Dissecting the Manosphere

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In this video F.D re-engages the concept of Edgelords but this time brings a few friends with him in the form of WHITE GUYS (yaaaaay...)
This exploration caused him rethink the place that edgelords have in modern manifestations of how men see the world and how the world sees men, which forced him to finally begin thinking on the Manosphere and trying to break down exactly what it is and why it exists.
00:00 Intro
05:04 Ad Read
07:17 White dudes!
16:39 What is an Edgelord?
22:58 Batman is the ultimate Edgelord
33:40 Nietzsche and Nihilism
41:00 Edgelord cope
49:05 Touching grass
58:00 The section where I summarize Sociology concepts
1:06:20 Why the Manosphere exists
1:15:42 How the Black Manosphere differs from it's White counterpart
1:28:48 Outro
Edited by Needless- / @needlessnick
Opening/Outro song by Dj Trackmatic • Japan Fix (intelligenc...
Featuring
-‪@victorythecreator‬
-‪@KhadijaMbowe‬
-‪@Salari‬
-‪@ChillGoblin‬
-‪@InnuendoStudios‬
-‪@supereyepatchwolf3007‬
-‪@miacole‬
-‪@kolpeshtheyardstick‬
-‪@WereInHell‬

[@Maxarcc]

I really respect your honesty when you step outside of something you're read up on. Your expertise disclaimer on Nietzsche is something not enough creators do and I deeply admire that. I want to talk about Nietzsche for a moment to give some additional context, but I won't flaunt my credentials here because for all you guys know I'm just some internet rando. Like everything on the internet, take it with a grain of salt and I encourage reading about it for yourselves: It's an often made mistake to call Nietzsche a Nihilist. Even Crash Course Philosophy made this error for reasons that are unknown to me. It's therefore very understandable that someone less experienced in philosophical reading would take that with them. This may be surprising to some, but Nietzsche was actually vehemently opposed nihilism. His works can be framed both as an analysis on how the withering of religion makes us nihilistic, as well as a critique and guide in overcoming that resulting problem. It's really a one-two-punch. F.D Signifier stating these men to be sometimes inspired by Nietzsche is absolutely true though, and it perfectly works in the context of this video. However, what I'm here for is to explain why these nihilistic men are inspired by something that they believe to be Nietzsche, but usually actually isn't. To Nietzsche, both religion and nihilism bring about comparable problems when it comes to living to your fullest potential. In the case of religion: with believes of an afterlife, you dismiss the life and love in the here and now. In the case of nihilism: with no believes of an afterlife, that life and love in the here and now evaporates to something temporary and meaningless. Nietzsche saw problems in both, but credited religion to at least driving us to make beautiful transcendental art. Unfortunately, he understood that the death of god was something that could never be undone, so I he knew he had to come up with systems that replaced the function of religion. This was meant to help us overcome our nihilism. One of these systems is a thought experiment called eternal return. Nietzsche proposed that in order to overcome nihilism one must act as if every action they take will infinitely repeat itself. This is to make all your choices meaningful and impactful. The bad experiences that infinitely repeat themselves then become an even stronger tool for learning, as there is now urgency for growth and infinite bliss in overcoming. To Nietzsche, here lies the key in overcoming the struggle of nihilism. It is the becoming of the superman. The man, or woman, that completely overcomes their lack of meaning. For those having difficulties catching this idea, think about the film Arrival. (spoilers ahead). In this film, a linguist called Louise learns the circular language of an alien species that allows her to see her past and future life in its totality. She knows her future husband will have a child with her and that he will leave her, as well as that her child will pass away. Yet she still chooses to commit, because she knows that the love for her husband and child in those fleeting moments is worth every heartache that follows. She overcomes her nihilism because she sees the falling apart and the resulting knowledge that she should embrace every moment of it as the reason for its value in the first place. She knows that exactly in the infinite cycle of having and losing the urgency arises. By choosing to commit, regardless of her knowledge of catastrophe, she becomes the Nietzschean superman. With this in mind, Nietzsche would oppose the nihilistic men that are driven to acting out atrocities, because he would see them as not acting out the eternal return. Their inhumanity brings them no lessons, no overcoming and they are driven by the opposite of what we should strive for. They act out their atrocities as infinitely weightless, by running away from the consequences and responsibility. They did not overcome their nihilism, but completely indulged themselves in it and now their life of misery and suffering -- inflicted on themselves and others -- will infinitely repeat itself in the thought experiment. Even though some claim to be inspired by Nietzsche's work, they are the final horrendous outcome of that which Nietzsche fought against his entire life. I hope some of this wall of text was of any value to someone out there. F.D Signifier was absolutely correct when he stated that many of these men are inspired by Nietzsche, but I wanted to give my perspective on why I believe the inspiration of the far right is unjustified and a misinterpretation of Nietzsche's work.

