"My Brother Is So Far Gone": How Male Influencers Turned The Men In Their Lives Toxic

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adeonibada/andrew-tate-fresh-fit-podcast-kevin-samuels-toxic-male

A beloved brother who suddenly supports violence against women, a dad who minored in women’s studies and now wants to murder “effeminate” men, a boyfriend who starts making misogynistic jokes. We asked our readers how toxic male influences have changed the men in their lives, and they responded with disturbing stories.

Supporters of the “alpha male” ideology — a term adopted by the manosphere to describe what they consider the ideal version of manhood — were dealt a blow when rising star Andrew Tate was deplatformed across several social media sites in quick succession in August.

The former kickboxer and purported self-made millionaire found infamy online as one of the top influencers in an ecosystem of toxic male figures by defending traditional Western gender roles and preaching the gospel of misogyny. He and other creators like him position themselves as life coaches, teaching hypermasculinity and “hustle” culture — through social media, podcasts, videos, and online courses — to millennial and Gen Z men. Tate, influencer Kevin Samuels (who died in May 2022), and Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes of the Fresh & Fit podcast successfully built careers selling the idea of the dominant man to millions of followers while trafficking in anti-woman and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

These figures are seen as compelling to their followers because they are perceived as “anti-mainstream,” said Dr. Lisa Sugiura, author of The Incel Rebellion: The Rise of the Manosphere and the Virtual War Against Women and a professor who studies the crossover between gender and cybercrime.

*snip*

[harumph]

1. No woman wants them, so they rationalize it must be her

instead of them. Just toxic losers. They have no love in them.

[Haggard Celine]

2. It's a shame that politics come between family members,

but there are some that I avoid, and politics are part of the problem. It wasn't like that when I was a boy. There were always different attitudes regarding politics, but it wasn't considered so important back then. I don't remember anyone in the family being shunned because he/she was a Democrat or a Republican. I blame people like Rush Limbaugh for the state of our relationships in our families, and the people in Washington continue to make the situation worse. Then Trump came on the scene and people are talking about actual war against each other. I so wish we could go back to the time when politics didn't really matter.

[Sky Jewels]

6. Now it's not really about "politics," though.

It's not like, "Well, s/he's fiscally conservative and I'm not, so we're just on different teams" like it was a few decades ago.

Now it's about basic human values. It's about whether someone considers themselves superior to others because they're male/white/right wing/Christian or whatever differentiator/s they focus on, and then beyond that, if they think that others [i.e., their "lessers"] should receive different and worse treatment in society. That's not trivial stuff.

[Haggard Celine]

9. The GOP is being taken over by these Dominionists.

They have been plotting to take over the country for a long time, people just weren't informed about it. One would think that religious people would be supporting efforts to feed people and find ways to get them a roof over their heads. But no, these assholes have no compassion, which is supposed to be a Christian virtue. They're acting more like antichrists.

[maxsolomon]

3. Reminds me of the Tom Leykis show

taught men techniques that purported to get you laid, like eating before a date so you'd just order an appetizer or drink and the woman would feel like she couldn't order the steak...

one day his bullshit was on KIRO-FM (IIRC) in Seattle, and then it wasn't.

[GenThePerservering]

5. I remember him

Also remember thinking that his success rested upon his choice of women as either incredibly naive or seriously broken...and young men with no idea of what they're doing. No woman with her head on straight would ever have fallen for his juvenile and transparent attempts at manipulation. They also depended on the outmoded idea that men pay for women on a date - yeah, sure - that's a great way to end up on the hook - no, thanks. He's nothing more than a disgusting predator.

KIRO dumped him and that was that.

Also, he's an ugly looking bastard.

[Rebl2]

4. This type

of male can go to hell. tfg normalized this type of behavior-not to say it wasn’t there before he became prez.

[ismnotwasm]

7. I've been following this shit for years. It has proliferated widely, but it's not new.

We even had a little Mens Rights Activists brigade here on DU for a bit.

They are more than toxic, they are malignant and malicious seeing how there is no such thing as a “alpha”, women no longer need men to provide and protect.. * noting that it was other men women needed protection from in the first place.

Sick fuckers, kind of a social throwback for men who don’t care enough to evolve. Women with internalized misogyny can be found in there sphere of influence of course, generally however, they are a dead end.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R