We need to understand the manosphere to confront it

As Netflix’s Adolescence’ sparks global conversation on the most insidious corner of the internet, Olivia Petter looks at how misconceptions might be making it far more dangerous

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A man’s world can change the second he opens his phone or laptop. Women want to be raped by a high value man” is a thesis they might find explored on the popular Red Pill Reddit thread. Another post is titled The mistake of needing permission to approach” and details how men should coerce women into being with them without their consent.

It could also change if he listens to the right podcast, like Fresh and Fit, hosted by Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes, which has

shared YouTube clips titled “Why this generation of women makes terrible wives” and “Why women who have IG while having a man are bad GFs!”. It also once tweeted from its official account: “Why do women deserve less? Because simps, the government, and society as a whole pedastalizes women for having a vagina. Give them less so they respect you and give you more. Everyone else gives them more so you don’t have to.”

These are the meandering roads that lead to the manosphere. By now, you’re probably familiar with the term. This might be thanks to Andrew Tate, the self-described misogynist currently facing charges for human trafficking who once argued that women who’ve been raped should “bear responsibility”. Perhaps it’s down to Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist with more than 8 million subscribers on YouTube, who staunchly opposes gender equality. Or it’s courtesy of Adolescence, Netflix’s viral hit about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl.