Men Who Hate Women
by Laura Bates (2020)
2024 reads, 26/22:
“Troll. It’s such a silly little word. It makes it sound like a silly little problem. A ridiculous, pot-bellied, bright-haired ‘90s toy. Or a lumbering, stupid, green oaf, crouching slimily beneath a bridge. Neither one comes close to capturing the truth.”
Who remembers the first image of a black hole?
Okay, now who remembers Katie Bouman, the lead developer for the imaging algorithm used to create said image, who also became the target of online trolls and sexist attacks?
I remember this very well. I was on Reddit a lot more back then, as well as Twitter, and I remember seeing comments from tons of users spewing false facts and comments along the lines of “she claimed 100% of the credit” (she did not) or “it was her male colleague who actually wrote all the code” (he did not). Luckily, I never encountered the actual communities from where this hate was originating, and those types of comments were heavily downvoted when I saw them. But that was one of the first times I had seen “the manosphere” breach from the depths of the internet.
However, this is far from the only type of thing where this happens. Men Who Hate Women is about the genesis, growth, and real-world implications of said “manosphere” and the men who permeate it. It’s a tough read, but important nonetheless, as Bates’ research proves eye-opening in exposing not just what goes on in these communities, but more importantly, how young men and boys are finding themselves there. The rise of algorithms and feeds, tools designed to keep someone online as much as possible, is just as much of a recruiting technique as the actual men in these communities.
I don't tend to vibe with nonfiction, but the subject matter in this book is extremely important, and sadly relevant. Anyone remotely interested in gender equality, feminism, or even learning how seemingly normal men can find themselves in this community should read this; they’ll likely find this book a mixture of interesting, frightening, and eye-opening.
“Of course, it doesn’t all look like terrorism, murder, violence or even misogyny on the surface. It would be easier to catch if it did.”