to the fred m . locke company in the late 19 th century , an outfit that produced ceramic insulators for telegraph lines to prevent interference during inclement weather . when locke expanded his business out of state , the original factory remained idle until 1935 , according to kranes , who has decades of experience in the food service tableware industry .
“for the record , we never took a victor from any restaurant without the owner’s consent ,
he added .
if that wasn’t insulting enough , many chinese knock - offs even had the word ‘victory’ stamped in the bottom , but with a poorly pressed ‘y’ , so at quick glance it might look like ‘victor’ . not to be outdone , victor insulators began to include that telltale phrase that my proud - to - be - an - american - factory - worker grandfather always sought . they began to stamp ‘made in u . s . a . ’ on the bottom of the mugs right around 1984 . that was also the time when the company was purchased by a few employees and the name was changed to victor insulators , inc .
in the spring of 1990 , victor insulators shut down production of its famous diner mug , a unique cream - colored cylinder with convex sides and a solid handle . it was produced in several varieties and held less than 8 oz . of coffee , but its shape lent itself to warming one ' s hands . the company needed to sell 25 , 000 to 30 , 000 dozen mugs annually to make the business profitable , but only had orders for about 60 % that amount . they blamed the drop in orders on ultima china , a company in china , which started making a look - alike mug about five years earlier that sold for less than half the price . in july 1996 , victor insulators added
made in u . s . a .
to the
victor
stamp on the bottom , but they could not compete with the china - made lighter weight version , which only had
china
stamped on the bottom .
victor’s “dry - foot” method of production also kept the mug from slipping easily . turn over any mug or plate in your pantry and run your finger around the edge , it ' s likely slightly rougher and more matte - feeling than the rest of the object . this is because the mugs are wiped on a wet rubber mat prior to being fired in a kiln to prevent sticking . “because it’s so thick , it took 72 hours [ to fire ] at the time , ” kranes said . “the victor company was firing at 2 , 250 degrees farenheit . ”
victor insulators , inc . also manufactures distribution non ceramic dead end insulators . these are available in either epdm or silicone rubber .
the property remained idle until william f . harvey , a ford dealer in lima , purchased the old lima plant from locke in july 1920 , and started a new company named porcelain insulator co . , which was commonly known as pinco . the company was capitalized with $ 250 , 000 and included d . h . finucane and e . p . doran of lima . the new pinco plant produced the first insulators in 1921 . m . l . joslyn of chicago was also involved from the beginning . mr . harvey died in january 1928 . his son , leo b . harvey , who was working in california at the time , returned to lima as president and manager . leo harvey died in march 1958 after falling out of his car . on january 1 , 1959 , pinco became a division of the joslyn mfg . and supply co . , which previously was a major stockholder . the plant was purchased by industrial ceramics , inc . in december 1985 continuing to use the pinco marking on insulators . they ceased the manufacture of pin - type insulators in 1987 .
i received an opportunity to spend the afternoon touring the victor insulators factory with bob maslyn , a recently retired victor insulators employee whose experience at the factory dates back to the 1960’s . there’s a ton online about the history of the mug , but a quick glance at even a few sources will show that there’s conflicting histories all over the place . between chatting with bob , one of the current owners of the company nick knickerbocker , and countless employees on the factory floor who contributed to the conversation and a little bit of reading , i’ve managed to stitch together just how that iconic porcelain mug out of a small town in ontario county came to be in the hands of so many americans .
a newspaper article has more details about the victor mugs . the
democrat and chronicle
of rochester , ny ran an article on july 14 , 1991 , titled
victor mugs ' owners can ' t get a refill
. it announced that the victor factory had stopped making the mugs . businesses such as a canandaigua , ny donut shop and a martha ' s vineyard bakery and restaurant , the black dog , which sold the mugs in their mail - order business , could not obtain the popular mugs any more . the black dog used them for 20 years in their restaurant and sold 10 , 000 in their catalog business since 1988 decorated with a black dog decal . the victor mug could be found in restaurants all over the u . s . the victor mug was almost indestructible . it was solid and seldom broke when dropped with the handle being the only weak part . each mug was stamped victor on the bottom .
right around 1980 , chinese companies began to produce the iconic white coffee mugs and distribute them worldwide . while victor could produce a single mug at the manufacturing cost of 81 cents , a chinese knock - off would be sold at a retail cost of 45 cents ! their retail was almost half of victor’s wholesale costs !
