The Weak Men

For far too long, society has failed men. We are taught to bottle up our feelings and “man up”, to deal with the insurmountable challenges not by seeking help, no, but by dealing with it and embracing the pain. Males make up around 50% of the world population, yet over 80% of suicides in the U.S. are committed by a man. 40% have never spoken to anyone about mental health, and this is harrowing. We often talk about feminism and closing the gender pay gap, and these movements by their own rights are justified. Women have indeed been disproportionately oppressed for the majority of history across all societies; they had to fight for their rights and autonomy. Yet, this does not mean that the pain and suffering of the other half of the world should not be a taboo subject. This isolation of men creates further division and creates a mindset vulnerable to attack. 

Photograph: Reuters

Over the past twenty years, we have witnessed the rise of “red pill” influencers. Notable examples include Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate, and Joe Rogan. These influencers (Andrew Tate in particular) post content on social media, giving financial “advice” and motivational content to their followers, many of which are under the age of 25 and have yet to reach full cognitive development. Fueled by the globalization of information and high-speed internet, these “role models” weaponize the psyche of men of which society has failed, and redirect their rage and frustrations on external factors. The internet stars often argue against woke ideology and claim that groups (especially women) are out to disenfranchise the everyday man and take away their identity as providers and protectors. 

As a fellow male, I am disgusted by the rhetoric paraded around so casually in their podcasts and Instagram reels. Have they no shame? It is an undeniable fact that the majority of their audiences are male schoolboys no older than the age of 13-16, who when not properly taught about their masculinity, naturally wander onto the internet and stumble upon these influential figures. I have to confess I was one of them. One summer day, I clicked on a video of Mr. Tate, he was talking about how men were at the bottom of society, we work, we toil, and then we are discriminated against and ridiculed by women who only play with our emotions and lack humanity. His strong words slithered into my ear, and they stayed there. He told me that feminism was the scorn of the earth, that the ideology itself aimed to empower only the female and nothing more. I was scared, I was alone, I was vulnerable. Fortunately, I realized what trap I had gotten myself into and asked this question, “Am I OK with a philosophy that fundamentally goes against everything I stand for: equality?” This was an all too familiar story I have heard, with a large amount of my male friends, many of which are still indoctrinated with Mr. Tate’s ideology of hatred. 

Whatever culture or religion one hails from, it is an undeniable truth that women and men are equal. We have our differences, but we have more similarities. We both feel we are both human, and we both long for relationships and connections. It is abhorrent for anyone to claim that we men will somehow be targeted by the entire half of society and that they wish to destroy us from daily life. We live in a modern society, where stereotypes are merely stereotypes, not facts. Men are not simply stern and stoic, and women are not all emotional and unstable. These qualities do not belong to either gender. Rather, they are shared across all identities, and those who behave or act differently than others should be respected. 

Mr. Tate often criticizes certain men for being “weak”- whether it’s for not seeking material wealth, social superiority, bodily fitness, or dominating their relationships. Yet, Mr. Tate is the embodiment of a weak man. He is so insecure that he projects his hate and frustrations on the internet, hoping to resonate with other men, and pinning their own failures and laziness on other social movements. He is a weak man because he takes advantage of women, text logs and calls show that he has manipulated women into working for his new business, and has admitted to enjoying his material wealth. He is a weak man because he is a classic bully; a person so full of hate for themselves that they seek fulfillment in misogynistic activities that negatively impact the youth. 

Now, boys who were already vulnerable before are suddenly fascinated with toxic masculinity, with dominating and “owning” their partners, and with ways to display aggression to LGBTQ+ groups and feminist movements who are simply fighting for their freedom to work, love, and express themselves. Mr. Tate is weak because he fails to understand the consequences of his actions, and how childish they are, maybe that is why children are so drawn to him because he emulates their psyche. A man-baby with 6 packs talking about telling his girlfriends to “shut up and let him work”, smoking Cuban cigars that corrupt his lungs and that will hopefully destroy his ability to spit out abominations that are his thoughts. 

The youth need to understand that their masculinity is not being attacked- nothing that makes them who they are is being targeted. The false state of emergency red-pill influencers are preaching about does not exist. It is just that they are sad, that they do not know how to control or understand their emotions. One extremely simple way schools and governments can solve the red pill epidemic is through education. Teaching students, male or female from a young age that it is indeed okay to cry and feel sad, that it’s more than acceptable to be vulnerable and discuss their frustrations can encourage positive mindsets and remove the chances of alienation between genders. Men can be men and boys can be boys-but they need to understand that vulnerability is strength, and that hate is weakness.