[@krisspotser]

This explanation was great. Thank you

[@colinquirke4256]

This is a great comment! Well explained. It is very easy, especially when young, to read and understand just enough Nietzsche to be convinced by his "nihilism" and not enough to see, or care, or be convinced by, how he builds back a new system of meaning. Your summation is excellent

[@guitarsoupify]

It's extremely frustrating to see how horribly abused and misunderstood Nietzsche is in the general public. Thank you for taking the time to type out such a thorough clarification.

[@luc2631]

I have been interested by Nietzsche since quite young, thanks to my high school philosophy teacher! But confused : between the density of his writing (+ his sometimes outright insuffurable personnality lol) and the image he has today (the recuperation of his philosophy by the far right). This comment cleared that very well and helped me put that confusion to rest. Thank you for it💐

[@fideletamo4292]

@@luc2631 when you see how immoralistic and unbearable Nietzsche writtings and personality were, i'm not even surprized that so much right and far right people are inspired by him..to me he Always was a nihilist, his rejection of moral, basic compassion and social values, his adoration of strenght make him a prick, and a dangerous troll..i hate Nietzsche for being a proud sucka..the chad of philosophy.

[@arachnodactyly]

Just casually dropping "Karl Marx was a fuckboy" in a dense academic section on hegemony is A+++

[@JackgarPrime]

Ben Franklin is another one that was a huge fuckboy. This man LOVED him so French girls.

[@thechurchoflogic1670]

Today's generation loves him though.

[@Larrybird696]

@@thechurchoflogic1670 You sure it’s the man himself, or his ideas?

[@nairsheasterling9457]

@@thechurchoflogic1670 Your username has as much sincerity as any church. In that, like a church is devoid of any of Christ's teachings, you are devoid of all logic.

[@emmettdonkeydoodle6230]

@@thechurchoflogic1670 You do realize that Jesus’ foundational philosophies were parallel to communist thought…

[@mothersbasement]

They told me I could be anything, so I became angry and depressed when I realized that wasn’t true. This is a fantastic video. You really hit on something I’ve been feeling for a while - when I look at my own past, and where old friends are at now - but struggling to articulate. The system doesn’t set white dudes up to fail, but it does nothing to prepare us for failure, especially not systemic failure. We’re encouraged to plan our futures around the assumption that American Capitalist Democracy just… works. Accepting that it doesn’t means, essentially, redefining all your hopes and dreams for the future, which in a sense is much harder than just giving up on everything. So if, for whatever reason, you can’t “make it,” you end up either resenting yourself for your failure to follow the path laid out before you, or get increasingly angry at everyone you see as standing in your way. Or in the way of people like you. Both are very dangerous mindsets to be in. I hope this video reaches some boys on the edge of that trap. I think it could do them a lot of good. Thanks for giving this issue your attention. Looking forward to part 2!

[@wudafek8561]

Wow never thought id see you here

[@dajadykeman]

Beautifully said 👏👏👏👏

[@theskiesrainfire]

Holy shit I love your videos

[@JFirecracker]

Anime Pope out here surprisingly based. Top notch stuff, man.

[@jamesmooney3472]

Always nice to the anime pope with some based non anime takes

[@Dark_st4r22]

As a 17 white kid I got into the manosphere but after finding videos like yours it helped a lot to realize the whole reason I got sucked in was because I felt unwanted, and because I was white that i was just another white kid in the system, grow and learn to hate everything but capital gain and when I saw that I finally woke up and got out of the manosphere.

[@Taken4Ransom]

I honestly hope more stories like this appear. I've been down the road myself when I was a teen and I got dangerously close to not coming back out. I'm glad you see the other side and I hope you're finding yourself and not putting too much pressure on yourself.

[@Lexlex11848]

Good for you seriously

[@dkupke]

I went through an incel phase. Honestly I just got tired of being angry all the time.

[@mourningst5r]

^^👏🏾 awesome dude

[@athlete.mediauk]

I’m white. I wasn’t taught to grow and hate everything. What a truly sad viewpoint. Are black men not interested in capital gain? Just a question .. 🙏🙏

[@colourriot3520]

I love the saying 'often the ones who need your empathy the most deserve it the least.' This video is such a good exercise in seeing perspectives I often have hatred and bitterness for with empathy.

