Naming the Rot: Kate Manne Exposes the Lies Holding Up the Patriarchy

Aug 6, 2025

Kate Manne, a philosopher from Cornell University and author of insightful works on misogyny and male privilege, unpacks the hidden structures of patriarchy shaping our society. She fearlessly addresses the emotional toll of misogyny, the erosion of reproductive rights, and the troubling attitudes among young men today. With a focus on empathy and the necessity for accountability, Manne emphasizes that real change begins with our daily actions and conversations. Her message is a rallying call for collective moral courage and resistance against injustice.

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INSIGHT

Misogyny as a Control System

Misogyny serves to enforce patriarchal norms by targeting women who don't conform.
It is systemic, often sidelining the victims while sympathizing with perpetrators.

INSIGHT

Understanding the Incel Movement

Incels believe they are morally entitled to sex, love, and attention from women.
This entitlement fuels resentment and violence when denied, influenced by online radicalization.

ANECDOTE

Personal High-Risk Pregnancy Story

Andrea Chalupa shares her high-risk pregnancy with possible abortion as healthcare.
The medical reality contrasts with cultural ignorance treating abortion as a political game.

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Courage often starts with saying the obvious out loud, unapologetically. Philosopher and author Kate Manne brings that rare, dangerous clarity, taking on the everyday cruelties of structural misogyny and the moral contortions America performs to pretend everything’s fine.

Manne, author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, and Unshrinking: How to Face Fat Phobia, challenges how we understand injustice. It’s not just “out there.” It’s built into our systems, our norms, even our language.

We don’t need to wait for sweeping reforms to act with integrity. Real change begins with small, daily acts of moral attention. What do we excuse? Whose pain do we ignore? What stories do we let slide by unchallenged?

Misogyny, Manne argues, isn’t just about hatred; it’s a control system. A mechanism of the patriarchy designed to punish women who won’t conform.

In Manne’s hands, philosophy isn’t abstract; it’s a wrecking ball. A tool for exposing rot and naming the machinery of oppression. Her message is clear: transformation begins with how we think, how we speak, and how we show up, for ourselves and for each other.

That’s the real work of justice. And it belongs to all of us.

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