WTF is a MGTOW? A Glossary

On this blog, MRA does not stand for Magnetic Resonance Angiography

NOTE: This page is in desperate need of revision and expansion. In the meantime, I suggest you use Rationalwiki’s Manosphere Glossary.

For newcomers to this blog, here’s a handy guide to some of the strange acronyms and lingo you’ll encounter here and in the “manosphere” in general. (For a definition of that term, see below.) I will update this entry periodically as needed.

First, the acronyms you’ll see most often here:

MRA: Men’s Rights Activist
MRM: Men’s Rights Movement

MGTOW: Men Going Their Own Way MGHOW: Man Going His Own Way.

Ok, so what do those terms mean?

MRM: The Men’s Rights Movement: A loosely defined, but largely retrograde, collection of activists and internet talkers who fight for what they see as “men’s rights.” Unlike the original Men’s Movement, which was inspired by and heavily influenced by feminism, the self-described Men’s Rights Movement is largely a reactionary movement; with few exceptions, Men’s Rights Activists (or MRAs) are pretty rabidly antifeminist, and many are frankly and sometimes proudly misogynistic. Those who oppose the MRM are generally not against men’s rights per se; they are opposed to those who’ve turned those two words into a synonym for some pretty backwards notions.

MGTOW: Men Going Their Own Way: As the name suggests, MGTOW is a lot like lesbian separatism, but for straight dudes. MGTOW often talk vaguely about seeking “independence” from western and/or consumer culture, and a few MGTOW try to live that sort of zen existence. But most of those who embrace the term have a deep hostility towards and/or profound distrust of feminists and women in general. Many MGTOW refuse to date “western women” and some try to avoid women altogether.  I think the Man Going His Own Way acronym MGHOW adds another layer of confusion to an already awkward acronym, so I use MGTOWer instead.

Some other terms and acronyms you’ll run across here:

Anglosphere: Countries in which English is the primary language, or, more narrowly, those countries that used to be British colonies. They are full of evil Western Women (see below).

Incel: Involuntarily Celibate. A term, and identity, adopted by some dateless guys (as well as some women, but it’s the men we’ll focus on here). While there is nothing shameful about being dateless, or a virgin, or having a really long dry spell sexually — most of us have been there at some point — the term “involuntarily celibate” seems to suggest that the world owes incels sex, and that women who turn down incel men for dates or sex are somehow oppressing them. For those (male, straight) incels who are genuinely socially awkward or phobic, this can be a self-defeating stance that can lead to bitterness towards women. And often does.

Mangina: Derogatory term used by MRAs, MGTOW, etc. to describe guys who disagree with them — e.g., me. You can figure out the various connotations of this term yourself.

The Manosphere: The loose collection of blogs, message boards, and other sites run by and/or read by MRAs, MGTOW, and assorted friendly Pick-up Artists. The primary source of material for this blog.

NAWALT: Not All Women Are Like That. Dudes in the manosphere make so many ridiculous and untrue generalizations about women that they’ve come up with their own little acronym to describe the most common reaction to their nonsense: “not all women are like that.” Remarkably, many seem to think that making a reference to NAWALT is actually some sort of clever rebuttal of their critics.

PUA: Pick-up Artist. PUAs are obsessed with mastering what they see as the ultimate set of techniques and attitudes — known as “Game” — that will enable them to quickly seduce almost any woman they want. There is a vast literature on “game” online, though PUA (insofar as it is not complete bullshit) is at its essence simply a male version of the age-old ploy of “playing hard to get.”

Western Women: Also known as WW. Evil harpies, at least according to many in the manosphere. Contrasted with “foreign women,” a term that (in the manosphere, at least) sometimes refers to all women outside the Anglosphere, but often refers to a subset of these women from poor and/or Eastern countries, mostly Asian, who are regarded as more pliable and thus more desirable to haters of “Ameriskanks” and other WW.

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titianblue
titianblue
11 years ago

Holds mirror up to Andi – rocgnise anything, sweetie?

titianblue
titianblue
11 years ago

^ or recognise, even?

Ally S
11 years ago

All I was pointing out was that, having visited avfm, it is obviously more reasoned and there is more grown-up debate and discussion on the forum.

If you call blatant misogyny, victim-blaming, rape-apologia, and horrendously-bad straw men
“more reasoned”, then I’ll gladly call myself less reasonable.

Also, while arguing sometimes takes place here, overall this is a place for mocking dipshits
like you and your AVFM buddies. Didn’t you read the goddamn title of this blog? Perhaps
you were too busy trying to make yourself sound like some cool rational intellectual. Or
whatever.

The avfm people say that you are scared to debate with them because you can’t, you just make a lot of noise. Your reaction to my comment indicates that they are right.

Unfortunately, the MB community isn’t monolithic, so there isn’t just one reason folks here
don’t want to have debate with AVFM folks. I, for instance, don’t want to argue with them
because they’re awful people who do nothing but make the same shitty and already
debunked anti-feminist arguments.

You seem to indulge in a lot of convoluted mental gymnastics to try and give intellectual weight to a position that is actually emotional, not intellectual. As an outsider I can’t help but conclude that there is some sort of group delusion thing going on here.

Emotional thinking and intellectual thinking are not mutually exclusive. Granted, emotions can
hinder some forms of reasoning, but just because there is an emotional investment in the
topic doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to have a reasonable, intellectual debate.

Oh, and more shit about “group delusion.” Thank you for enlightening us, O Perfectly
Objective Outsider. (Funny how the acronym for that is ‘POO’).

It isn’t about winning an argument, it’s about learning, developing and seeking human truth.
I am not a MRA or a feminist and I will take what truth I can get from either group.

“Truth” among the MRM. You seem to be living on another planet.

Ally S
11 years ago

Oh god, that formatting is horrible. X_X

titianblue
titianblue
11 years ago

Witchy kitty likes “ritual sacrifice”

http://instagram.com/p/erM_gNl-_q/

but witchy kitty is sad that Andi live

titianblue
titianblue
11 years ago

oops, premature posting.

Witchy Kitty is sad that Andi lives in looking-glass world.

http://instagram.com/p/erNlFGF-_6/

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
11 years ago

Wow, it’s so weird that people here aren’t interested in debating the question of whether women are people and whether they deserve rights. I wonder why that could be?

lionicle
11 years ago

Oh nice, a new debate in an old post

kittehserf
11 years ago

Oh yes, Paul Elam, the man who would vote “not guilty” in a rape trial even when he was convinced the (male) defendant is a rapist.

The man who posts pictures of bloodied women and advocates slamming a woman’s face into the wall and then making her clean the mess.

Yeah, really reasonable, thoughtful adult you’ve aligned yourself with, Andi.

Hmm, I’m getting a feeling of deja vu. Could it be because I already mentioned Elam’s desire to see women brutalised before and Andi didn’t bother responding?

lionicle
11 years ago

All I usually find when debating mra’s are statements of what they consider to be moral fact, and expectation of me to prove the opposite. For some reason they never have to prove what is moral and immoral, it is always on me to prove my case. I find arguing with them tedious because they constantly put words in my mouth and spit back the exact opposite statements I made as if they were my argument. There’s no sense in it for me at this point. Every time I find myself doing it I just kick myself and mourn the hours I just lost.

kittehserf
11 years ago

Good summary, lionicle! I seldom bother arguing with any of them, and wouldn’t dream of going to their sites. Fuck, as they say in the classics, that noise. (Where’s Argenti when you need something translated into Latin?)

In much more important news than anything Andi will ever come up with, Maddie has found another new spot to curl up – the very end of my bed. She’d better watch herself, or she’ll slide right off, gravity being the treacherous thing that it is.

Andi
Andi
11 years ago

“Is it the shortage of oxygen on such a high intellectual plane that makes Andi babble so?”

Well that comment illustrates rather well what I’m trying to point out to you.

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
11 years ago

The conversation goes like this.

“Prove to me that women are not in fact all lying, false rape accusing, misandric bitches.”

“Why? That’s absurd.”

“See, this is how feminism oppresses men. I bet you want to spermjack me too.”

“Again, why?”