the mugs were
dry footed
, which means the foot of the mug was wiped on a wet rubber mat . this prevented the mug from sticking to the kiln shelf when it was fired in the kiln at 2250f , which fused the clay into porcelain and the glaze to the mug . it took 72 hours to fire the mugs . the mug could withstand 765 , 000 volts of electricity , but could not withstand competition from china . the
roadside
stated production of the mugs was halted in the spring of 1991 . perhaps the 1991 newspaper article was a misprint by stating spring of 1990 . it was obvious to victor employees that the chinese company used one of ida ' s mugs to make the mold for their cheap knock - off copy of the victor mug . ida was a veteran victor
handle sticker
and her handles were always
a little crooked
.
writer susan germain had a chance to tour the victor factory for an article about the mugs in the now defunct roadside magazine , a periodical dedicated to diner and roadside culture in the u . s . “i first became aware of the victor mugs while living in the rural village of victor , new york , where they were made , ” germain told the huffington post in an email . “i never connected the diner mugs with insulators until noticing every household had a cupboard full of these heavy mugs . ”
the conflict overseas contributed to the mug - - and all of victor’s tableware - - gaining in popularity . “at that time , they were building them . . . to the specs of the military , ” said kranes . the design and weight of the victor mug helped it withstand falls and made it less prone to tipping on an unsteady ship .
here are three examples of victor mugs . the one on the left is an earlier production with a mottled reddish brown glaze . it has a wax - resist firing rest with a fully glazed bottom with
victor
stamp . the cream - colored mug in the center was made after july 1986 when the
made in u . s . a .
was added to the
victor
stamp . the mug on the right is a non - conventional design . it has straight sides , an indention around the bottom , and a two - finger handle . it has
victor
stamped on the bottom , but the design was made for a special occasion and stamped in the bottom of the mug with an under - glaze dark blue ink marking that reads :
the company began stamping the word ‘victor’ on the bottom side of each mug for branding where it previously had used a painted stamp . however , few know that the practice served an additional internal purpose . if you look closely at the stamps , many have certain sections of text missing . each employee had their own stamp that they would use with a unique marking indicating their having worked on the mug . one may have been the leg of an ‘r’ removed , or half of the letter ‘i’ like the one pictured here . it’s a subtle tactic which allowed management to keep track of quality control . soon after , even a unique stamp would prove impossible to tell apart from an overseas imposter .
in addition to general ansi standard designs of distribution , transmission and substation insulators , victor also manufactures special insulators such as fused cut out porcelains , arrester housings , bushings , etc . to specific customer designs .
one of the more prolific , and much more nostalgia - evoking diner mugs , is the victor , a classic porcelain mug distributed for food service use in the mid - to - late 20 th century , before its victor , new york , factory shuttered in the early ' 90s due to overseas competition . ( one reason why it ' s not found easily in an amazon search . ) frequenters of old - style diners have likely come across one without knowing it . the only sign is an all - caps
victor
stamp underneath the cup , occasionally followed by “made in the u . s . a . ”
his site is dedicated to those of you who will recognize the great symbols of american diner culture . in addition to the frosty bottle of coca - cola , the warm , inviting shape of the classic victor mug filled with hot , steaming coffee evokes an immediate memory of a happier time . it is easy to drink from this creamy white porcelain mug because of its thick , round , smooth - lipped design . the six ounces of coffee stay hot because of the superior construction . each genuine victor coffee mug [ victor is imprinted on the bottom of each ] weighs more than a pound and is made of the finest fired clay porcelain . this excellent mug is virtually indestructible and remains the classic and easily recognized shape so sought after by collectors worldwide .
the brand started as a business primarily built off of curating overstock of food service wares from shut - down restaurants , hotels , factories or major distributors . “ [ we ] started discovering all these incredible products , this incredible dinnerware with all kinds of designs on them , and logos , and the magic of those . . . ” kranes said . the resulting sales , kranes said , “showed some incredible interest [ . . . ] to the romance and love of the business . ” today , fishs eddy sells products with their own backstamp in conjuction with the homer - laughlin company , the last existing u . s . - based factory that produces food - service dinnerware - - and the makers of another popular collectible , fiesta ware .
in the early 1940’s , the u . s . navy sent out a request for bids to u . s . companies that could create a coffee mug that would withstand the test of slinging ships . victor responded , ultimately winning the contract . the navy’s idea was to create a thick - walled mug that was heavy and didn’t have a handle that could break off when it slid and knocked into something else . with the electrical insulator business a bit slower during wartimes , they threw themselves fully caffeinated into the business of making the best mug government money could buy . to start , they created the heavy duty , thick - walled mug without a handle . in addition , the military sought some heavy duty bowls which they also created . the second design was the same ‘cup’ style with no handle , but the walls of the cup were straight rather than concave and the base a bit more rounded than the original . still though , white was the only option . the ‘unfinished’ ring around the bottom of the mug was a function of the manufacturing process . if you were to glaze the bottom of the mug and set it on a drying rack , it would have dried to the rack itself . luckily , that rough , exposed porcelain also provided a bit of traction to keep it from sliding when your ship hit a swell .
