How online toxic masculinity is shaping politics worldwide • FRANCE 24 English

This is apppropo. There’s no excuse for online abuse. That’s the message from the United Nations on this the international day for the elimination of violence against women. This year campaigners are focusing on online platforms and say this form of violence poses a serious and rapidly evolving threat. Here in France, activists are warning that an increasing number of young men are subscribing to narratives that seek to normalize and legitimize hatred of women. As James Fazina reports, their ideas are spreading online via social media. While toxic masculinity isn’t new, as it came about in the 1980s in North America, it’s gaining attention and appealing to some younger men today. Those relaying its ideas say that they’re oppressed and are losing out as gender equality progresses. A report by France’s High Council for Equality Between Women and Men has warned about the issue in the country. There is a polarization happening among some young people. On one side, there are women embracing feminism. On the other, there are men who are adopting harsh sexist ideas promoted by those who spread toxic masculinity as well as reactionary and politicized movements. The report states that 45% of men under the age of 35 believe that it’s difficult to be a man in today’s society. And that includes a 19% increase among 15 to 24 year olds over the past 2 years. Meanwhile, 13% of 25 to 34 year olds believe that being a man is difficult, but being a woman is easy. And these ideas are leading to a change in attitudes. Still, among men under the age of 35, 53% think it’s important to know how to fight and 46% believe that it’s wrong to show their emotions. The council has advised that an awareness program be put in place for all young people. [Applause] It says that it should educate them about respecting others and preventing sexist and sexual violence. For more, we’re joined now by Marielle Barnes, assistant professor at the Lafallet School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Thank you so much for being with us on the program. You’ve actually studied the so-called manosphere and its rising influence on politics particularly in the United States. What exactly is the manosphere and is it contributing do you think to rising rates of violence against women? Yeah, so the manosphere is a collection of online uh websites, blogs and forums that are really united behind this idea that men are subjugated in modern society. They call this the gyocracy and they blame women essentially for that subjugation and it’s been around now for about a decade a decade decade and a half and it really started in about 2008 um and then has subsequently really taken off once we’ve seen web 2.0 come about in terms of like social media. So, Twitter, Reddit, um, Blue Sky, Instagram, those kinds of websites. And it’s had an increasing influence on politics both in the United States, but also elsewhere throughout the world. But it does predate the rise of kind of the far right. But uh far the far right has been very successful in kind of co-opting this toxic masculinity rhetoric and incorporating these men who think they’re agrieved in modern society into their movements. And what kind of role exactly then has technology played in how this manosphere as we call it operates? We saw warnings from the UN earlier for example. It says technological development has exacerbated some kinds of violence as well as creating others such as non-consensual image sharing, doxing, deep fake videos, that type of thing. Yeah, technology has played a huge role in the rise of the manosphere. So, previously before we had the internet, if you were a man and you held these kinds of views, it would be very hard often times to find other people who would also hold these views. And so the internet’s provided this communication channel for other men to find men who think like them. And then it kind of becomes an echo chamber where you’re constantly talking to each other and relating stories about how you’ve been discriminated against and um uh hurt by women. Um and so like that, you know, increases the legit the legitimacy of your claims in your mind. And then also with the rise of social media, we’ve really seen kind of this ability for men to connect and also the ability of the manosphere to draw new men who maybe don’t think like this into their web. And so this has really become a problem with kind of social media algorithms. So if you take a clean social media profile and you’re a young man, it only takes I think about seven uh recommendations before you start seeing this kind of toxic masculine content. uh on YouTube or on Twitter. And so maybe you don’t believe it initially, but if you watch enough of this, all of a sudden these kinds of um ideologies become start making sense to you and then you watch more of it and you seek out more and more content. It also makes it seem like these ideas are mainstream um and that these ideas are accepted within broader society. And so then it becomes easier for you to express those ideas publicly and express them um on you know social media as well. And another layer we’ve seen you know in the last year or so particularly artificial intelligence. Is that amplifying the threat here? Are we seeing more examples of this kind of violence directed towards women? It might be a little early with AI to see what the um implications of that are. It is concerning that AI is so obsequious to people and is so agreeable and so if you talk to it about your concerns as a man um then it will probably most likely agree with you. But we do see that like social media and like these communities are