There is this sickness being pumped through the internet and cross-contaminated onto the hands of those who view the affected content. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. But maybe you haven’t found the words to describe it. It doesn’t just stay online; thousands of young impressionable men self-indoctrinate themselves into it to solve the loneliness they’ve deemed an epidemic.
The origin of this is the “manosphere,” a network of online communities that promote anti-feminist views and toxic masculinity.
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Documentarian Louis Theroux has just paired with Netflix to figure it out from the lens of an adult who doesn’t concern themselves much with what’s inside shiny social media apps.
Normally, these kinds of subcommunities online would only concern those with at least eight hours of screen time a day. But the manosphere has proven itself stubborn. Its members are not only involved with the current presidency in the U.S., but also several pillars in the manosphere community are being attributed to the rise in misogyny among men.
This has also driven an increase in violent threats against women. With the manosphere becoming so ingrained in the outside world, a voice to make sense of it all was the proper diagnosis.
Through simply being a kind and rational man, Theroux was able to do just that. In the documentary, Theroux is able to ask these men why they think what they do without them lashing out. Instead, they pause, think over the weight, and try to talk themselves into a better corner of perception.
As the camera will pan to the men’s faces during their differing interviews, you see their eyes widen. They shift their stance and roll their shoulders uncomfortably. They look at the personal cameras they are streaming with, calling out for their chat to call Theroux any number of names.
What they are is afraid. They’ve never had someone of such importance call them out. They cozy up with Neo Natzis, such as Nick Fuentes, and have dinners with the Trump family. They have middle school boys come up to them on the streets and tell them how much they look up to the clades of “alphas” who tell them to hate anyone and everyone. The only people to ever call them out in most cases? Other YouTubers.
This discomfort ringing through each interview is something that genuinely makes me have some hope. It is evident these men do this type of content for views, fame, and money simply because they are discontent in themselves and make it everyone else’s problem. But seeing Theroux actually try to understand, and tell them that yes, they are the problem, is refreshing.
A moment that stuck with me was when Theroux stopped one of these men in his thoughts during an interview by stating the obvious, saying, “you can’t say ‘I promote it,’ but discourage people from doing it.”
This was said in reference to all that these “resist the matrix” men do — spew misogynistic, racist, transphobic, homophobic, anti-semetic views, use women as sex objects, constantly gamble, and above all just be public nuisances.
What this reminds me of is when people will use their self-awareness of “being a bad person” to avoid accountability of their actions. You cannot parade yourself around as the next best Disney Channel bully, claim it’ll get you girls, fame, and money, and then silently backtrack. Theroux leaves no punches in reminding them all just that.
A conscious choice Theroux makes is that whenever these men bring up a woman they claim to care about and show her off like an accessory, Theroux takes the time to look at them. He ignores these men and does something they would never do: humanize the human right in front of them.
See, what these men fail to recognize is they treat women like toys, and like they have been broken by feminism. And what? Is Andrew Tate calling me every name in the book while keeping me pregnant and locked away in the kitchen, going to “save” me? Let me know, Andrew, I can’t wait to start my new happy life!
The problem in this regard isn’t the women they keep around them; those women are obviously allowed to make their choices in how they live their lives. But who made it so that they could? Say it with me now: feminists.
The issue of the manosphere is just as much a women-hating issue. This is something Theroux tries to point out while asking these women if they actually like living these lives. These men would prefer if every woman lived that life. And if they don’t, they are berated and even killed.
I don’t feel bad making fun of these men. If you were stuck inside all winter with nothing to do but scroll on your phone, or watch the documentary, or read how I am describing them, neither would you.
These men are dangerous. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Through clips of the deplorable streams these men make, Theroux makes that clear. These are sad, pathetic men ruining the perception of so many young people.
If you are any of my family members reading this article, please watch this documentary. It doesn’t tell you everything, I know, but you would have had to have grown up watching the internet change to understand it all.