throughout the middle part of the 20th century , victor played with various designs , colors and even brand stamps to create a growing collection of chinaware . many were short runs with rarer productions like the pedestal - based mug or cobalt blue mugs , in comparison to the very common white mug with concave walls that was found in countless diners across the country . the mugs that were designed to hold up against ocean - farers in battle proved to also withstand the abuse of serving american diner customers . imagine the wear and tear one coffee mug in a popular diner undergoes in a single day–the victor mug’s specifications easily won any war fought by table bussers or dishwashers .
as for the victor design , “it’s gone through ebbs and flows of popularity , but as a food - service , iconic diner piece , it ' s still very popular ,
said kranes .
i think it’s an iconic american shape , and the story - - i don’t know how many people know it , but the story is great . ”
if you type “victor mugs” into amazon , a result comes up for something called “ diner coffee mug , ” of the classic curved sides , thick walls and smallish handle that the american - made mug i sought also bore . this nondescript item has just over 100 reviews . “beautiful product , ” one four - star critique reads . “the perfect mug , ” says another .
while there are a lot of unknown finer details in the history to the mug that are probably lost forever , one indisputable fact remains : there is no greater example of a truly american coffee mug than what came out of the victor factory in those 40 - some years . if you’ve got one , drink from it with pride–even if your table isn’t moving with the waves .
roadside
, a journal devoted to the appreciation of the american diner , ran an article in their spring 1994 publication about the victor mugs . it provided a description of how the mugs were made . a plug of soft clay was placed in a mold and a plunger lowered to press out the inside cavity . the clay form was then placed on a spinning
bat
and a blade pressed up against the outside to cut out the convex profile . the handles were cast from liquid clay poured in plaster molds . the handles were then dipped in clay slip to aid in binding it to the mug . applying the handles to the mug was the most difficult operation of producing the mugs . there were only three women who worked as
handle stickers
. they could smooth the handle better because they had smaller fingers . each woman had her own slightly different
victor
stamp so flaws could be traced back . the completed mug was then dipped by hand into liquid glaze and placed on a rack to dry . victor mugs were produced in a variety of glaze colors : white , black , mahogany , sky - gray , chocolate , light blue , and white with a green stripe around the lip . the green stripe was painted on by hand by one of the
handle stickers
as the mug spun on a bat . one particular rare and unusual victor mug was made in the early 1970 ' s by a supervisor as a christmas gift for the
big bosses
. only 2 , 000 were made with a rich cobalt - blue glaze .
“in 1945 , they decided , because of the war and capacity , they wanted to investigate making additional products , ” kranes explained , “that would give employees steady work and ensure weekly wages for the year for all their victor employees . ” the solution : high - quality , heavy duty chinaware , “which is the same material , raw materials , that you’d use for insulators , ” kranes continued .
germain said that thanks to her victor article , she is still “quoted everywhere , ” attesting to the popularity of the lore surrounding this particular diner icon . roadside magazine founder randy garbin confirmed in an email , “when we ran the story , we started to hear from diner owners complaining that customers were stealing the mugs . ” that issue was one of the best - selling back issues they made .
after the war , it was decided that since they were already in the business of making chinaware , they might as well continue . in the mid 1940’s the line was expanded to include a redesign where the cup was slightly smaller and they added a handle and some color options . what made the victor mug particularly easy to create was the quality of the clays being used , which were already used in many of their high - end insulators found in applications like electrical substations . the mug and handle were created separately and then attached to one another by hand before being fired in a kiln . the qualities within the materials allowed the handle to adhere pretty well , and the connection points could easily be hand - detailed so it looked like one molded piece . when you hear someone say , “they don’t make ’em like they used to ! ” they are talking precisely about the victor coffee mug . the materials that kept your coffee hot were the same ones that kept your electrical lines from shorting out .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
as a result of this study it was decided to start the fabrication of high quality , heavy duty chinaware - a product manufactured from the same raw materials as insulators and a process that would utilize similar ceramic production methods and craftsmanship .
the war gave impetus to the development of the chinaware business . orders for great quantities of rugged cups and bowis built to military specifications have been and are being delivered to the army and navy .
