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.
Don’t care. Fuck ’em. I hope they go far far away on their own. I hear Antarctica is nice this time of year and there are hardly any women. Go south young man!
PS. Saying mocking sexism promotes sexism is like saying mocking the Phelps cult promotes homophobia, you stupid PO sexist S.
You are saying their complaint with women is that they make fun of sexism? You are either ignorant or dishonest.
“I don’t intend to marry a women, for they are harpies what sap the vitalities of man that flows like the ichor of gods through their testes”
“Oh, okay”
“YOU HARPY, YOU MISANDROUS rapscallion, you scurrilous wrench, you pox-marked blathering half-human uteri!”
Law class must be really boring if the debates about “the movement” of “MGTOW” is being “discussed seriously”.
What’s there to discuss, exactly? “These people don’t intend to get married because they feel that their lives are valuable without women” is not exactly a transgressive statement of import. It’s just a social idea. I guess somewhat technically like lesbian seperatism, by theme if not content.
Anyone viewing this would literally just think “oh, okay”. The more terrible connotations are always only there because people stubbornly don’t, and treat this earth-shattering idea of some men not wanting to get married as the BACHELORACLYPSE. It’s funny exactly because the people who go their own way very, very pointedly never go their own way. This isn’t some massive social movement against some sort of conspiracy, it’s just some people deciding not to get married or seek permanent relationships, which is honestly fine. There’s been a tradition of people doing that for almost all of human fucking history, right from monks to nuns to ascetics to sceptics to hermits to pillarists. It’s not that big a deal. There’s no movement to discuss.
What is worth discussing is the jump from “I don’t want to be in an intimate relationship because I value my own indepedence” to “because any relationship with a devil-succubus would have her sucking my precious freedom from the marrow of my bones, as all women are part devil and practice the Blackest Arts of the Half-Moon Children underneath the swirling kaleidoscope of foreign stars, and their baleful predations on the energies of Man is ever a threat valiant, heroic figures must struggle against to break and bar the tidings of the Uteri-Bearers”.
Sorry, I slipped into some sword and sorcery scenario there for a minute.
Do you also spend time discussing hermits, the pillar sitters of old Byzanthium, ascetics, monks, hedonists and libertines who foreswear monogamous relationships? Probably not, because few of those allow you to randomly get upset with women.
PS. The female prof story and the feigned apathy smacks of bullshit. Pull the other one whiny mansplainer.
In other words, “Tone it down, ladies, otherwise you’ll confirm the movement’s portrayal of you as vicious harpies!”
1. Who cares?
2. Misogynists think we’re terrible no matter what we do.
3. We might as well have some fun with it.
I hardly think the MGTOW movement is gaining traction because we’re being mean to it. The larger public really doesn’t care. They’ve never heard of MGTOW. If they do, they’re likely to back slowly away from the toxic stew of rancid beliefs and think to themselves “wow, that’s really sad and messed up”. MGTOW isn’t a private live-and-let-live lifestyle choice. It’s another in a long series of attempts to loudly, publicly punish women for existing and having mating preferences and stating their opinions.
Which is pretty much what you’re doing, NYU, when you lecture us on optics and tell us to sit down and behave, like we’re wayward children.
Somewhat related. One time a troll told me that racism is my fault because I object to racist jokes and that his WOC wife totally agrees with him.
What is it about this thread? Why does it keep getting trolls? Is it the header link? Because it says “MGTOW” in the title?
Also, I’mma put the bear hat on my icon.
A lot of the people posting don’t seem aware that it’s a glossary and not a post specifically about MGTOWs.
Just found your site! Excellent!!
NYUactive:
Thanks for letting everyone know how to do social justice activism the correct way. What would people have done without you here to inform them of how to do things correctly? I’m sure lives of many people here at WHTM have been enriched by your comments.
(there may have been a wee bit of snark in the above response)
I am a 32 year old woman and singlemother from Germany and slightly shocked- about the DENIAL you are living in.
This movement is not just an Internet campaign set up by some desperate, misogynist men that can’t get laid.
This has to be taken VERY serious because thats what it is. “Men’s rights”? That alone made me furious.
Yes, MEN do have RIGHTS, NEWSFLASH!
Feminism has done a lot of good- but a whole lot BAD for society by blurring the line between sexes and get passive-aggressive bitches to think women can equal men.
