From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All
Ratings33
Average rating4.4
A groundbreaking book that pulls back the curtain on the terrorist movement no one is talking about Women's rights activist Laura Bates has been the target of many misogynistic attacks online: from hate-fueled Twitter rants to vivid descriptions of her own rape and even death threats. At first, the vitriol seemed to be the work of a small handful of individual men... but over time, the volume and consistency of the attacks hinted at something bigger and more ominous. As Bates followed the thread of online misogyny farther into the corners of the internet, the spiral of hateful and toxic rhetoric deepened until she found an unseen, organized movement of thousands of anonymous men wishing violence (and worse) upon women--the terrorism no one is talking about. Men Who Hate Womenexamines the rise of secretive extremist communities who despise women as Bates traces the roots of misogyny across a complex spider web of groups extending from Men's Rights Activists to trolls and the incel movement. Drawing parallels to other extremist movements around the world, including white nationalism, Bates shows what attracts men to the movement, how it grooms and radicalizes boys, how it operates, and what can be done to stop it. Most urgently of all, she follows the pathways this extreme ideology has taken from the darkest corners of the internet to emerge covertly in our mainstream media, our playgrounds, and our government. Going undercover on and offline, Bates provides the first comprehensive look at this under-the-radar phenomenon, including eye-opening interviews with former members of these communities, the academics studying this movement, and the men fighting back. By turns fascinating and horrifying, Men Who Hate Womenis a broad, unflinching account of the deep current of loathing toward women and anti-feminism that underpins our society and is a must-read for parents, educators, and anyone who believes in equality for women. "Men Who Hate Women has the power to spark social change."--Sunday Times
Reviews with the most likes.
Phew. A hard book to read but super important. I have to admit, it got overwhelming at times and sometimes I felt close to crying at how cruel people (in this case men specifically) can get. But still it was very informative and I recommend it.
Deeply depressing (and graphic), but I'm glad I pushed myself to continue reading. It's horrible to see all this misogyny collected and listed page after page, and I cannot imagine how Bates was able to cope with immersing herself in all this. I feel exhausted just from reading this book, I cannot imagine how she felt doing the research. The book is very up to date, so it's good I read it right now, and I learnt much more about things I had heard of (especially on the internet), but didn't really have a detailed understanding of. This book really helped put it all in context. I think it would be clear and informative even for someone who has never heard of the terms incel, MRA etc. I can't believe that is problem has been dismissed so often and left to fester, while other, far less prevalent issues are built up and exaggerated. It's catastrophic, and is harming both people of all genders and backgrounds. When will it end?
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76 booksAny non-fiction books that taught you something that made you understand the world better