From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All
Ratings18
Average rating4.4
A groundbreaking book that pulls back the curtain on the terrorist movement no one is talking about Women's rights activist Laura Bates has been the target of many misogynistic attacks online: from hate-fueled Twitter rants to vivid descriptions of her own rape and even death threats. At first, the vitriol seemed to be the work of a small handful of individual men... but over time, the volume and consistency of the attacks hinted at something bigger and more ominous. As Bates followed the thread of online misogyny farther into the corners of the internet, the spiral of hateful and toxic rhetoric deepened until she found an unseen, organized movement of thousands of anonymous men wishing violence (and worse) upon women--the terrorism no one is talking about. Men Who Hate Womenexamines the rise of secretive extremist communities who despise women as Bates traces the roots of misogyny across a complex spider web of groups extending from Men's Rights Activists to trolls and the incel movement. Drawing parallels to other extremist movements around the world, including white nationalism, Bates shows what attracts men to the movement, how it grooms and radicalizes boys, how it operates, and what can be done to stop it. Most urgently of all, she follows the pathways this extreme ideology has taken from the darkest corners of the internet to emerge covertly in our mainstream media, our playgrounds, and our government. Going undercover on and offline, Bates provides the first comprehensive look at this under-the-radar phenomenon, including eye-opening interviews with former members of these communities, the academics studying this movement, and the men fighting back. By turns fascinating and horrifying, Men Who Hate Womenis a broad, unflinching account of the deep current of loathing toward women and anti-feminism that underpins our society and is a must-read for parents, educators, and anyone who believes in equality for women. "Men Who Hate Women has the power to spark social change."--Sunday Times
Reviews with the most likes.
Phew. A hard book to read but super important. I have to admit, it got overwhelming at times and sometimes I felt close to crying at how cruel people (in this case men specifically) can get. But still it was very informative and I recommend it.
Everyone should read this book.
I think, as is mentioned in the book, that a lot of people imagine incels to be a small group of unhappy men complaining about women on the internet. It's mind blowing to hear of the real size of the communities and how absolutely they believe their views.
The author states at the start that the quotes taken from forums, sites and direct messages/emails have not been altered in any way and it's absolutely shocking those words can come from seemingly normal members of society.
One of the most shocking parts for me, as a parent, was hearing how these communities target boys as young as 10 because they're easier to indoctrinate "before their minds are set". Hearing how they find them through online gaming and YouTube videos is just terrifying and makes me want to throw out every device in our house immediately.
So yes, this is a hard thing to read, but it's important that people understand how much of an issue it is so should be read by everyone.