[@2FadeMusic]

If we don't see treat with empathy they will only get worse.

[@Awe391]

This is one of the hardest things to internalize tbh. My natural reaction is lash out and meet their bigotry with vitriol and anger, but what will that do? Make me feel big for a few minutes? I dunked on him, now what? I’ve only pushed him farther away from the love and joy that’s in the world.

[@ImJustAnOnion]

They do deserve our compassion and empathy, they're hurt and misguided and I know that means that they hurt us in return but the only way to break down their walls and get them to change their ways is to show them grace, mercy and understanding ❤

[@calvinlandry03]

Interesting Perspective.

[@fromeveryting29]

I went through the whole alt-right manosphere fase some years back. I was nihilistic, insecure, depressed, all of it. I went so low that I had a period where I cried for hours many days a week, took walks to a nearby bridge and fantazised about dying. I have a condition that essentially has stifled my sexual development. I'm short, my puberty was 5 years late, and I'm very small dow there. This, understandably made me struggle a lot with feeling adequate as a man. I had never had a girlfriend. I got so damn low, that I realized I HAD to do something. I figured my pain was due to emotional trauma, and essentially read up extensively on how to heal trauma. It worked. I grieved (cried) conpassionately, learned to be vulnerable, gave up the "masculine ideal", and retrained my brain with repetitions. I realized that to self-realize was to take on very meaningful causes that show the same compassion and responsibility I healed myself with, and became an animal rights activist, studied ethics in uni, and it is fantastically rewarding, socially difficult and exciting. I now have a wonderful, loving girlfriend. I've never felt more self respect, joy or meaning :)

[@LoveAndSnapple]

Thank you for doing the inside work BEFORE finding a girlfriend. A lot of, too many, men believe that if nothing else is going on in their lives that the best possible thing is to get someone to put love and life into them. Not saying that just because you do the work you’ll be rewarded with a woman, but love is much easier to flow into your life when you know yourself and have internal peace, which you seem to have done for yourself. I’m glad that you’ve transitioned out of that phase and that you’re much happier and healthier for it. ❤

[@mel9823]

Good for you babe. Proud of you for overcoming this & finding your true sense of self 👏🏾.

[@logestt]

warning: do not set goals

[@69Satan69]

ive never felt more proud in a person i dont even know 😭

[@natalydavidsmith3118]

Man you are that dude! Never forget that, the fact that you did this work, this level of interpersonal exploration is phenomenal. I literally am in tears after reading your comment. And this is very hard to compel me to do, I almost never shed tears like ever!

[@Salari]

Exceptional work, thank you so much for letting me be a part of this. I also realised that I need better lighting when on webcam because I look whiter than a Victorian ghost.

[@Akumetsutv]

You were a happy surprise to see in this video

[@leavonfletcher4197]

Love your channel too. Your video on why right wing men are so sad was eye opening.. Thank you.

[@Dark_Tesla]

Like white on rice, in a glass of milk, on a paper plate in a snowstorm!! All jokes aside I don’t think you looked bad, love your channel.

[@raifaustino]

Yo salari your videos are fire

[@Iowa2006]

Whiter than a Victorian ghost was appropriate for the topic of this video, though.

[@roswellmundwiler7893]

Man, I was that kid drawing psychedelic art on instructions. Most of my friends are dead for the reasons you stated. Shit is difficult but it’s worth taking pride in helping whoever you can knowing full well they will be dead in some years. It’s haunting being one of a handful of friends left from high school and not even being 40.

[@advisorywarning]

Same here- never studied, always smoked before school and either drew on everything or slept through class… somehow I graduated 1.5 yrs early with a 4.0 and got several scholarships thanks to art/music supplements to college applications & high ACT scores. Of my high school friend group, I was the sick one who was really suffering mentally and self medicating/self-harming. Things are much better now, but a lot of people I know have not been as lucky and are either dead, in jail or suffering with addiction. Going through what I’ve been through has given me a new depth of gratitude for the simple things in life and a stronger sense of the importance of community, service work & empathy. I am sorry you’ve lost so many friends, I know how difficult it is to come to terms with it. I lost my cousin and very close friend to death by suicide a few years ago. Still doesn’t feel real.

[@dahliacheung6020]

I feel you on this. I've lost a lot of the not very large amount of people I hoped to know for years to come. We were the teenage fuckups in highschool and a lot of us, including me grew up into partial or full adult fuckups. Some of them looked like they were getting on to bigger and better things but either addiction, suicide, or murder ended them instead.

