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.
@WWTH
Yeah, I was born out of wedlock, many of my cousins were born out of wedlock, my niece and nephew were born out of wedlock. According to shit for brains none of us exist.
Who the hell is Kate Millet?
Wait, you don’t mean Katie?
What? The Thayans are going to put the hurt on the MGTOW? The Forgotten Realms sure changed for 5th edition.
The cultural shift in attitudes about marriage and family in the US (I’m guessing you mean US when you say ‘this country’ since it’s usually only Americans that assume everyone else online is also American) are certainly interesting. I don’t think it’s any kind of Armageddon situation though, just a shift in values and priorities. My fiance and I are a good example of this. We don’t live together, because we both own our homes, and we haven’t set a date because the situation as it is makes the best financial sense. I’m sure things will change eventually and we’ll move in together and get officially married, but we’re in no rush, ya know?
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/09/24/record-share-of-americans-have-never-married/
“Among those who have never been married but say they may eventually like to wed, three-in-ten say the main reason they are not married is that they have not found someone who has what they are looking for in a spouse. Nearly as many (27%) say they are not financially prepared for marriage, and 22% say they are too young or not ready to settle down. There are no significant differences between never-married men and women in this regard.”
“Many never-married young adults are not “single.” According to Pew Research analysis of the March 2013 Current Population Survey, about 24% of never-married Americans ages 25 to 34 currently live with a partner. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, among women who first cohabited at age 25 to 29, their premarital cohabitation relationship typically lasted about a year and a half (17 months). Research finds that after one year, about three-in-ten young adults get married, 9% break up the relationship and 62% continue cohabiting. By the third year, nearly six-in-ten (58%) married, 19% broke up and 23% remained in the relationship.”
Wow, it’s all the way up to 40 now? That’s quite the bounce back after falling to 25 from 30. So I’m not past my expiration date, I’ve got almost 9 more years! Yay!
@sunnysombrera
My feminist friend Katie tells me there are several “decoy Katies” within the feminist movement. She’s sneaky like that.
kirbywarp: Well, we can always hope for a quick flounce.
Goodness gracious, what’s next? Valerie Solanes? Step up your game, kp.
@KP:
Ooh ooh, do tell us feminists what the inner workings of our philosophy is, that’s sure to win us over!
But let me guess, without looking. Is this the one where someone’s sister reportedly went to some communist group type thing where they pledged a whole bunch of anti-male anti-family stuff? Lemme go check…
Ah ha ha, so it is, so it is! Man, I haven’t seen MRA-style trolls bring that up in ages. You’ve triggered some serious nostalgia, KP.
But seriously, “commie” isn’t quite the same buzzword it used to be. The red scare is long, long over except in the minds of some extreme right-wingers. So without the bite of “communist” and “atheist,” what are we left with? A story about a feminist that attempts to put super-spooky-scary intentions behind legitimate civil rights movements.
I’m so convinced right now people, not even joking. So convinced. Convinced is the word that describes the state that I currently am in.
Yup.
Oh, I haven’t seen that Mallory Millet essay in years! Good times, points awarded for nostalgia.
This does tie in nicely with the earlier assertion that we were all going to be sorry when we weren’t married by a certain age. Mallory Millet said that the founders of NOW were gathered in a kitchen, chanting about how they would bring down patriarchy by destroying the American family and monogamy. If feminism is intent on destroying the American family and monogamy, why would a board full of feminists care about whether or not we get married? Either or before or after we hit the wall at 40?
What a boring troll you are, defending yourself with a quote that wasn’t actually from Ghandi, who was actually not a very good person at all. In fact, he was a rape apologist, victim blamer, and he slept naked with his teenaged grand-nieces to “test his ability to withstand sexual temptation”.
Yeah. Ghandi wasn’t a great person, and even if he said that, I personally wouldn’t listen.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51k-sEzl7PL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
All of us silly feeemales will be sorry once men collectively decide to leave and not grace us with their presence anymore! We’ll all be sorry that we won’t be assaulted, raped, beaten, harassed, and treated like walking fleshlights for the delight of sexist assholes everywhere!