“Enjoy your cult you lying, brainwashed whores!”

kittehserf
11 years ago

You’re a dreary little twerp, Andi, you know that? Stupid, too. What part of “mockery” don’t you understand?

But I’ll put it simply: if you support Elam & co, who want to see women raped and brutalised and lose even the minimal support the law now offers, then you are a misogynist. You hate women. And that means it’s not worth debating anything with you: it means you’re fit for nothing here except derision and contempt.

Stay and be mocked or fuck off, it doesn’t really matter.

kittehserf
11 years ago

Here’s Maru, more entertaining than Andi Pandy could ever be.

http://youtu.be/jLHWsUoDy-4

titianblue
titianblue
11 years ago

“Is it the shortage of oxygen on such a high intellectual plane that makes Andi babble so?”

Well that comment illustrates rather well what I’m trying to point out to you.

Really? Does it? and I thought I was just mocking you for acting oh so intellectually superior when nothing you said was true. Silly me. 😉

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
11 years ago

Even just his paws are adorable. If you want us to pay attention to you, trolls, please follow his example and try to be cuter.

Andi
Andi
11 years ago

Fascinating responses.

The problem the feminist movement has, though, is that planet earth exists and the mens rights movement has many valid points that feminism is trying to shout down rather than address. That strategy is obviously what this website is about. Anyone who has different views to feminist orthodoxy must be sidelined as a misogynist because the movers behind feminism don’t want the lower orders receiving ideas feminism can’t handle.

The strategy is obvious, shout misogynist loud enough and call dissenters rapists and the public won’t see how feminism doesn’t work long term.

I am not attempting to win an argument with you or have my ideology compete with your ideaology. I don’t have an ideology.

Personally I think you need to up your game and get your brains out of the student common room circa 1977.

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
11 years ago

I’d say that if the planet we all live on didn’t exist that would be a much bigger problem for feminists (and everyone else).

Viscaria
Viscaria
11 years ago

“Is it the shortage of oxygen on such a high intellectual plane that makes Andi babble so?”

Well that comment illustrates rather well what I’m trying to point out to you.

Uh oh. Friends, how will we ever be taken seriously by people who hate us if we don’t do exactly what someone like Andi demands of us when zie strolls in off the street? Zie is simply trying to share zis wisdom as a rational, unemotional, impartial 3rd party robot from the future, and we are rejecting that good advice.

Viscaria
Viscaria
11 years ago

Zis=zir. I was writing and I was like “what’s the possessive in this particular group of pronouns? Have I never used it ever? I guess I’ll have to invent a new one!!! Man, this seems like an awkward word.” 9_9

Ally S
11 years ago

Anyone who has different views to feminist orthodoxy must be sidelined as a misogynist because the movers behind feminism don’t want the lower orders receiving ideas feminism can’t handle. The strategy is obvious, shout misogynist loud enough and call dissenters rapists and the public won’t see how feminism doesn’t work long term.

No one is saying dissent is misogynistic. We’re just calling out MRAs and similar folks for being misogynistic. Fucking pay attention instead of being a smug, ill-informed dipshit.

Personally I think you need to up your game and get your brains out of the student common room circa 1977.

Yes, because all of us are second-wavers. Not.

Personally I think you need to not be terrible at reading comprehension and basic observation.

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
11 years ago

Random – what little I remember of 1977 consists of earth toned clothing and the adults being drunk a lot.

Andi
Andi
11 years ago

“Stay and be mocked or fuck off, it doesn’t really matter.”

No it doesn’t. So I’ll be off then. I’ll leave you to wallow your bitter and twisted little world…..

Viscaria
Viscaria
11 years ago

Fascinating responses.

Indeed.

The strategy is obvious, shout misogynist loud enough and call dissenters rapists and the public won’t see how feminism doesn’t work long term.

Lbr for a second: We call rapists rapists. Myself, I call people who disagree with me lots of different things, and some of those things aren’t very polite, but I’ll only call them rapists if they also happen to be rapists.

I am not attempting to win an argument with you or have my ideology compete with your ideaology. I don’t have an ideology.

Of course.

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