I am tired of the endless cultural hysteria around ‘the manosphere’.
The tiresome cacophony of outrage and anger.
The sharpened phalanx of wagging fingers, the blugeon of lectures, the barrage of sensational headlines; with boys endlessly bombarded, bored and betrayed, at its centre. 90 years ago it was the moral panic of “reefer madness”, after that the world clutched its pearls over “the satanic panic”, in the 90s it was the “superpredator”, then came the terrifying “millennium bug”, and now, the no-less spookily named “manosphere” has arrived.
And so celebrities sell their books.
Researchers are awarded more funding.
Masculinity experts tour the world, going to conference, to conference, to conference.
Netflix sells out another show, legions of feminist campaigners wring their hands, and Louis Theroux lands another commission.
Everyone wins, but boys.
Everyone has their say, every screenwriter, documentarian, ivory tower professor, and self proclaimed ‘masculinity expert'... everyone. Everyone, except boys, that is.
But if you listen to boys, and hear what they have to say, the reality of who they are is wildly different to the sensationalist racket that rings through our ears, and has done for years now. Yes. If you listen to boys, one thing will become abundantly clear.
Boys are not rapists in waiting, about to be inducted into the manosphere by some angry gym bro, so they can oppress women. Boys are good.
And so, if I could change one thing, it would be to stop talking about boys, and start talking to them. So let’s do that now, and hear what they’ve got to say…
~
Here’s me talking on the main stage at Brain Bar last week in Budapest. Full interview
2026-09-24
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