more violent and advocate for violence against women particularly in the US like gun violence, mass shootings. um often times uh mass shootings that are targeting women are celebrated within these communities and so it becomes kind of more normalized to commit these acts of violence against women. And you said a little earlier that the rise of of the manosphere and this kind of toxic masculinity, it predates the rise of the alt-right. How do the two play into one another? Yeah. So in my research um we gathered a whole bunch of um websites to do with the manosphere and really they start peaking around 2012 2013 and if we look at the rise of kind of particularly in the US of the make America great again movement th that starts kind of starting to peak in or come rise in about 2014. And so, um, what we hypothesized happened is that the, uh, Make America Great Again movement actually incorporated misogynistic rhetoric into it to, uh, gather these men kind of together, um, and, you know, incorporate them within the movement. The other thing I think this does is that um misogyny is very mainstream and very common in today’s society or sexism is at least. And we off we also hypothesize that misogynistic rhetoric like this has been used as kind of a gateway rhetoric into other hateful ideologies. So white supremacy, anti-semitism, anti-LGBTQ uh rhetoric. And so like once you hate women, it’s then e much easier to hate other groups within society as well. And so incorporating the mannerosphere into kind of the far-right and alt-right rhetoric was very easy and a very easy way to build a coalition for a lot of these groups. And the UN says this form of violence, this kind of violence that we’re seeing on online platforms, it’s increasing partly due to weak technological regulations. So why are regulators so slow to act? Why aren’t they being forced to bring in more regulations to monitor this kind of activity online? I think it’s often a lack of understanding about how this technology is going to be used against women. So um revenge porn like no one initially would have conceptualized that when um it was happening and so slowly regulators were responding to that. Nowadays, we’re looking at other forms of um technological violence against women. So, smart home technology is often used against women to control like thermostats and blinds and locks on doors. Um we’re seeing um AI being used to create pornographies or deep fakes and regulators just often don’t have the full picture of what is the technology is going to be used for. They’re not thinking necessarily in nefarious ways as many in the manner sphere are and like are think regulators aren’t thinking about how could we hurt women um because they’re trying to do their best. Um and so like that’s why they’ve been a bit slower I think to like implement laws and implement regulations to stop this kind of violence against women. And we hear a lot, you know, about younger men and we saw some of the statistics in James’ report earlier. They’re feeling victimized, you know, when it comes to their relation with with with women. But is this something that is confined only to younger men or is it just because they’re more exposed to the internet and they have more time to spend online? I don’t think it’s confined at all to younger men. You often see older men in the manosphere having similar problems with in the relationships. You do have some manosphere participants who think that they should not date women at all actually because women in their in their words are leeches. Um and so their strategy is just to avoid them entirely. But dating in general is fraught within the mannerosphere and it’s often times about taking advantage of women. Um, and that’s where you get uh groups like pickup artists as well. And that it is their philosophy is to sleep with as many women as possible. And they’re you learn techniques about how to get women and how to have romantic interactions with women. I won’t call them relationships because they’re not relationships. And so it is a broader uh range of men than just young men, but oftentimes I think young men are the most prominent and maybe the most loud and that’s why they get the most attention. And why do you think we’re seeing such a big backlash against women particularly in the US? I think part of it is a normal cyclical um pattern that we see. And so across the 20th century, there’s been moral panic about the decline of masculinity and the decline of men’s roles at multiple times. So in the 1920s, in the 1980s and so part of it is just this natural uh push back against like um progress for women and gender equality. I think though at the same time people have certain people have realized that this uh rhetoric and these ideas and this ideology are motivating and this is a way to get uh young men out and voting and participating in the political uh process. And so if you can motivate people um that’s very good for some politicians, right? And so that’s also why we see like an increase in rhetoric, an increase in young men participating um and an increase in young men participating in voting for the right. Um right after the US election, we saw that there were a whole bunch of young men who were chanting, you know, your body, my choice, uh regards to abortion rights. and seeing that Donald Trump’s win was really kind of um a triumph against feminism and gender equality. But I think oftentimes this rhetoric is motivating and so that’s why we’re seeing it being used. Mario, we’ll have to leave it there for now. Thanks so much for your analysis and for all of that information. That is Marielle Barnes, assistant professor at the Lafallet School of Public Affairs. Thank you.

