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.
EJ,
At the link it says there’s an indication that marriage is the cause of at least some of the correlation.
It also that in 1980, men with highly educated wives were more likely to have heart problems. Twenty years later men with highly educated wives had fewer heart problems. Another way feminism is good for men.
@WWTH:
Thanks. Direction of causality is a minor bugbear of mine. Apologies for snapping at you about it.
@M:
Remember what badboy taught us? Men only use spelling and grammar when they’re trying to pick women up. Since he isn’t here to pick up women, his spelling is naturally going to relapse.
I think he meant “group”, if I’m reading his context right. He wanted us to make some sort of “case” as for why MGTOWs are bad as a “group”.
I mean, I could have talked about how they hold toxic views about gender, masculinity, and a woman’s “place” in their lives, but I couldn’t be assed for some random jack-off on the internet who came in here with this idea that he was going to come in and be all “right” and stuff and make us all regret the day he and his internet buddies decided to Go Their Own Way (by going to a feminist blog to tell feminists how awful and selfish we are for making them Go Their Own Way and how sorry we’ll all be once they finally decide to leave).
Better than the kind of “typos” that were deliberately typed in an attempt to make it look like YOU’RE LOSING CONTROL DUE TO RAGE AND SOON I’M GOING TO SNAP AND GO ON A RAMPAGE AND THEN WON’T YOU BE SORRY!1111!!!!!!!!!!
@Pandapool
Hah, I see. I forget that I need to turn my brain upside-down to understand the plane of ‘logic’ they come from.
@KP:
Maybe because you never asked us to explain how MGTOW isn’t good for men. All you did was spout armageddon nonsense and demand we refute it. Which I seem to recall I attempted to do, out of kindness.
:O
(just skip to 2:30 to hear my response)
“Now that I’ve accepted this ideology, I’ve learned that I can ignore anyone who doesn’t agree with me because they can’t think outside of their own box.”
Wow, what a spectacular lack of self-awareness. This must have been on purpose. Tell me this was on purpose.
If you’ll notice, my response didn’t actually rely on Mallory’s account being true or false. All it depends on is that Mallory’s description of the activities of a few feminists didn’t set in stone the exact core ideology for all feminists ever. You can admit that, can’t you?
Oh right, you can’t, because if we disagree with you, we aren’t being rational. All those arguments and evidences must just be farts in the wind blowing gently through your skull, I guess.
The cynic in me wants to say it’s because hetero marriages often end up enacting traditional gender roles even today, so that men with wives have someone caring for them physically and emotionally in a way that men without wives don’t have.
The less cynical part of me wonders if just having a partner is what makes the difference: someone who shares the burden of domestic chores (which are often physically demanding), provides emotional support, and may notice you’re sick or “off” before you do.
Why on earth do MGTOWs think women are going to suffer from a narrowing of dating options with the withdrawal of men who were never in the dating pool to begin with, due to their repulsive attitudes about women and marriage?? That makes no logical sense whatsoever.
Here’s an example. I just cleaned out my basement last weekend and got rid of a bunch of rusty, cruddy old junk that was just sitting around taking up space. Now, the basement is clean and well-organized. Here’s the crucial part: I have exactly the same amount of available stuff as before. Only now, I don’t have to wade through broken tools and splintery boards and mouse turds to get to the item I’m looking for. I don’t have to risk tetanus and hantavirus and bruises and cuts simply because I brushed up against the wrong thing.
The prospect of MGTOW fills me with the same giddy glee and sense of satisfaction I get from looking at a basement where everything in it is functioning and understandable and no longer out to get me. Go, MGTOWs, go. The landfill awaits. Leave the dating pool to people who actually want to be in it.
(Disclaimer: men, of course, are not items to be stored in a basement to be used at the whim of women. Just wanted to make that clear!)
I give up 🙁
1 more!
Buttercup Q Skullpants said: “Why on earth do MGTOWs think women are going to suffer from a narrowing of dating options with the withdrawal of men who were never in the dating pool to begin with, due to their repulsive attitudes about women and marriage?? That makes no logical sense whatsoever.”
Well, if being in/out of the dating/mating pool was the only criterion, then this would have merit. But if these men on exodus are also withdrawing vocationally, it could have a greater societal impact than first meets the eye. There is more to MGTOW philosophy than just “not dating” or “avoiding women”. Real MGTOW is about an exodus from societal norms and expectations. And that includes tax avoidance (legal or otherwise) that may inhibit certain social programs and initiatives.