[@drvren030]

as an indian woman, i was at a very dark, depressed point in my life, and this is a cycle where i like to get myself into negative, dark situations in my life. it is a bittersweet thing, because as a creative artistic person, some of the best things i create come from that place in my mind. but it stemmed from unresolved trauma in my childhood, and overcoming a failed suicide attempt. i went down this path of the manosphere while simultaneously being this negative, depressed woman about a year ago, and realized two things: 1. that they hate on modern day feminism as a whole, not only the TOXIC side to modern feminism, but to the good side of feminism as a whole. there was a reason feminism grew in the first place, and it was because of a place where women didn't have a voice or means of expression and were disdvantaged in every way possible at that point in the history. 2. they don't acknowledge or even consider that women can be flawed people who tap into their dark side or can go through severe hurdles that they have to individually overcome and can be respected for their experience. this is what i have been through time and time again, and i saw no one speaking for that in the manosphere. the dark side of feminism capitalizes on female s*xuality, and this manosphere promotes the mentality of seeing females as s*xual beings, so both go hand in hand, don't they? as long as women are capable of reproducing, that's enough and there's nothing else they need to do to prove themselves. they see women only in the eyes of what is needed for survival, yet when it comes to men his whole life experience, pain and struggle matters. they don't even see women as people capable of being angry, rude or negative and capable of growth. women aren't deep thinkers according to them, men are apparently lol women have to be the light of a man's life, and are perfect in every way without complaint or burdening a man, while a man is flawed, grows from his mistakes and proves himself and becomes respected. i realized this was very egocentric centering in on depressed men teaching them to be individualistic and grow, and there was no place for a woman to do the same. it's like a woman's life struggles didn't even exist for them, because apparently a woman is "born with value, men are not and have to earn it", but that "value" they're given to a woman is purely impulsive and s*xual, while the value earned by a man is regarding his experience and personality. it's a pure ego satisfying world created by the youtube algorithm and is rooted in encouraging misogyny. it attempts to benefit off of vulnerable, depressed people who need ego satisfaction desperately.

[@R_t-99]

Hi, fellow Indian woman here I also fell in that trope because of KZbin algorithm. The best way to get out of it is to delete the history completely. Girl I am not joking. It will create more and more depression so get out of it. There are many men who are not like that always remember. This red/ black pill guys are mostly 12/13 years old teenagers who don't have any life experience. Get out of it as soon as possible. I am not kidding.

[@vebdaklu]

As a serbian man, I cannot really talk about your experience. But I can say that the weird devaluing of women is a real thing across cultures. I remember for a big stretch of my life firmly believing women to be this monolythic entity that needs to be preserved, not out of some real empathy, but out of a misguided belief that women are inferior, that they cannot think, that they cannot decide, that they are easily swayed. The funny thing is that it all stemmed from my own deep insecurity that my parents implanted in me for my entire childhood, without bothering to teach me ANYTHING about how normal relationships form and grow (spoiler: they didn't know, and they still don't). It took me a lot of work with the help of my ex-wife, my circle of female friends, my rare sane male friends, and finally my current girl and a therapist. These are all things frequently frowned upon in my society - listening to women giving advice, hanging out with men who are not openly manly, or talking to a therapist - but those are the things that helped a man in a situatation that drops him into the "manosphere". However, I think a huge part of the reason why things aren't getting better is that our corporate overlords don't want them to improve, because it gives them a source of tension and instability that will distract people from systemic issues they created to make themswlves powerful. Insecurity is good for business.

[@DRiiFTYT]

As a guy, I’ve had basically the same thoughts and conclusions about that side of culture as you have, and feel just as appalled. I really hope that means something lol, I’ve been working w mostly a group of girls for the past year n I’ve been expressing as much as I can my disgust with the state of masculine culture right now, and that I can assure that at least my group of friends don’t agree or resonate with any of it. Sadly, a lot of the guys that I meet thru work or the gym are completely apart of all this and there’s no point in engaging in any sort of debates or arguments about it with them, I feel better off just laughing off their bs personalities and limiting my interactions with them. I type all this to say though, that it’s definitely not true that ALL of men are happy about how masculine content exists now… I wish it wasn’t this way

[@thedivinemessenger]

just write a book atp cause wtf..

[@benfaunce7496]

Interesting take. I hope you're doing better now than the darker time. There's nothing wrong with being an individual and striving as long as you legitimately see the greater good. Woman and men can do this in a relationship while having respect and love for each other. God bless.