Toxic masculinity and its incarnation on digital spaces, the so-called manosphere, seeks to normalise and legitimise hatred of women, and more and more young men are subscribing to these ideas. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks with Mariel Barnes, Assistant Professor at the La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, about the impact they are having on politics worldwide.
#ToxicMasculinity #GenderViolence #Technology

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50 comments

  2. Men, if I were a woke feminist, I'd change the rhetoric. Because misandry sold as protection for women… isn't selling… read the comments

  7. Women talking about Men problems, typical and then they sit there and say there is toxic masculinity, God i hope all of these women end up alone with cats

  9. Insecure narcissistic men like Tate, Trump, Musk and others are the one poisoning young insecure kids instead of educating them and they come up with generalised examples to promote their ideology. Toxic feminazi ideology is equally dangerous and most feminazis i have met had narcissistic traits too

  11. Such biased, disingenuous and misleading reporting here. Where is the toxic femininity piece? Toxic behaviour exists ob both sides. But go on, reporting like this just creates and exacerbates the problem. Seems intentional.

  12. "Toxic" masculinity is a natural reaction and direct product of your toxic woke agendas. The more you try to push your extreme ideology on others who don't accept it, the more extreme of an opposing force you're going to create. Your programs don't and won't help.

  13. For all the comments, toxic femininity is not linked to unaliving men or putting them in the er. The irony is that men are equally negatively affected by toxic masculinity, like muslims by radical islam.

  14. How about women just date women and stop having any relationship with men? Would we still be worrying about misogyny? I don't believe so. Ladies, just date your fellow women. Red pill and manospher are here to stay, whether you like it or not. We don't want women in today's society anyway. Who cares!!

  16. I was a victim of women-driven subjugation, but now I am divorced and finally at peace. I will never dare enter a relationship with a woman again. I made that promise to myself after multiple torturous relationships. I’m a single dad now, and I advise my son to keep his relationships with women strictly surface-level and never get emotionally entangled. Women are not friends, they always prioritise their parents, and they will turn you into a subordinate to their family. They are skilled emotional manipulators who can pull you apart like an addictive drug. When I look back, I see myself as a small slave, addicted to sex, addicted to emotional manipulation. Now my guard remains permanently up, and I am reluctant to talk to or engage with women at all. If I feel even the slightest emotional pull while speaking to one, I cut off all interaction immediately. Sometimes I think there should be a warning label on women: “Approach carefully. Highly addictive. May induce self-destructive behaviour.”

    I don't agree with the manospheres guys, they are straight up criminals and i advise all parents to keep check on their 12 years and above male children.

  17. Men should never marry. If you want companionship, keep it temporary,(continue if you find an exception). if you want a child, consider surrogacy. Having a child is a powerful, beautiful and awesome experience, but you should only do it if you are absolutely sure you can raise the child alone. Never depend on a woman beyond the first few months to a year, because the child will need the mother’s milk , yet most women today are not patient enough to sustain that. Many will push you toward formula, which is why any expectations should be set clearly in advance.

    Marriage itself is nothing more than a legal weapon you hand over when you are emotionally vulnerable and unable to think clearly. She will eventually use it to extract money from you, even though every woman claims she would “never do that” if separation happens.

  18. There's no such thing as toxic masculinity. The same masculinity which makes men do risky stuff, makes them rescue someone or do heroic things. So stop with your leftist bs

  25. I’m from the US and I’m a very right wing republican and never had I heard a man celebrate a mass shooting against women!
    Generally women are not the targets of mass shootings.

  26. Young men ? This is equally bad with middle aged men who are frustrated and hate women.😢

  29. I don't know how this discussion will envelop, yet something the world desperately needs less of is more polarization! Women taking to the streets or in public discourse to protest against men or men in their bubbles online to complain about or look down on women or how their own role in society in relation to women ought to be helps nothing to solve the issue. Personally, my experience with groups of friends in high school has realized me that the most stable ones are of mixed genders. Usually these are the most mature, not ones of predominantly men(/boys) (and likely not predominantly women(/girls) either). When a sharp divide occurs, it only leads to more lopsidedness, usually on either side!

  32. Your financial decline is only the beginning. Bientôt la France s'effondrera !!!! 🧐 Vous avez violé, assassiné, réduit en esclavage et pillé des millions d'êtres humains africains, et il est temps d'obtenir réparation !!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🧐 Votre crise financière n'est que le début.

  34. Everything we do as humans beings has consequences.

    If men spread hate against women and desire to strip their fundamental rights away, women will remove themselves from the picture and leave men alone to deal with their difficult feelings. Luckily, the nature of feminine is simply to step away, instead of mirroring the male nature of violence and death.

    Before an angry man comes around replying "meh are we not allowed to have feelings, then?". Yes Larry, you are allowed. But we deal with them like civilized people in therapy or at least not causing harm to others around us.

    If after all, women stepping away means that men will come after us and cause greater harm, only after that we might start thinking about organising an army.

  36. You women deny an unconditional right to die, you are against full autonomy. Now u complain that you can't spread legs and kill unborn babies.

  39. I say, men have been ruling this world for at least 4000 years…and has been BS: violence, war, abuse, more violence, more wars…. Why don't we give females a chance? It might be just what we need.

  40. The video seemed to blame men for everything. I always wonder why these videos never want to contend with women's actions and hold them accountable. What if the manosphere has a point? Should it not be discussed and brought to light? If a majority of women and feminism are creating certain harms in society, bring on a manosphere person and let's talk about it 🎉 Sure men should do better, but women should be better. That's just my opinion. 😅

  45. Thermostats are often used against women. Are they really often used against women, or do you just figure a hacker could change a thermostat. Any women out there been the victim of thermostat bandits? Seems like a big bunch of nonsense.

  48. Lol the irony of this story is almost too much to bear

    This story brought to you by uber-global mass media outlet that uses term “far-right” literally every single day but also never finds ANYTHING to call “far-left”

  49. Worldwide atheism, Darwinism, Eugenics garbage!
    Now both sexes have lost their identity, falseley believing misogynism will now fix it!

  50. saddest thing ever. broke my heart. my soul.
    ill never want to date a man ever again.
    they are not allowed to know me or get close to me ever again

Comments are closed.