We’ll all be sorry when all we’re left with is decent men who are feminists and feminist allies! Oh the tragedy!
One, someone already pointed out that marriage isn’t the only way to be in a relationship with someone. Nor is it the only way a couple can have kids. They can adopt, have babies out of wedlock, etc. My uterus doesn’t stop working simply because no one’s put a ring on it.
Two, please specify what you mean by “this country”. (I’m assuming you mean the United States because like someone else said, no one outside of our narcissistic country does that.)
Stop raising the wall-hitting age! I’m happy having hit the wall now so you fuckboys will leave me be!
Also, stop trying to be cute with the scare quotes. You’re not the keeper of ladydom.
Does anyone remember in those cheesy 80s and 90s cartoons when the villain rubs their hands together after explaining how they’re going to destroy the hero-du-jour while cackling about how “Yes, that’s how we’ll destroy them!”?
Because that’s all I could picture.
Then how about you finally go the fuck away? Us “females” don’t want you here. You’re clingy.
So…you like to go to strip clubs in what I’m assuming is the United States?
Thing about that story, though, is that there are nuances. Like, “promoting” homosexuality by just making it not a big deal will indeed change the relationship between men and women, if only because you can no longer describe relationships with gendered roles. There is no “husband and wife” in a homosexual relationship, so in your new model of marriages that includes homosexual couples there is no room for the old hierarchy based on gender.
It’s certainly not destroy families, it’s enabling more types of them to exist. The only thing it destroys is the conception of a family as a master husband and a submissive wife.
Likewise, promoting “promiscuity” (meaning sex outside of a marriage) changes the sexual relationship between men and women. No longer is sex only about babies (as if it ever were), and therefore the roles of sex are no longer solely about the creation of said babies. There is no longer a “baby maker” role and a “sperm shooter” role because sex is no longer defined by pregnancy. Instead, the roles become two (or more) participants of equal worth and agency.
It’s not destroying the sex that men and women have in a marriage, it’s destroying the model of sex that used to exist in the “traditional” gender roles.
Get past the scare words, and you start to understand why that meeting happened in the first place (if it happened at all the way Mallory describes). It’s not because communists were aiming to destroy America; it’s because of the true core feminist belief about redefining societal gender roles and roles in relationships to something much more equitable.
And even if Kate Millet and her band of merry communists were trying to destroy America and capitalism, and thought that all they’d have to do is take down gender roles first, here’s a fun fact. They were wrong. Capitalism is still going strong, fueled by an oligarchy that might finally be confronted directly in the upcoming presidential election (go Bernie Sanders go!), and communism is still a fringe ideology.
Turns out the economic and political system could adapt to the changing social system.
If I could give you a cookie, Kirby, I would.
That was wonderfully put.
@kp
Oh you MGTOW trolls are my favorite. Your entire ‘identity’ is based on non-existant premise, that someone, somewhere will give a shit that you have ‘vowed’ not to associate with feeeeeeeeemales. When everyone is encouraging you to do what you ‘threaten’ to do, ya might wanna re-examine your group’s goal.
Bonus points if you come up with Nostradamus-esque imaginary ‘doomsday’ scenarios.
Oh that’s rich. Let’s take a look at your first quote:
See? Your goal is that ‘going your way’ will somehow cause pain to people. A hilariously misguided fantasy, but one that definitely shows that you do, in fact, care about how others feel about you.
@Kirby
Your eloquence and wit is a delight to read XD
It’s funny, this is the exact reaction i expected to get on here. Yet no one has made a case as to why groipd like MGTOW isnt good for men. All ive noticed was a bunch of gibberish and shaming language here as rebuttles. Oh boo hoo the women race wont miss me when im gone. Thats so laughable because my personal life tells me women need me all the time. More specifically my bank account. Now that ive opened my eyes and tajen the “red pill,” i only have to chuckle when i see responses like this. Because i know its coming from someone who can’t see past him/herself. If im jusged negatively by selfish people, i can safely say that your opinion matters to me about as much as the shitpile my dig leaves behind. I’m still checked out relationship wise and i couldn’t ne happier about it. So thank you all for just reaffirming my beliefs.