[@g.j.9515]

love how he goes 10 minutes in serious, academic, professional mode and then with an evil smirk he memes on his own ass and continues on like nothing happened. whiplash every time.

[@EayuProuxm]

That intro was LIT. Fiq levelling up stylistically.

[@leahsanders798]

Truuuuu

[@february690]

Those visuals were SO good

[@mountainharpie]

All throughout!!!

[@vlogily8043]

57:00 just wait! Wow!

[@fightvale57]

Mos def.

[@neku1080]

As a 19 year old black guy, I appreciate this video. I love the level of empathy you have for everyone in these situations. And I love that you acknowledge the fact that, even though it's mostly white men who gain these dangerous mindsets and end up hurting others for it, they're still people and there were things that happened to get them to that point. Also, I'm sorry for the loss of those students. I'm sure they were bright and had so much potential.

[@kevinaguilar9454]

Man, I know this video is over a year old now and you probably won't see this, but I gotta say that I appreciate your effort so damn much. One of the most eye-opening courses I ever took in college was an intro level African American History class. It was taught by this older black guy who was so incredibly knowledgeable and who understood that a lot of the non-black students were taught straight up nonsense and took the time to help dissect where this misinformation and disinformation comes from and why. It was so incredibly transformative for me and helped scrub some bullshit from my brain. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for teaching folks and being a depth of understanding and nuance.

[@motcUS]

FD when addressing barbs: please be gentle FD when addressing batman fans: IDC fuck you lmao, great video.

[@FDSignifire]

Lol ain't nobody scared of batman fans

[@mjadekn]

​@@FDSignifire Hey, I was wondering if you could do a video on how weird the mass media is promoting johny Depp's case

[@caanoshaah5503]

@@mjadekn go watch princess weekes’ newest video (it’s called true crime and something), it touches the topic super in-depth!

[@haileybalmer9722]

@@caanoshaah5503 I'll second that, she serves up some piping hot common sense.

[@TCt83067695]

@@haileybalmer9722 pippin hot? Are you a Lovelyti fan by any chance? 😊

[@thebigwagyu]

I think Batman being an edgelord is a much more modern interpretation of the character. I think at his core, he represents humanity’s ingenuity and resilience in the face of insurmountable odds. At a table filled with literal gods and super beings, humanity has a seat alongside them. He’s the best we have to offer, flaws included. He’s also a fictional character who’s been around for 80+ years and has had multiple writers/interpretations, so there’s no “right way” to view him. Amazing video, you’re putting some of the best work out there.

[@grimblegrumble]

"He’s also a fictional character who’s been around for 80+ years and has had multiple writers/interpretations, so there’s no “right way” to view him." Are we still talking about Batman here? 😜

[@darkstarr984]

Yeah. Batman originally was just his creator going “what would I do if I had all the money I could ever want?” and made up a detective who would fight villains and engage in philanthropic projects to try to reduce the crime rate in his hometown. Most interpretations of Batman aren’t too far off from it, but some of them have been more edgy than others and some of them have been more compassionate than others.

[@l30n.marin3r0]

I love how people just come up with buzzwords to be lazy...it is fantastic

[@JME1186]

@@l30n.marin3r0 It’s nothing more than colloquialism, you should research it. Whats a “buzzword based off laziness” to some is merely “development of speech over time for any number of reasons, as is the case with just about every other facet of human existence from the beginning our time on Earth” to those of us of sound mind. No reason to be both grumpy AND offbase, lmao.

[@hopelesslydull7588]

​@@l30n.marin3r0What's the buzzword here? Edgelord? I can't tell if you don't know what "buzzword" means or your reaction to words you don't understand is to think the person using them is trying to sound smart.

[@littlestbroccoli]

Damn, the part about nihilism is just so on the money. I remember when we were all teens and fight club came out and all the guys wanted to start their own fight clubs, because that was just so cool. No deeper thought about how the movie only shows Edward Norton's character recovering and enjoying his life and labors when he finally rejects then integrates Tyler Durden and stops the outrageous, selfish behaviors of his alter. Only once he rejects the image toxic masculinity teaches him to be can he be a whole and fulfilled person and experience a rich life. (Kind of like real life. Weird.)

[@riebeck_8171]

You're right, but the way out of that stage is to go through it and come out the other side with more perspective. Experience is the best teacher. You can't substitute it for something else.

