Stingy Men Association

About

The Stingy Men Association is a mock movement that lauds men for denying money and/or material goods to female romantic partners, claiming that they aim to empower men, similar to the Men's Rights Movement. Made of loosely connected social media accounts, the group is mostly known throughout several African nations, including Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and more. While many excuse the groups as a joke, participants have been criticized for sexist comments and jokes and for inciting violence against women.

History

The earliest known mention of the Stingy Men Association comes from the Twitter account @StingyMen, which launched in May 2020. While the account holders deleted the earliest tweets, replies date back to May 29th, 2020.^[1] However, it is unclear whether this was the original name of the page.

In October 2020, several Stingy Men Association Facebook accounts launched, including Stingy Men Association of South Africa,^[2] Stingy Men Association Of Botswana^[3] and Stingy Men Association of Zambia.^[4]

The following month, in November 2020, the groups were subject to criticism, following a domestic violence incident involving a man who claimed to be a member.^[5] Police arrested Leonard Mweembe for assaulting his wife, who repeatedly asked her husband for money for her hair. After the altercation turned physical, Mweembe allegedly broke his wife's arm.

On November 14th, 2020, the Stingy Men Association of Zambia condemned the assault. They wrote, "We as SMAZ we about to issue a condeming statement against the ndola incident and as of the pastor who said we demonic we will advise u coz we know ma k2 offering are the ones u are being hurt, we as SMAZ still give our Lord Jesus Christ the 10% tithe of our earnings. Official statement is coming soon
SMAZ .. Say no to daylight robbery.."

According to a report by Standard Media^[6] in Kenya, the incident helped the movement go viral. They write, "The Zambian man told his insisting wife that he could not get the Sh900 she was asking for as he could only afford Sh60. It is alleged that tired of her continued nag, Mweembe beat his wife, and was arrested for assault. Men in Zambia begun the movement as a protest move and according to News outlet, by the end of 2020, the association had grown into a fully-fledged Sacco with claims that the organization even purchased a passenger plane."

On January 11th, 2021, singer Don Jazzy posted an image of his SMA registration "identity card" on Twitter.^[7] The post received more than 59,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in less than four months (shown below, left).

Registration cards such as Don Jazzy's have become a common trope within the group (examples below, center and right).

Two days later, Don Jazzy appeared in a video entitled "STINGY MEN ASSOCIATION 😂😭" with YouTuber Mr Macaroni. The video received more than 752,000 views in less than four months (shown below).

In the month following the video's premiere and Jazzy's social media post, more SMA groups launched on Facebook, including Stingy Men Association Ghana,^[8] Stingy Men Association Of Cameroon^[9] and Stingy Men Association of Zimbabwe.^[10]

Criticism

On March 23rd, 2021, Mel Magazine^[11] published a report on the group. In the article, author Miles Klee said the group could inspire hate against women and other men. They write:

That SMA is a broad patchwork, though, means its subscribers and admirers can interpret and apply it however they choose. Where some find it tongue-in-cheek, some want to mainstream it as a significant evolution within the earnest, toxic manosphere. After the comedians have had their fun with the T-shirts and YouTube collabs, the framework will be left to the radical anti-feminists in need of more ways to denounce women seeking money or attention -- the men already railing against “simps” and the rise of OnlyFans. This coalition is too hateful to let any gloss on gender remain a harmless joke for long. In time, it all becomes more furious dogma.

Search Interest

External References