Journalist's Year Dating Far-Right Men: Insecurity, Online Influence, and Misogyny

The "Monosphere" and Far-Right Ideology

• 💡 Journalist Vera Papisova spent a year dating far-right men in New York City to understand the "manosphere."
• 🎯 She found these men to be deeply insecure and lacking a solid definition of masculinity.
• 🧠 Their primary news sources are from the manosphere, leading to a narrow worldview and online radicalization.

Experiences on Dates

• 💔 Papisova went on 26 dates, including with a man who had previously sent her a death threat.
• 🗣️ One date expressed a desire for a time when they would be "hanging white liberal[s] in the town square."
• ⛓️ Another man stated women should be submissive and trained, viewing independent women as emasculating.
• ⚠️ A different date believed "acting out is asking for punishment," highlighting a desire for control.

Underlying Causes and Motivations

• 🧩 Many of these men feel lost and left behind, with ideologies built on perceived rejection and a desire to return to a past era.
• 💰 Papisova suggests that grifters exploit these men's feelings of dependency, selling them supplements and merchandise by fostering anger and resentment.
• 🚫 The frustration stems from women gaining choices and no longer being shackled to traditional roles, which they perceive as a loss of their own advantages.

The Nature of Their Beliefs

• 🚩 Their ideologies are often fueled by online communities that offer a sense of belonging but are based on racism and hate.
• 💬 The speaker argues that a single, kind conversation could potentially deter someone from seeking validation in such harmful online groups.
• 🚩 These men often fail to recognize that their desire for a return to traditional gender roles is not about natural order but about maintaining a superior position.
• 🚫 Ultimately, their desire is not for freedom but for the subjugation of others along lines that benefit them.