Newsletter: The Cult That Sounds Like Good Advice
The manosphere is radicalizing us one reasonable idea at a time
The story is too common. A young man, seeking help for his social anxiety and post-adolescent awkwardness, joins an online forum that seems to offer reasonable advice.
The seemingly friendly and encouraging men offer him advice.
Stay educated, read books, exercise, and take responsibility for your life.
Many cult groups use good advice to draw people into their worldview; if they started right off with the bizarre, problematic, and unpalatable beliefs adopted by core members, very few people would join.
A young man seeking direction will not be told that he is about to be radicalized into a harmful, misogynistic mindset where men are entitled to dominate and control women.
But many young men today are indeed drawn into the trap of the “red pill,” a dangerous cultic belief system (taken from the Matrix series) that provides an appreciable portion of the cult surrounding Donald Trump.
This week, we have a double offering: first, my March blog post on Psychology Today, What Cults Teach Us About the Manosphere, offers a basic insight into how online masculinity movements use cult tactics to radicalize young men.
Then, for a deeper dive, this week’s post for my paid Substack subscribers, Why the Manosphere Sounds So Reasonable at First, I explore the complete story of how so many young men are being seduced into this dangerous worldview, the broader socio-political implications of the “red pill” movement, and what can be done to undo the damage.
It’s an important look at some of the materials used as gateway persuasion.
Paid subscribers have full access to the archive, including extensive resources, comprehensive guides, expert interviews, and insightful articles, such as:
The Anatomy of Love Bombing — “The feeling was addictive, she told me. This was what belonging felt like. She’d forgotten all about her apprehensions regarding the church. The things she hadn’t forgotten that still bothered her, she said, felt much less tangible than the family she thought she had found.”
Breaking Through Thought-Terminating Clichés — “One day, you raise a sincere concern in the coaching group you have begun to trust and are met with uneasy smiles from your new friends and the phrase, ‘Please just trust the process.”
Online Radicalization with Data Scientist Dr. Stuart Shulman — “They were not necessarily true stories, but they were told in ways that were compelling and even addictive and invited others to participate.”
This week’s regular livestream will be on Wednesday, April 1st, at 2 pm EDT. I will comment on No Kings Day protests, the AI documentary I saw, the war in Iran, and answer your questions.
On Friday, April 3rd, at 2 pm EDT, we will have a special guest livestream with journalist Christine Gralow. Christine is an expert on Tulsi Gabbard and the Science of Identity cult of Chris Butler.
Missed last week? Check out both recordings here.
Trump Supporters Are Waking Up - Wednesday, March 25th
Is Trump Addicted to Attention? Neuroscientist Explains - Friday, March 27 with Special Guest Frank George, PhD
There was a No Kings Day protest this past Saturday, March 28th, and I was there on the Boston Commons with some 180,000 people and livestreamed! Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Senators Markey and Warren, and so many other speakers were there. The Dropkick Murphys played and rallied everyone. You can see my three-part footage here:
Part one | Part two | Part three
This Week’s Cults, Culture & Coercion Podcast
Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
Comedian and author John Fugelsang joined me to discuss how Christianity has been hijacked by Christian Nationalists, right-wing Conservatives, and Dominionists. As we discuss, it’s not the teachings of Jesus that are the problem, but how they are twisted and misused by certain factions for political gain.
Listen on Apple | Spotify | Watch on YouTube
Read my Substack post about the interview here.
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
I was living in NM from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, a prime time for the self-help movement especially men’s support groups. I never attended such groups but did attend gender specific meetings that were quite helpful to me at the time.
Early on I saw how “guruizing” Robert Bly and talking “men’s issues” books without the presence of well educated and experienced professional psychological guidance was hazardous. I witnessed people I considered friends become so infatuated that I let our friendships fade.
The so called men’s movement seems to have been fertile ground for what has become a pathocracy. Reminder that the early part of the 20th century saw many of “he-man women haters clubs” (thank you Little Rascals, seems they never grow up without professional help that is). In Japan women are still seen as essentially filthy partly because menstruation and childbirth. Men are pure. Hence no women in the sumo ring. We see this everywhere.
A hammer is a tool that you can use to create something of lasting value or hit people over the head. Logic is a tool.