in the postwar era , steady employment for scores of new workers is planned to take care of the increasing demand for this type of chinaware .
fred locke was one of the great early contributors to the successful establishment and growth of the electric power industry in north america . in 1893 he developed and patented a process for manufacturing wet process porcelain for use in insulators for power lines . his accomplishment was in no small way a key contribution to the eventual growth of the electric power industry . prior to fred’s accomplishments , insulators were at best unreliable for the demands of this growing industry .
all porcelain products are manufactured using wet process porcelain to ensure reliable , trouble free operation for the life of the installation of the product . insulators are available in two porcelain classes – standard strength silica porcelain for normal applications and high strength alumina porcelain for severe duty .
polymeric insulators are manufactured from epdm rubber for normal duty application and silicone rubber for contaminated environments . polymeric products are injection molded using the latest in cold runner molding technology .
we can and do design insulators for specific non - standard applications to meet the varying needs of customers and our engineers are available to assist you in developing insulators for your particular application .
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what an unadorned coffee - holder has to do with power lines and the u . s . military .
yet as one pores through the listings , nostalgia and emotion stand out much more than praises of design or unemotional review .
“reminds me of being in ny , in a diner , drinking coffee . . . not of the starbucks persuasion . . . good , old - fashioned coffee ! ” wrote user ndrea aspromonte [ sic ] in 2014 . another user , gary c . , chimed in the same year : “just like in the navy . ” user darrii titled their review “memories of my childhood . ”
it’s hard to imagine any old product on the massive retail site eliciting as sentimental a response . it seems there’s just something about mugs - - especially ones that look like they could have been plucked from another era - - and the too easily romanticized baggage that goes with them , from a time before ventis and pumpkin spice .
perhaps it’s the cozy feeling they evoke , of chilly mornings , of fresh pots of coffee and the whole day ahead ; of a gently dipped tea bag , the slow - motion plume of color steeping into hot water .
the standard hot liquid - holder is typically referred to as the cylinder c - handle mug . it ' s
the most pedestrian mug you’ll see ,
explained fishs eddy managing director peter kranes .
it looks like a cylinder , about 12 ounces , a big c handle .
he likened it to the
i love ny
mugs you see in souvenir shops . unfortunately , these types of mugs are as ubiquitous as they are humdrum , lacking in personality compared to a mug with an off - white sheen , a cheeky diner logo , colored glaze or slightly wonky handle .
chances are if you have one , you know . today , the mugs are collectors’ items , selling on ebay and etsy for around $ 6 to $ 15 a piece or more , depending on style . not a goldmine , but clearly something of value , however small .
a bonus fact from kranes : due to the insulating properties of the mug , it could withstand approximately 765 , 000 volts of electricity . the same properties help to keep hot beverages in the mug hot .
in the roadside article , germain tours the factory with employee nelson mckee . the mug handles , she learns , were applied from a plaster mold by hand to the side of the mug . mckee informs her there were just three handle stickers , all women . “they could smooth the handle better because they had smaller fingers , ” he explained .
when asked about the draw of diner nostalgia , garbin explained , “most of us , at the very least , recognize the fact that no one is building these things anymore , and that something uniquely american and of very high quality is disappearing from the landscape . ” his comments echo the ones of the aforementioned amazon reviewers : diners and their assorted memorabilia are associated with childhood memories , simpler times , or merely just good comfort food .
first - person essays , features , interviews and q & as ; about life today .
we ' ll start with a real challenge . this one has plagued every fan of
the garden of earthly delights .
the correct pronunciation : hi - rahn - eh - mus bosh .
with the advent of world war ii , manufacturing in the u . s . either slowed altogether or manufacturing plants altered their product lines to produce items specifically to serve military efforts . much like a certain new york writer that you all know , coffee was imperative to the success of most naval officers . sea tossed ships , however , made it tough to keep your coffee mug in one spot . all that rocking back and forth meant sliding mugs and more than a few cracked cups .
at the height of the mug manufacturing , there were about 15 employees working in that section . there were numerous people who put the handles on , and later , it became necessary to know exactly who put which handle onto which mug . imagine if a run of mugs suddenly had problems . how do you figure out which employee needs more training ?
creator + owner + author = chief exploring officer . chris has been traveling back and forth across new york for years studying and discovering the tucked away gems of the state and chronicling the journey
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ow that i have replenished my stock , i am willing to offer the remainder to those aficionados who will appreciate the rewards of paying a fair price for superior quality .
the photo was taken on may 20 , 1916 on flag preparedness day at the locke plant in lima , ny . ( courtesy of doug morgan , the lima town historian )