For example, read about what’s going on in Japan with the “Sōshoku(-kei) danshi” – their new social phenomenon known as “herbivore men” (grass eaters, which is a contrast from the carnivorous business elite, that most young Japanese men used to admire and aspire to follow.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivore_men
These young fellas are changing not just the social landscape but the economic situation in Japan, and some of the nations leaders are getting concerned.
So, although it’s very easy to fire shots at MGTOW and ridicule them and say they are of no consequence, you have to look at the 80/20 rule. The question is, what percentage of men in North America are “laughable losers who were never in the dating market” to begin with?
Get your calculators out and determine what kind of *tax base* these people represent, depending on the size you would predict for this glut of disposable men.
I’m not saying MGTOW is going to shut down North America tomorrow, but I am saying that to completely dismiss what appears to a philosophy with a growing interest might be a bit… premature. Look at how MGTOW is trending….
https://www.google.ca/trends/explore#q=mgtow
Just food for thought.
These sad bunch of losers belong in the “Misogyny Central” links, they blather on all day about sleazy MGTOW nonsense.
Sandman’s Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCV-XNeZIoHiCGfNYCLh9Q
Stardusk’s Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo1qRcO1OehgkOD_fHsu_uQ
Turd Flinging Monkey
https://www.youtube.com/user/MorgueToeTag
You could add Stefan Molyneux, a MGTOW creep, but he only covers it directly on occasion.
Stefan Molyneux
https://www.youtube.com/user/stefbot
Feminists dribble Drabble this must of been written by a woman or “mangina” man who have not done there research or choose to take offense on issue of mgtow ..we mgtow are here to evolve humanity out of over sexuality therefore restoring population and order back to its rightful place. Simply put were here to shake up the fabric of culture ,humanity and the overall betterment of the species..yes some men are angry but it’s a phase and if they make it past the anger hump only peace prosperity and being part of a great change in human evolution ..men going there own way is a force you may not see it yet but is highly intellectual and more and more men are walking away..it’s time to put animalistic desires and stop the madness to become more on a human level and this includes women but we all must go our own way..don’t be angry at a true mgtow if you do not first understand it to its truest forms
So in a nutshell and to summarise, none of you can get any sex. The end.
A highly intellectual force that can’t tell the difference between there and their…
You know what? I hate live albums.
Well, no, hate is too strong of a word, but I really don’t like then. They rarely sound better than studio albums plus that shit ain’t live. It’s recorded, really crappily recorded. “Live albums” are an oxymoron I don’t approve of.
Or “Were” and “We’re.” Or “Of” and “Have.” Or commas in general.
I’ll never understand the middle one. They neither sound the same nor have any letters in common.
(Why are so many dumbass MRAs named Mark?)
Don’t flatter yourself. The only thing that’s hard to understand about MGTOWs is how they are able to convince themselves that they are “going their own way” when they never fucking leave, either physically or psychologically.
Hah. Hahaha.
Ooh, you have no idea at all… =P
Well,it’s fitting. Mark is slang for a con artist’s victim, after all. (No offense to decent Marks intended)
I’m okay with MGTOW in theory. If a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle, then it’s fair to say a man needs a woman like a bicycle needs a fish. I think it’s great for people of all genders and sexual orientations to realize they don’t need a partner to validate their existence. HOWEVER, so little of the MGTOW movement is about finding self-worth, self-improvement, or generally just self-anything (except maybe self-pity).
Every MGTOW forum I’ve ever visited is complaining about how men have to pay for women’s drinks, how women are seeking to lasso men into marriage to get access to their bank accounts, how women are “evil and childlike but we won’t hold it against them because society has taught them to be that way.” Every. Single. One. It’s like that person who keeps coming back to a thread to proclaim they don’t care. Because they don’t care so much that they just had to make sure that you know how much they don’t care.
The great intellectual force of “ewww!!! Girls have cooties!”
I personally don’t like the sound either. And the cheering fans don’t add anything to it. If I wanted a concert experience, I’d shell out for a concert. >: /
http://38.media.tumblr.com/bc332d9e46f2d2c5d8d4bad0cbabe934/tumblr_nfixbr7Dr81rziwwco1_400.gif