Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Alex Otieno
Second Advisor
Favian Martin
Abstract
In a world of incels, pick-up artists, and other Men’s Rights Activists, friction between the so-called Manosphere and contemporary feminist thought has led to documented violence with regards to American mass shootings. Starting with the violent outbursts of disaffected young men, I will work backwards to the point of contact between the man and the Manosphere. This piece seeks not to draw a connection between radical MRAs and violence – the mass shooters draw that connection themselves in their manifestos by outlining their dissatisfaction with society as it is, and particularly with what they perceive as a politically correct and anti-male society. As outsiders we purport to know the why of this violence, the motives of the actors. But this thesis seeks out the intrigue of the Manosphere from the members themselves, as influenced by neoliberal feminism and neoliberalism more generally. By examining both the rhetoric of MRA ideology and the feelings of the individual men who have participated in this community, we can discern why these radical movements appeal so strongly to men in particular and from where this discontent comes. Beyond that, I will lay a framework for a prescriptive approach toward remedying this discontent and, in the absence of its source being removed, diverting alienated men from the path of radicalism.
Recommended Citation
Price, Emily, "We live in a society: Violence and radicalization in the Internet Manosphere" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 4.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/soc_anth_cj/4
Included in
American Studies Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Political Economy Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Media Commons
We live in a society: Violence and radicalization in the Internet Manosphere
In a world of incels, pick-up artists, and other Men’s Rights Activists, friction between the so-called Manosphere and contemporary feminist thought has led to documented violence with regards to American mass shootings. Starting with the violent outbursts of disaffected young men, I will work backwards to the point of contact between the man and the Manosphere. This piece seeks not to draw a connection between radical MRAs and violence – the mass shooters draw that connection themselves in their manifestos by outlining their dissatisfaction with society as it is, and particularly with what they perceive as a politically correct and anti-male society. As outsiders we purport to know the why of this violence, the motives of the actors. But this thesis seeks out the intrigue of the Manosphere from the members themselves, as influenced by neoliberal feminism and neoliberalism more generally. By examining both the rhetoric of MRA ideology and the feelings of the individual men who have participated in this community, we can discern why these radical movements appeal so strongly to men in particular and from where this discontent comes. Beyond that, I will lay a framework for a prescriptive approach toward remedying this discontent and, in the absence of its source being removed, diverting alienated men from the path of radicalism.