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.
@hellkell:
I hope it isn’t an auto-biography, because restraining orders can really only be issued when you can show evidence of abusive behavior. Ignoring the hyperbole, the rest can and probably would happen only when dealing with a particularly abusive partner (losing custody, being forced out of the house, having to pay for medical bills incurred by the abuse or legal fees, etc).
It’s so weird. They must assume that women need men to validate their existence, otherwise they wouldn’t expect anyone to care, right? They seem to genuinely believe that they’re going to knock womankind down a peg by announcing that they won’t date anyone. I really can’t begin to wrap my head around it.
@bunnybunny:
Which is pretty hilarious considering that they are removing themselves from the dating pool because they aren’t getting the attention they believe they deserve. Basically, it’s all more projection.
The last guy I dated claimed women are privileged because all they have to do is say they’re scared or someone is stalking them and a man gets arrested and charged and his life is ruined. He actually claimed that if I approached an officer of the law and said “I’m scared of this guy” that he would be arrested, charged and would lose his career. Because apparently I have that power. I can make police officers do things and everyone believes everything I say because vulva.
He also claimed women never get arrested because they start crying and police officers feel sorry for them. Never worked for me, I tell ya that much!
Another gem was, based on remarks read on the Internet, he was certain if he were murdered by an intimate partner they wouldn’t be charged as she could just claim he was an abuser and she did it in self defense therefore it’s practically legal for women to murder male intimate partners. It happens all the time, apparently! Never mind the number of women slaughtered by their intimate partners every day. Let’s freak the fuck out about this unevidenced hypothetical based on fucking Internet commenters!
What a fucking loser. He and Jim should eat Cheetos and mutually masturbate. Pass the Kleenex!
Are all MRAs failed fiction writers?
“Once upon a time…”
It never ceases to amaze me how many people can start spewing faerie tales about How Things Happen without any evidence or support or citations and just believe people will take it as self-evident. Especially concerning easily disproven things like court proceedings, law, and speaking as though the anecdote was an Actual Thing that Happened to Someone instead of shit they pulled out their ass.
Although I must say I’m also concerned about the calibre of feminists on this website. You are all too damn awesome. I mean, I’ve been away nearly a year and you’re STILL this awesome?? Wtf.
kirbywarp: there’s a pretty good chance that guys with this mindset are in fact abusers.
I don’t fucking believe this. Last night, I checked this thread for necro trolls, and HE POPPED UP THIS MORNING. I swear, my thoughts made it happen!
And I think I speak for everyone when I tell Jim: “cool story bro.”
I never thought I would give this advice to anyone, but if Jim could learn to write like Dan Brown, that would be an improvement.
Jim should aim to sound less like the end speech from Falling Down. Yes, Jim, you are the bad guy.
@ LBT
Can you try to summon a more interesting/original troll next time? Maybe if you concentrate super hard.
RE: cassandrakitty
I promise, the next one I summon will be a psychic MRA tripping balls and talking about his special man castle surrounded by male-only guard dogs and soul infantry.
Just so you know, I’m saving that for your next writeathon.
I wonder if they’d write better if they were tripping balls. It would be hard for their writing to get any worse.
Even if that was how restraining orders work (it isn’t, and I sincerely doubt that a guy with these attitudes hasn’t given a woman reason to feel scared), I wonder how Jim feels about Stand Your Ground laws, which do actually work like that.
From here.
RE: Unimaginative
Just so you know, I’m saving that for your next writeathon.
That will be a very, very special story, I can assure you.
“Just… I gotta keep out the YIN you know, or it taints my karma, man… that’s why I’ve got the spirit-Doberman guarding my psyche palace…”
I was slightly disappointed MRA wasn’t referring to Magnetic Resonance Angiography, Because that shit saved my life.
Now I’m just amused. Aren’t these guys just precious?
As someone who was banned from “Men Going Their Own Way” for trying to explain to them why I make decisions as a game designer, this website made my week. So awesome.
– 2012 “Mangina of the Year” (after only 4 posts… in January.)
I don’t see a problem with avoiding women altogether. I mean — there is nothing in it for men anymore.
M, thanks for coming to a feminist website, where there are a lot of women, and take the time to comment that you believe it’s okay to avoid us. We’re fine with that, we just wish the MGTOWs would actually, you know, just go. And stop whining to us about how they’re avoiding us.
Okay M. On your way. Good riddance. Rest assured none of the female population will miss you.
Yay! As a feminist in Alabama (talk about your duck out of water), it’s so refreshing to read similar opinions. Not in that they validate my own, but it lets me know that I am not alone. I have been obsessed and disturbed by this whole MGTOW and MRA movement. I could definitely understand if they were genuinely trying to improve things for men, like challenging the “tender years rule” in custody cases, etc. But it really just seems like a shit ton of incredibly angry men (along with people like Diana Davison and Karen Straughn) patting each other on the backs for making rape jokes.
I am exhausted from defending myself, my friends, my beliefs, and the fact that I adore men, just not the ones who believe that I owe them something. I am baffled that we still have to say things like: I don’t hate men, I am not angry, I don’t think the world/or man (funny how these particular individuals think the terms are interchangeable) owes me a damn thing. What I do think is that I could give two flying fucks about someone’s personal feelings towards me or my gender as a whole. I have a right to my body, and I have a right to be paid for whatever work I choose. How is this even arguable? Why is such a basic notion even being debated?
I would bet my right tit that if we were to trade out the word “women” for an ethnic minority in their vitriolic diatribes, the ACLU, the SPLC, Al Sharpton, Jesse, and whoever else would descend upon them and shut them down as a hate group. I guess we still aren’t considered people with inalienable rights, just commodities like the women in Aphra Behn’s 18th century plays. Donkey balls:(
Wow…so you think women are human beings and you get called mangina. Meh….been called worse.
“I don’t see a problem with avoiding women altogether. I mean — there is nothing in it for men anymore.”
Even this little comment speaks volumes – what is ‘it’ exactly? Women, or perhaps just body parts? Anymore? Is that since women started to gain ground in the workplace, politically etc – as in having equal rights?
If you actually DID avoid women altogether your comment at least would be acceptable in that way, but just a quick look at a MGTOW site showed me that the topic of most interest to MGTOWers is paying for sex. So in fact your, or at least many of your ‘brothers in struggle’, time is certainly spent with women, in the most exploited relationship possible.
It’s funny, isn’t it, how “avoiding women” somehow doesn’t include paying for sex. Or endlessly complaining about us.
How can we miss they if they won’t go away?