I've been working as an editor here for about 6 weeks. It's been an eye-opener, and every day I stumble into someplace new. My search for stories of abuse has taken me to support pages for Pagans. That wasn't so strange, but my interactions with a moderator were beyond belief. It's documented in one of my earlier posts.
I stumbled into one of the most popular forums for men, which was started by a Penis Enlargement Equipment provider. The stories were just as heartbreaking and unsettling there as anywhere, but there seemed to be no moderator there with any training. Most of the advice for guys who were hurting (from a relationship, not from the Equipment) got advice like "Hey bro, just call up your buds and get some beers." Guys do that. No doubt. It's where a lot of good therapy takes place. I didn't join the forum as an official member. For numerous reasons, but mainly because I didn't want to get a lot of spam in my inbox. Every pun here is intentional. I repeat: I didn't become an official member because I didn't want spam in my inbox.
Many of the online support groups for men have a strong anti-feminist slant. A masculist slant, a revolt against the female bias in the media when it comes to legal process in abuse cases. I understand what could drive someone to become angry against the system. But you can't fight propaganda with other propaganda, so it becomes a bit dicey. I think what both sides need is to engage in a dialogue, with a decent moderator, like Alec Baldwin or Rachel Maddow.
I have landed in some Christian forums, and the reason I joined is that these forums was that I recognize the important role the church has played in getting help and therapy to abuse victims. A lot of churches provide services that other agencies don't.
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