The scariest thing on the internet is the Manosphere
What is the Manosphere?
The "manosphere" is an umbrella term used to describe the massive, diverse network of communities with a wide variety of ideologies, pandering rhetoric that "modern men are in a state of crisis" and that women/feminism are to blame.
This is based on the completely false and dangerous belief that society has been irreversibly corrupted by feminism (you know, the "radical" belief that all genders should have social, political and economic equality), resulting in a systemic bias against men. These men feel like they are fighting for men's rights - because when you're used to privilege, equity can feel like oppression.
As a result, we've seen many worrying examples of toxic masculinity, yt supremacy, and right-wing extremism. From Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson poisoning generations of boys and men to Pierre Poilievre using hidden tags on his YouTube videos for years to appeal to the far-right, anti-women community, "Men Going Their Own Way." Misogyny is reaching new heights, and it's overlapping with white supremacy, racism, and anti-queer hatred.
A Spectrum of Ideologies
Not all branches of the manosphere are overtly or even inherently appalling or dangerous; not all groups are even run by men. But many of them - and the most powerful - center a culture of grievance, a conspiratorial worldview, and extreme misogyny.
No one falls into the manosphere headfirst, though. Most men and boys, seeking advice, visit the entryway at some point in their life: the world of men's self-help. There is nothing inherently wrong with men supporting and uplifting one another, whether that be through guidance, inspiration, or counselling. Honestly, we love to see it and wish there was more of this!
The problems begin when the advice and guidance offered are rooted in patriarchy and toxic masculinity - like hyper-productivity, AKA the 'sigma grindset' or 'alpha-male' attitudes. These ideas prime men to be more easily taken in by the bad-faith actors within the manosphere who incite real hate and oppression.
The Need for Community
Many of the young men who turn to online male-centred groups for guidance are suffering from feelings of loneliness, isolation, and frustration. Among Canadians of all ages, three of every four suicide victims are men, and men have much higher death rates for suicide than women. 81% of overdose victims are men.
The men that turn to these communities are suffering because of internalized patriarchal values & their adherence to traditional gender roles and conservatism - they feel a very real sense of pain. Still, they're trying to reclaim that power by participating in and perpetuating the system that harms them. But the solution to this pain isn't in the manosphere; it's in your doctor's office, it's in therapy, it's in healthy community and coping.
This all encourages men to neglect their emotional and social struggles, leading to isolation that can be extremely dangerous. A 2021 study found that loneliness is one of the primary reasons why people develop extremist beliefs and join extremist groups.
Manosphere Communities
"Men's Rights Activists" (MRAs) claim that family law and social institutions discriminate against men.
"Men Going Their Own Way" (MGTOW) takes this feeling of grievance further, arguing that society can't be "amended"; instead, they avoid women and dating entirely, blaming women for their problems.
Pick Up Artists (PUAs), meanwhile, are self-proclaimed "alpha-males" who 'seduce' and harass women; they believe society is "feminizing" men.
The Red Pill is an ideology that suggests that men are oppressed and entitled to sex and that all of their struggles are a direct result of feminism.
The Black Pill ideology, while less common, is used to refer to a sense of hopelessness that can inspire suicide and mass violence because 'nothing matters.'
Incels (involuntarily celibate) are 'black-pilled' and believe that women use their sexual power to dominate men. For that, incels want revenge.
From self-help to not believing in consent
The surface level, aka the entry points, of the manosphere seems "innocent" enough, consisting of male-centred self-help and financial advice, but this is just the top of the iceberg - filled with coded language, humour and false equivalencies that lure men in.
Many incels, and even Jordan Peterson himself, support "enforced monogamy" - the idea that some men are purposely denied sex by women and that assigning women to men and forcing them to have sex with incels will cure the 'black pill' problem.
There is even a small subset of the incel community called 'rapecels' who believe that sexual relations should always be decided by the man and that female consent is never necessary.
Note: While these ideologies are terrifyingly common, they do not reflect the beliefs of all men. Not to mention that women can internalize and participate in these beliefs.
Right-Wing Extremism
There is a lot of overlap between the manosphere and right-wing extremism - and this radicalization and use of hate speech is getting worse. Men who would typically consider themself left-leaning can be lured into the far-right via the manosphere.
This type of hate is insidious and incestuous. Incel and MGTOW forums are full of racist stereotyping, like the fetishization and objectification of East Asian women, the hyper-sexualization and demonization of Black men, and the belief that euro-centric features are superior. So much of this rhetoric is rooted in 'protecting white civilization' from the perceived threat of any 'other.'
The far-right/right-wing extremism is incredibly coordinated, funded, digitally savvy, and financially resourced. They have been bringing their hateful worldviews into mainstream political agendas. Hatred of women and the need for control are deeply embedded in modern conservatism: think of the Republican party steamrolling through reproductive & gender-affirming healthcare. Poilievre catered to a male-separatist group for years.
Present Day Violence
So much of the violence we've seen over the past few years was carried out by lonely white men radicalized through the hateful, yt supremacist & misogynistic bullshit they heard in the manosphere.
via Prof Galloway
Far-right internet spaces have sparked some of the worst tragedies in recent history:
The 2018 van attack in Toronto in which an attacker killed ten and injured 16, then posted on Facebook about his goal for "incel rebellion."
The 22-year-old terrorist who killed six people in 2014 in Isla Vista, California, was praised by the Toronto van attacker as an inspiration.
The 26-year-old shooter killed ten and injured another eight at Umpqua Community College after writing a 6-page manifesto about being an incel- a too common practice taken up by other mass killers
It's All About Supremacy
Straight up, the manosphere - and especially the extreme communities - are entirely based on affirming the status quo of white male supremacy. The whole point of the community is to empower men to hold on to their dominant position in society at any cost, and to destroy anything, or anyone, that challenges that.
Here's the thing, radicalization can happen to anyone, including BIPOC folk and women. In fact, there are woman-filled right-wing misogynistic forums (yes, really), as well as a popular Black Manosphere that focuses on their struggles under white supremacy while still upholding toxic masculinity and gender norms.
In our society, many BIPOC and marginalized groups subconsciously aspire to whiteness and dominance because we see how it affords privileges and power. This internalized racism and sexism results in the conscious and unconscious acceptance of the hierarchy, which reinforces our own oppression.
How do we combat the manosphere?
First, we must demand robust, well-funded and accessible services for all. This includes mental health support for men, better public education so folks don't fall through the cracks, and accountability for those who incite hate.
Second, we need to stop letting male supremacy and white supremacy have free reign. Despite us feeling the very real effects of this hatred, there has been no coordinated, direct response to address this radicalization.
We need to see direct action through better (any!) government & corporate content moderation. We've been playing a giant game of who's responsible for content moderation, and while we try to figure that out, these spaces have been thriving. In fact, how many of our elected officials even know what the manosphere is? How can they combat it without understanding it? Especially when we know that some of the ones that understand it have been exploiting it for their own gain for years (cc/Pierre Poilievre).
