Grifty

Boys Don’t Cry

Aug 24, 2023

This episode of Grifty explores the manosphere, an online echo chamber promoting toxic masculinity, misogyny, and homophobia. It discusses the evolution of the men's rights movement, the influence of digital capitalism and echo chambers, and explores manosphere vocabulary and shocking misogynistic terms. The hosts also discuss the perception of emotions, engage in a vocabulary quiz, and speculate on infidelity.

55:07

Creator website

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The manosphere consists of various subgroups with distinct ideologies, including men's rights activists, men going their own way, pickup artists, incels, and primal manhood alphas.

The rise of the manosphere is influenced by societal and economic changes, an identity crisis among men, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals seeking answers to their problems by grifters.

Limited emotional vocabulary, societal expectations, and the discouragement of open dialogue about emotions contribute to high rates of mental health issues, suicide, homelessness, and incarceration among men.

Deep dives

Different subgroups within the manosphere and their ideologies

The manosphere is composed of various subgroups with distinct ideologies. There are men's rights activists advocating for men's issues, often resorting to harassment. Then there are men going their own way, promoting the avoidance of relationships with women and obsessing over the idea of gold diggers. Pickup artists teach men formulas to quickly attract women, while incels feel entitled to women and blame feminism for their difficulties. Lastly, there are primal manhood alphas who boast about traditional masculinity and try to romanticize an ancestral lifestyle.

Exploring the Five Main Denominations of the Manosphere

01:00

The Manosphere Influencers

01:22

Introduction

2min

The Evolution and Dark Path of the Men's Rights Movement

15min

Childhood Pressures and Changing Societal Norms

18min

The Influence of Digital Capitalism and Echo Chambers

13min

Discussion on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau

2min

Exploring Manosphere Vocabulary and Shocking Misogynistic Terms

4min

Perception of Emotions, Vocabulary Quiz, and Speculation on Infidelity

2min

Grifty Pod Episode 8: Boys Don’t Cry

Boy’s don’t cry, and that is precisely the problem. On this episode of Grifty, all the gang is back in town for our back-to-school episode of exploring the Manosphere – an interconnected echo chamber of men and boys where the themes of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and homophobia are platformed and normalized in online forums, podcasts, and articles all over the web. A large part of the appeal of the manosphere is that it acknowledge the increasing rates of depression, suicide, and incarceration among men. However, they take this sliver of truth and leverage it into a fear-mongering grift where they make the false link that these issues plaguing our boys and men are the result of some global conspiracy.

Find us on all social media platforms @griftypod

Learn more www.grifty.org

IN THIS EPISODE

On the History of the Manosphere:

The Evolution of the Manosphere across the Web

"To Learn About the Far Right, Start With the 'Manosphere'." The Atlantic

On the Ideology and Content of the Manosphere:

“Glitz, Glam & Violent Misogyny: The Toxic Ideology of the Manosphere,” International Socialist Alternative

“Jordan Peterson and the Return of the Men’s Rights Movement,” The Washington Post

“The Liver King and the Problematic rise of Primal Manhood,” Huck Magazine

On the Radicalization of men and boys caused by the Manosphere:

“The “Manosphere” Is Getting More Toxic As Angry Men Join the Incels,” MIT Technology Review