The Manosphere is on the rise worldwide.Image: Shutterstock
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After watching the “Inside the Manosphere” documentary, I realized how I really feel about the men in it. And what we can do about it.
Mar 25, 2026, 4:38 p.mMarch 25, 2026, 4:45 p.m
“I call my wife my dishwasher,” “I fuck as many women as I want, but my wife doesn’t touch another man,” or “I decide when I put my dick in her”: These are statements that Manosphere influencers made with an audience of millions in the new documentary “Inside the Manosphere” by Louis Theroux. The documentary is currently causing horror around the world and shows Theroux trying to better understand the world of the “Red Piller”. But the documentary gave me a completely unexpected feeling.
“Inside the Manosphere” by Louis Theroux is currently making waves.netflix
Don’t get me wrong, I was also disgusted at first when I saw it. Then angry. Then speechless. The feeling that was really left at the end was one thing above all: pity. Not a sarcastic “HAHA, look at that stupid boy, you can only feel sorry for him” pity. But a genuine compassion for how broken these men are.
Because yes, all of the men that Louis Theroux interviewed – and I think a majority of the men in the manosphere – are traumatized in some way. All of them grew up without a father. One was abused by his mother. Another lived on the streets and had lost his brother to suicide. The sadness about this is written on his face in the corresponding scene in the documentary. But instead of talking to Theroux about it, he says: “That’s in the past, God got me out of it, I don’t believe in depression.” In the manosphere, a protective wall of harshness is immediately built up instead of admitting when you are suffering.
And all of these men are suffering. All of these men have experienced some form of deep humiliation in their lives. And no one has taught them how to deal with the feeling of shame that follows this humiliation. Instead, they carried this shame with them and over time it turned into anger. Anger at the job market that makes you feel replaceable. Anger at society that doesn’t give you recognition. And anger at relationships in which men are needed less and less.
And the crazy thing is: the men aren’t even wrong.
Because yes, dear Manosphere men, you are right. We have a crappy system. We shouldn’t work ourselves into burnout for jobs that show us that we are always replaceable. A society in which you are only valuable if you have money and status is toxic. And the fact that women these days no longer need a “breadwinner” is unpleasant if you have been trained your whole life to have to feed your family alone. These are all real problems that need to be taken seriously.
But if you give these angry men access to the Internet, it won’t be long before they find other men who are just as angry as they are. In this way, these men can strengthen their hatred and find a common enemy. Those are the women. Or the migrants. Or the Matrix.
And this conclusion is the point at which my pity ends. Because that’s where the real work would begin. The unpleasant feelings. Coming to terms with yourself. Responsibility for your own life.
But these men don’t do that work.
Because as long as they have someone to blame who isn’t themselves, they’re happy. Because yes, it’s much easier to find a scapegoat than to have to admit that your own father didn’t love you enough. Or having to admit that the mother sacrificed more for her drugs than for her own children.
And what do these men do instead of dealing with their problems? They turn to the very man who benefits most from their misery: Andrew Tate. A man who has announced several times in public that he was regularly beaten by his father. A man who made a large portion of his fortune by giving desperate men tips on how to regain control of their lives. A man who benefits from as many men as possible being dissatisfied with themselves and the world.
He promises them freedom because they have escaped from the “Matrix”. But actually they are the people who are most trapped. Trapped in a system in which money is made from the insecurities of the population. Trapped in patriarchy that not only oppresses women, but also traps men in roles that make them sick. And on top of that, they are trapped in the Manosphere, which is… exploits and shames the people she promises to free.
This comment is not intended to be an “Oh, the poor men” article. Because although I feel sorry for these men, I will never have sympathy for their actions and attitudes. Because honestly, as a woman, when you watch documentaries like this and what’s happening in the world today, it’s very tempting to write off all men. To commit to hatred of men and join the 4B movement.
But I know that that’s not the solution either. It doesn’t help if we exclude these men, laugh at them or call them gay (yes, that happens a lot). This only drives them further into the manosphere. Further into their hate. To address the problem of alpha males, we need to do better as a society. We need to create communities for men that are not based on misogyny. We need help for young, traumatized people before they slip into an extreme that they can no longer get out of. And above all, we need solidarity. Because together we are still strongest – even if it doesn’t seem like it right now.