[@muhammednaif9927]

again toxic masculinity,doesnt care about a womens opinion anyway

[@MrFunkyJon]

we ended up getting Control Your Narrative (wrestling promotion 'based' on the idea of Fight Club) out of misinterpretations

[@mau345]

fight club is a double edged sword- it should have shown you the parody of anarchism- but no, so many people took it at face value only to fall into their rabbit holes.

[@SandhillCrane42]

Hey, what's funny though? People call criticism of civilization-precisely civilization, not society, but the stratification thereof via the specialization of labor-nihilism. It's funny, because civilization is set to make the ecosphere defunct in the coming century, and yet the idea that there could be a world without it is deemed "nihilistic" on account of a comic book portrayal of why authoritarian systems are worth their pervasive dehumanizing consequences that also kill us all. Don't criticize that! We're working so hard to make this hell, it's gotta be worth it! This video is kinda blind to what's about to actually happen in reality. Maybe a decade, maybe less, possibly two.

[@KhadijaMbowe]

Terrance Real is one of the BEST speakers on men, masculinity, patriarchy, etc. at this moment (imo). The perfect blend of theory and psychology.

[@gonzalo4722]

Hi Khadija 👋🏻

[@boaz1353]

bell hooks the will to change as well

[@terylmcalaster3443]

Thanks for sharing 💛 🌻

[@KhadijaMbowe]

@@boaz1353 yes, she quotes him frequently in that book actually!

[@NoodleMcGee]

Yeah, I've been recommending "I Don't Want to Talk About It" to friends who seem open to the concepts, and sneaking lines into conversations with those who aren't there yet. There are way too many dudes walking around out here thinking untreated wounds won't fester.

[@shmehfleh3115]

You don't even have to imagine what an edgelord with a billion dollars would be like in real life anymore, now that we got Elon Musk.

[@KwodwoMoore]

fax no cap

[@fideletamo4292]

Damn!

[@UberOtaku001]

That's why edgelord white men love him.

[@somedude077]

Wow. Can't find nothing wrong with that sentence. I'll pick on your name sounds weird.

[@ms.bunniesarecute2287]

Bingo.

[@thanos6346]

Thought the title said “Disrespecting the Manosphere” and I’m here for that too.

[@VeeKayGreenerGrass]

This is very good. I am African in Africa, and I immediately recognized the manosphere as white supremacist ideology as soon as I saw it. I was confused when I saw Black, Black British and African men espousing such ideologies.

[@remytherat2929]

Colonization of the mind is a real scary thing

[@MCDreng]

Is manosphere ideology per se white supremacist or only masculine supremacist? Because of course the two are linked in Mainstream Society but can't you have reactionary masculine empowerment without race - or at least, with any "race" on top?

[@rizingpho3nix]

Bro, it's not anything near that. Any Black/African man who thinks that the Manosphere is white supremacist ideology got issues.

[@michaelcoletta4547]

The more benign or even positive aspects of the manosphere involve men off all races finding common ground in their struggles and life experiences. There is nothing racial about it whatsoever. To the extent that it can encourage ALL men to lean further into right wing politics, particularly minority groups, this is a direct result of their experiences living in a world where they are constantly being told they have a ton of innate privilege tied to their male identity alone... but they simply don't feel like that is the truth of the society they live in. Despite all the rhetoric they are exposed to... they feel no special benefit adorned on them, compliments of this oft-referenced sexist/patriarchal society, simply on account of their being a man. In fact, they feel the exact opposite is the quite often the case. This major disconnect between what they are constantly being told by authority figures, and modern society as they actually experience it on a day-to-day basis, makes them that much more cynical than they already were... in turn opening their minds to hearing out right-wing messages that they might otherwise dismiss out of hand. There IS a link on that sense. And few would doubt that the manosphere generally encourages a more right-wing view of the world. But they're is nothing overtly, or even subtly, racial about manosphere content. Some ideological overlap DOES NOT make white identity politics and manosphere politics synonymous with each other.

[@VeeKayGreenerGrass]

@@michaelcoletta4547 The manosphere and red pill is simply suffering an affliction called Patriarchy. But they are too deep in their ego to realize that it's not working for them either. Patriarchy promises privileges but can't guarantee them, and so keeps shifting the goal posts. That's where the frustration stems from.

[@swiing444]

Teaching in a predominantly white high school myself as a black man changed me and my perspective. Can’t agree with you more. So many of the males I taught were discarded and simply forgotten. The suicide rates were some of the highest in the country and no one was listening.