We never have, and never will be equal.
Don’t you See how hypocritical it is to ob Women’s Rights and “Men’s Rights”?
By belittling those men, turning them into a JOKE you’re not proving them wrong but YOURSELVES.
Are you so blind you can’t see how lost those men feel, alone, unwanted, misunderstood and punished JUST for their very nature, for bring MALE?
WAKE UP Ladies!
That was written by a man imo. It started off sounding like a ‘Gretchen’ from Germany (LOL at the name) but then they suspiciously started to have a dig at women very quickly (standard, predictable, boring MRM move) to the even more predictable women will never be equal. Pmsl. Then they end it with a cringeworthy ‘men are lost, alone, misunderstood and punished for being male’ crap. Mission failed you fucking loser. Thanks for the laugh though! Must try harder.
We didn’t turn MRAs into jokes. They did it to themselves.
I’m sorry, it’s a little hard for me to hear the poor lost misunderstood innocent lonely lambies bleating underneath the firehose of hateful “women are evil and repulsive and need to be punished/abused/treated like children for their own good” rhetoric issuing from the MRM.
If you’re trying to claim there’s a pony underneath all that manure, you need to clean up your own stable first.
Gretchen
Oh! What poor, misunderstood beings! I never knew how much they suffer while they make more money than me, and get more respect and better treatment than me! How they suffer while I am being blamed for being raped because I had a little bit to drink! How tormented they must be while they can beat me and then ask/tell me what I did to deserve it! Poor, poor, men! [/sarcasm]
Yeah, they’re totally “misunderstood and punished” JUST because they’re male, and not because they’re terrible human beings who think women are out to sperm-jack them and all feminists are shrieking she-demons who want to crush their manhoods under our stilettos.
It MUST be because they’re men, and not because their “activism” consists of terrorizing women on a regular basis, while they simultaneously don’t care about the rights of male rape/abuse victims, gay men, transgender men, or men of color (Unless it’s to throw it in a feminist’s face as a very lame “gotcha”).
It MUST be because they’re men, and we’re just so MEAN for picking on them instead of trying to be nice, and see things from their distorted point of view, where women are nothing better than glorified dishwashers/baby makers and caregivers/sammich makers with vaginas for them to please their boners with.
We’re such terrible people for not trying to see/do things THEIR way.
Pull the other one, “Gretchen”.
Why not?
Entschuldigung. Sie sind ein wenig geirrt. Angst essen Seele , vielleicht Tee trinken und entspannen?
Gosh, I was all set to disagree with Gretchen, and then I remembered that she is female and suddenly I agreed with her instead.
Have you read this site in any depth?
“Men’s rights” is being put in quotes because the vast majority of them are not actually doing anything to help protect men’s rights. It’s not being put in quotes because we don’t believe that men have rights or issues.
And this demonstrates exactly what problem we have with antifeminists and MRAs. They keep claiming that women are inferior.
Gretchen, that’s not very nice. Are you really saying that it’s in men’s nature to be rapists, abusers, and harassers?
All right, but which ladies should we go wake up?
Haha. That pesky direct address comma. Gets ’em every time.
We really just need to be nice to them! Really!
All MRAs and MGTOWs are secretly Anakin Skywalker, just waiting for someone to love them out of their Sithly and genocidal misery.
(I would drop in a sarcasm gif, but none of the ones I’ve found are quite big and neon lit enough…)
I have to admit that I kind of love the “We shouldn’t treat men like lesser beings; it’s women who should be treated like lesser beings!” line of argument.
I suspect that Gretchen is a sock for Masha from the 7 Tactics of Highly Effective Harassers. (Masha was the newbie who told us that we needed to start doxxing MRAs in retaliation.) I suspect that Gretchen and Masha were one and the same because both ended their posts with “Wake up Ladies/Women,” and both forgot the direct address comma.
This site is just the best! I´m serious, I´ve never found a site that I love as much as this one. The articles are awesome, the people are awesome, everything is awesome!!!
Did anyone mention that crazy red pill/blue pill shit? Like we all live in the Matrix and women are agent Smith? These people are insane.
MGTOW and happy here. As it turns out, bicycles don’t need fish either :). Enjoy your cats. That is all.
If you were really going your own way, you wouldn’t be here. Turns out some bicycles get really mad when fish don’t need them.