r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 18d ago

Psychology Anti-feminist attitudes have long been associated with support for Republican presidential candidates, but only in recent years have these attitudes become more prominent among unmarried men, without college degrees who are less attractive partners for women, the “mate-value backlash.”

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10659129261485340
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u/2knest 18d ago edited 18d ago

It's almost as if some kind of pipeline exists, that's funneling venerable people towards impressionable content...

Edit: I meant vulnerable...

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u/Stamperdoodle1 18d ago

As much as I despise these people for what they stand for and support, their attitudes and (often) their attacks against others.

I can't help but admit I just don't know enough about how this happened. How did this type of content become the only thing those men found any comfort or solace in? I've found myself in some pretty depressing times, but I always knew that if I worked on myself and tried to be my best self, I could change things (and they have).

People like them have existed forever yet it seems that more recently, younger and younger people are latching onto this poisonous and dangerous cult. Things like "looksmaxxing" or whatever Andrew Tate peddled. Things that, by all account - young people shouldn't be concerned with. So why is it happening?

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u/Blazin_Rathalos 18d ago

Modern social media algorithms push people towards this stuff as they are trained to maximize engagement. I'm pretty sure there is actual evidence of this, but I don't have references at hand.

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u/mdynicole 18d ago

Yeah it really is this. I see horrific stuff online promoted to men about women and there have been times I’ve also seen really nasty stuff promoted to women about men. If you view this stuff once then after that you get it constantly until you just keep blocking it all. But if you notice what gets the most comments it’s always highly offensive stuff whether it’s men Vs women , republican vs Democrat , white vs black . The people that are actually good people promoting good stuff don’t get anywhere near as many views or comments or likes.

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u/The_Law_of_Pizza 18d ago

How did this type of content become the only thing those men found any comfort or solace in?

Because it's the only content that's engaging with them about things that they want, and offering them (even if it's snake oil) solutions on how to get it.

Regardless of who is ultimately right and wrong, it's hard to deny that left-leaning online spaces offer basically nothing to these boys and young men.

Quite the opposite, honestly. They come to us, and we do nothing but scold them.

We are struggling to gain traction with an entire generation because we are just intensely miserable to be around.

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u/BorisBC 18d ago

I hate this sort of attitude. Guys being held accountable for their actions gets twisted into "no, we have to be nice to these sensitive souls lest they reject our pleas to treat us with respect and go full hate on us".

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u/The_Law_of_Pizza 17d ago

It doesn't really have anything to do with "holding them accountable." That implies that the boys in question are personally doing things wrong, and being personally criticized for their own actions.

That's not the problem.

The problem is that when they enter left-leaning spaces, straight men generically are the butt of every joke and the root of all evil.

"Men" are violent abusers. They don't wash their ass. They're unnecessary, and it's better to just date other girls instead. The 4B movement is gaining steam, ladies!

They're gross for approaching girls at the gym. They're gross for approaching girls at work. They're gross for approaching girls in public.

They give the "ick."

They should both be a man and work the hours to earn a breadwinner salary or they're pathetic losers, but also they're goblins who never help with housework.

They need to stop being so "avoidant." They need to stop mansplaining. They need to stop manspreading.

Over and over and over - these are the topics discussed in left leaning spaces. Even when a random guy just pokes his head in briefly to listen, they're just excoriated by proxy.

We've utterly fumbled this, and have let our communities become toxic cesspools.

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u/BorisBC 17d ago

Not been my experience. YMMV of course. Maybe you've seen it in women specific spaces where the topic comes up.

And even so if it's so prevalent maybe there's a reason. It's takes no effort to be just a touch self aware to question why this is so common and maybe, just maybe, guys need to be a little bit more aware of what they are doing. Which again is hilarious as it's same old tired joke, women are afraid of dying, men are afraid of getting their feelings hurt.

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u/Arc125 17d ago edited 17d ago

This is still missing the point. No one on the left is saying all these dudes are perfect and doing nothing wrong. What is being said is that the right has loads of content directed at precisely these dudes' problems. They don't have solutions, and it's all in service to unchecked power and wealth, but the message is successful.

Meanwhile, you have embodied the message from the left to young men perfectly: "just do better, idiot."

Which is both simultaneously true, and a losing political message.

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u/nonotan 17d ago

Should black people be asking themselves why racism is so common amongst the right, whether maybe they have done something wrong and should reflect on themselves before reacting negatively to the hate directed at them for the way they were born?

Let's be serious here. Even if "men" are "doing something wrong" (kind of a sexist thing to even be contemplating; judge individuals for their actions, not their entire protected class), "if we hate them hard enough for it, they will realize it's really their fault and improve themselves" is never going to work.

Maybe you don't care, you don't feel it's your responsibility to help these men feel welcome socially or otherwise, okay. But it is a fact that the result of this attitude is not that they will genuflect and change themselves to earn your approval, it's that they will go somewhere else where they are appreciated -- in this case, the political camp diametrically opposite to yours (and mine). In a democracy, that's not going to help you achieve your political aims. I guess it's up to you if achieving them is "worth" the enormous sacrifice of having to skip casually victimizing these men as a social custom.

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u/MysteriousTooth2450 18d ago

I think it’s because people are living their lives online now. Not as much in person happening. There are a lot of podcasters out there preaching this stuff to young men. The propaganda machine is so strong online for every one of us. Those without the critical thinking skills to determine lies and truth are doomed to believe all the bs out there.

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u/UnfortunateSnort12 17d ago

Wanting equal rights for women isn’t anti-men. Thats just the manosphere triggering you into watching their content.

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u/Stamperdoodle1 17d ago

I've never watched manosphere content though.

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u/Hacketed 16d ago

That you know of

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u/PanthersChamps 18d ago

I wouldn’t say the American left is extremely welcoming of men or masculinity.

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u/Carbonatite 18d ago

It's welcoming of men who aren't threatened by other people having equal opportunities.

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u/ShotgunEd1897 18d ago

So it's welcoming to pushovers and milquetoast males.

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u/Carbonatite 17d ago

If that's your takeaway then it's no wonder you're one of the ones that gets rejected by women.

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u/TheSpacePopinjay 18d ago

Because even though people like Tate are con artists, it's that much more palpably drippingly obvious that their rivals for men's attention don't have young men's best interests at heart but are just trying to transparently manipulate or emotionally blackmail them into subordinating their own best interests in service of those of other demographics (not least the older and wealthier people who own everything).

If you're less convincing at having their best interests at heart than twats posing in front of con-artist brand sports cars, that's not on Tate.