[@ambriaashley3383]

I work in the school system as well, and I am definitely worried about the suicide rates of young men. I worry about all young people in general, but I especially worry about people identifying as boys/men when it comes to witnessing or experiencing violence, perpetuating violence, or dying by suicide. This is an epidemic and these young people need far more guidance than what has been given to them.

[@chrischickering1959]

​@@ambriaashley3383 I'm a social worker and I work with lots of young boys, I demonstrate empathy and kindness for them as a bearded traditionally masculine looking person. It is rewarding and at times heartbreaking work. I just wish I could do more.

[@ambriaashley3383]

@@chrischickering1959 thank you for what you do. So many times it doesn't feel like enough because what we need is *systemic* change, and that either happens too slowly or not at all. But you are absolutely making a difference in those individual lives you touch, & I thank you for it. I pray the ripple effects into those kid's communities will be huge 🙏🏾

[@chrischickering1959]

@@ambriaashley3383 thank you that's true even making a difference in a single child's life is more than worth it. It is just so hard to have a kid, in a sudden rush, share a traumatic memory or experience. These usually only come after at least a year of building trust. Secondary trauma is huge for me as it is hard to harden my heart so to speak. There is a difference between honoring someone by empatheticly sharing their pain in the moment and internalizing it to the detriment of my own mental health.

[@CnctCnpire]

I would say that you could add me to that high rate soon but I know i'd never have the balls to go through with it

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

Topical & Timely video Unc. Cishet men need non toxic spaces and thankfully, with channels like yours, we creating our own rabbit hole for men to be positive and progressive contributions to our society

[@TheNeonWalrus]

You too deserve praise for contributing that rabbit hole. We should all be challenging ourselves to expand our world views and be more empathetic to all men, women, and dem non-binary folk.

[@KhayJayArt]

@@christopherbrown5409 go outside clown

[@tabbypanda82]

@@KhayJayArt 😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mattday2656]

I also love your channel sir

[@lisabennettbolekaja8556]

Big facts.

[@andrewsveikauskas]

Random white dude here. I stumbled onto your channel only today via the algorithm's recommendation. I've already listened for hours. Can't say i agree with literally every conclusion, but wow, a LOT of thought provoking takes on this channel. Very well presented and great communication style. It makes total sense to me that you were pursuing a PhD in related topics. So just wanted to say thanks! Ps. Watching this 10 months later, how sad is it that i couldn't remember exactly which mass shooting you referred to, because we've had too fucking many of them in the last 10 months ...

[@mikegermanio324]

As a middle class white American I want to say I really appreciate you and this content. I genuinely have felt this unease over this whole shift to the manosphere among my peers and you broke down how I've been feeling so well. Thank you

[@mesupposedly5291]

I swear everytime I looked at workout tips, relationship advice, and just stereotypical white dude shit ( games, computers, and anime) it inevitably lead to an alt right pipeline. It's entrapping to not have a proper role model who doesn't pray on youths ignorance. This video felt refreshing and gave me a great insight into why I had an edgelord period and how shitty I actually felt. I got out of that phase by having actual real friends and just talking to women more in general it made me realize how my philosophy at the time was just stupid.

[@tahaelhour690]

It's the algorithm, one thing leads to the other. That's why you gotta delete all your social media and clear data every once in a while. Maybe even give false info to the system.

[@NathanHoff96]

I think its super important to analyze the subculture that existed before edginess and nihilism: Skaters, goths, punks and emos. Before cesspool internet "culture" had affluence, these subcultures used a sort of style and shared mindset that welcomed any misfits under its wing. Capitalism exploited these cultures and made them trendy effectively hollowing them out into fashion statements and cliques which soiled any previous sense of belonging. Pair this with the conformist, money-grind, straightedge mold that capitalism has always imposed and you have aimless young adults with no role models, no sense of belonging, and no hope towards a fulfilling future of love, strength, and community. To sum up, most of these prominent "influencers" are regressing as people because the whole system is snowballing, and unless we re-examine our values, unify and push back, we could lose our souls like Boomers and Gen X, ending up old, bitter, unfulfilled NPC's content in our own delusional narcissism while touting fake smiles all the way to our wake.

[@mesupposedly5291]

@@NathanHoff96 I would have to agree although there is some hope within our generation. I fear that the apathetic mindset of most Americans will stifle progress. However to be pessimistic will not do anything so all I can do is hope and put in what effort I can so that this country can continue and not fall to authoritarianism. It seems like people don't care anymore and would rather stick their head in the ground. I hope that with maturity and generation could put in actual effort for systematic change.