Oh and to discredit someone like Mallory who actually witnessed the events starting 2nd wave feminism just makes you look silly. Iive all the responses im getting. I’ve obvioisly hit a nerve with you manginas/white knights/simps/feminazis.
kp, I think everyone here is actively encouraging you and any man who wants to GHOW to, you know, actually do so. So there’s no need for us to make an argument about why it would be bad for men. Please. Any man who wants to should absolutely GHOW, whatever going his own way means to him. In your case, it means… coming here to bitch about how evil feminists are, for some reason I’m not clear on? You can elaborate on that, if you want. Or actually, you know, go your own away, away from here.
It’s one of my favorite kinds of troll: “I acted like a complete ass and everyone got annoyed! I KNEW this would happen!”
by ‘personal life’ I think you mean ‘buddy on MGTOW forum’.
Sorry to break it to you but that doesn’t actually happen in real life.
*mod hat on*
kp, have you read the comments policy? You might want to consider this bit in particular:
Be funnier or GTFO.
*mod hat off*
@Moocow
I think he meant the fact that he has to pay women to pretend they can stand him.
Does anyone else notice how most of his typos are the sort you get when you type so fast your fingers don’t quite reach the intended letter and hit one or two aside instead? It’s like he’s literally:
http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m61cysdQfk1qgtjf8.gif
I don’t know why I’m even dignifying this with a response, but here you go. Married men live longer and are healthier http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/marriage-and-mens-health
That doesn’t mean anyone should marry if they don’t want to, but the claim that marriage hurts men is empirically false.
@WWTH: Which direction does causality point there? Is it just that men with self-destructive lifestyles end up not being married?
“I knew you guys would get mad if I came in here and was boring and unoriginal! Checkmate, feminists!”
If a man wants to Go His Own Way, I say let ‘im. That’s his choice, and we feminists are all about allowing people personal choice as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. And Going Your Own Way certainly wouldn’t harm anyone. If you feel like your life is so much better elsewhere or without women, then go there and don’t have women in your life. Do Svidaniya. Au Revoir. Sayōnara. You do what’s best for you, and that’s good for you.
I don’t know why you’re expecting us to convince you to stay. Or care that you’re leaving.
*wee woo wee woo*
Oh, snap! It’s the Tone Police!
I don’t know what you expect us to say when you literally admit that women only want you for your money.
Personally, I think it’s kind of sad that your personality is so repellent that you have to pay women to like you. Or that money has to be involved in any way to make them tolerate you for any given length of time.
Maybe you should work on that, but I doubt you’ll give a shit what I have to say simply because “feeemale”.
Yeah, we’re so selfish because we legit want you to Go Your Own Way already. How terrible we all are that we say if it makes you happy to Go Your Own Way, you should do it.
We’re so selfish that we don’t care about some random dude on the internet telling us that we don’t care about men. [/sarcasm]
Funny, we care just as much about some random shitweasel on the internet.
Kay. Bye. You can leave now and go be happier about not having us feeemales in your life. Shoo.
Yeah, we can’t disagree with other feminists! Because hive mind or something! (All hail our Feminicommunazi Overlord Katie)
Yeah, we’re so wounded that some guy we’ve never heard of on the internet doesn’t want feeemales in his life and wants to Go His Own Way. [/sarcasm]
Wait, what was that you said earlier? About “shaming language”?
Yeah, that’s it. I guess it’s totes okay when YOU do it, but when WE do it, it’s a sign that we’re spouting “gibberish” and have no “rebuttal” to make in a debate none of us are really participating in.
Personally, I’m just here to swat the Low-Hanging MGTOW Fruit with the Mallet of Mockery.
It’s fun. And easy. And I’m bored.
… I literally can’t figure out what he meant by “Groipd.”