Manosphere Influencers Promote Sexual Assault and Downplay Rape
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Content warning: This article contains images and descriptions of sexual violence.
Personalities from the so-called “manosphere” — including Andrew Tate, Sneako, Jon Zherka, and Myron Gaines — are promoting sexual assault, victim blaming, and downplaying the severity of rape.
The manosphere is an online community of right-wing websites, bloggers, and influencers who repackage conservative, antifeminist, and regressive gender politics for the internet age, which they use to recruit and target young men. These misogynistic content creators often promote extremism, antisemitism, and violence against women.
Some of these personalities draw viewers to their channels by discussing topics like weightlifting, video games, or boxing — topics that appeal to young men — before they dive into extremist and misogynistic narratives and talking points.
Some teachers and parents told Business Insider that the toxic misogynistic rhetoric found in the manosphere now permeates middle schools and high schools. One teacher reported overhearing students as young as 11 parroting phrases from TikTok videos featuring extreme misogynist Andrew Tate.
Here are examples of misogynistic manosphere influencers hosting rapists, promoting sexual assault, victim blaming, and downplaying the severity of rape...