Spoiler Alert: Women are not the Problem
If you’re as chronically online as I am, you’ve probably heard the terms “Alpha/Sigma Male,” “Red-Pilled,” or “High-Value Man” get thrown around by young men online. Breaking it down, these terms are used to describe men who believe that they are above the rest of society, which has been “corrupted” by feminist ideology, and that they have “broken out of the Matrix” because “men can’t be men anymore!” This nonsense is studded with sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, and white supremacy.
The most notable person who spouted this rhetoric was Andrew Tate, who is currently imprisoned in Romania on Human Trafficking charges, as well as facing other legal issues regarding violence against women. Ironically, he was arrested after throwing a tantrum on Twitter about Greta Thunberg, a successful female climate activist, and unintentionally doxxed himself to Romanian authorities. Like a true alpha male, he now sits in prison after committing horrendous crimes against women.
Yet, so many young men still look up to him and believe that his imprisonment is an injustice. They believe that modern feminism has destroyed society and that a woman has no place asserting agency or authority over men. They have essentially become proud misogynists to spite “evil feminists” who want nothing to do with them.
You might be asking: How does this happen? How do men with such horrible, hateful messages gain such a large following and supporters? It is because they target their content towards insecure men who have mental health issues, difficulty socializing, or feel that they cannot be themselves in a culture that doesn’t allow men to be vulnerable.
They appeal to men who feel they have been passed over by society. Specifically, these men have been raised to believe that sex with women is a quintessential part of masculinity, but modern women who have “fallen victim” to feminism are rejecting them for no reason. They believe that women are innately inferior to men and that women who chose to reject “Alpha Males” are flawed in some way.
This type of rhetoric was born from the “Incel” (hyphenation for “Involuntarily Celebate”) movement, where a large group of men collectively decided that the reason women refuse to have sex with them is that women are inherently shallow and narcissistic and that it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with their insufferable behavior and blatant misogyny. Alpha males follow this same ideology but infuse more elements of toxic masculinity such as aggression, egoism, and emotional repression into their persona.
Looking at the social media posts these men make, it is clear that many of these men have struggled with childhood bullying, self-esteem issues, and toxic societal expectations of what a man should be.
Unfortunately, our culture is needlessly harsh towards men who choose to seek proper mental health treatment and therapy or choose “feminine” ways to express themselves. Many influencers in the “Manosphere” will actively discourage therapy or mental health care to their audience of mostly young men, a group who make up a large percentage of suicides annually.
These influencers have mastered the art of manipulating vulnerable young men and indoctrinating them into sexist/misogynist thinking. Many of these videos and posts appeal to these men by telling them that they are special, that they matter, that they are “high value” and should have confidence in themselves.
Then, they start to get into the checklist of what an “Alpha” or “high-value man” is: he is someone who asserts dominance over others, specifically over women, because anything to do with femininity is traditionally viewed as being weaker. He doesn’t take no for an answer, especially not from a woman, and he doesn’t bother with women who challenge his dominance or worldview in any way.
This is when you get into anti-feminist rhetoric. Influencers are convincing men that their bad luck with women is no fault of their own. You are not the problem at all, you are a high-value man who doesn’t need to change anything about himself! No, it’s the women who refuse your advances that are the issue! They are broken! They need to get put in their place by real men!
They claim women are too sensitive and call everything “sexual harassment,” that feminist women are brainwashed into believing they can be happy without a man, and that you shouldn’t want a woman like that anyway because she’s low-value. You don’t need to do any self-reflection or assessment of your behavior because the world already hates you for being a man!
I should note that a significant percentage of these followers were likely already sexists and misogynists, and they follow these “Alpha Male” influencers because they embolden their pre-existing prejudices. Furthermore, struggling with mental health issues is not an excuse to be a blatantly horrible, hateful person towards women or any other people.
Nothing about this ideology is harmless. Constantly demonizing feminism, justifying emotional and physical abuse, and degrading women lead to justifying the actions of pustules like Andrew Tate. Thousands of Tate fans genuinely believe that women deserve to be mistreated. They believe the delusion that the world is out to get them simply for being men, and they believe that Tate’s detainment is unjustified.
If you are a man reading this who has aligned yourself with the beliefs of “Red-Pilled Alpha Males” and believes that feminists are responsible for all your problems, you need to get a grip. Women are not the problem. You need to learn to deal with your insecurities and past traumas healthily and leave women out of it. Take care of yourself and take care of others, women tend to like those characteristics a lot more than your “alpha” persona.