[@AgentLemmon]

@@tahaelhour690 Or, just use your brain to decide what is good or bad. It works wonders

[@NathanHoff96]

@@holdencaulfield9470 Same thing is happening to the term "woke" because everything has to be in a neat little box. God forbid we think outside the predetermined political narratives. I dont even vote since my distaste for religion and distrust in political systems go hand in hand. I say be your own narrative and fuck off with the rest.

[@FDSignifire]

For the record, don't go bullying Jlongbone, donate to Kugali comics!

[@RhizometricReality]

Great video.

[@woeisme2584]

I think it got taken down

[@kacysspace]

On both my phone and tv it says “This video is unavailable on this device.” 🥲

[@kyleemery8374]

I am heartbroken. I just discovered you man and they took it down. My Friday is ruined. No but I was 15 mins in, it sounded and was looking like another great video 👍

[@BrutalSnuggles]

@@kacysspace were we too petty?!? All I did was sub!

[@anterrobang9298]

1:08:22 ‘ When you’re used to privilege, equity feels like oppression ’ suuch a good line

[@FoxenASMR]

This is a really late comment and I doubt you’ll see it but FD your thoughtfulness and your willingness to consider deeply the effects of society on every kind of person is so wonderful. It’s deeply empathetic and intelligent. Sometimes I think you doubt yourself too much, and maybe even apologize too much, but I still deeply appreciate that you go out of your way to ensure you are always communicating your point so as not to be misunderstood. ❤

[@fulmarmusic1413]

Alpha/beta behaviours were only seen in wolves kept in captivity. In the wild, neighbouring packs go as far to act like extended families.

[@mayhem9052]

That’s the point everything they use is far removed from context

[@AbigaleKirsten]

Tbh these terms are more used to scrutinize an individual and put them into a box rather than allow personal growth and diversity. It’s called a Socio sexual hierarchy, since when has putting behaviours in a hierarchy ever been great to hear unless you egotistically feel you are at the top. If i sat down and heard a man or woman classify themselves as Alpha, It would immediately rub me the wrong way. It’s just better to say things like ‘I’m the leader of my business’ or ‘i am the head of my company’ rather than classify a grouped name to yourself when we all know humans are filled with gray areas.

[@thejuiceking2219]

so what you're saying is we need to release men back into the wild that's a terrible idea let's do it

[@bluejellyfish4983]

Actually non of that’s actually real in wolfs and the person who coined the term admitted it was pseudoscience

[@madderlake8285]

That study would basically be like putting a bunch of teenage boys in a correctional facility, observing their behaviour and going "This is what all humans organize themselves always". It's total bunk.

[@pointofthisbeing]

It's a relief encountering more and more people who are willing to publicly perform the relatively unpopular, painful analysis that's proven necessary at present. Some hope for the world, yeah? I greatly appreciate it.

[@teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

What's being real in a topic where "all other" feel they are real. Some truth, more and more, are hurtful bc for far too long it's being lied to the public, voluntarily or involuntarily. Is and will he always be right? I doubt that. But real talk, grounded in science and fact based research, is very needed. I think he makes a real good job. Me, a white European, appreciate his work to learn more about issues and obstacles black folks in the US have!

[@tylergriffin3667]

Agreed

[@pank3245]

I have to admit that I went through the alt-right mano-sphere pipeline during my upbringing. I'm a first-generation Polish American and my parents are immigrants who had a sinking ship of a relationship and officially divorced by the time I was in middle school. I coped with this by watching Filthy Frank. I parroted everything from him; especially with his edgy humor. And this is the same time the 2016 presidential elections happened which further radicalized me into the pipeline. I went from edgy jokes about women, gays, and minorities to believing in Alex Jones conspiracies since InfoWars still had a youtube channel at that time. And around that time my friend group had a movie night on discord where we watched Taxi Driver. That movie spoke to me on a whole different level and fantasized about reenacting what Travis did at the end of the movie. But despite all of this I always had an eternal struggle within myself. Prior to this phase, I was very big on Christianity. I always admired the utilitarianism of Jesus Christ. And my favorite historical figures were Martin Luther King Jr. and John Paul the Second. Both religious leaders used Jesus's utilitarianism to defeat oppression. It also didn't help that I never seemed to be attracted to girls either. These two ideas constantly conflicted with my edgy phase eternally. It was when I discovered breadtubers and left-wing youtube channels that made me realize that I'm actually a very left-leaning utilitarian at heart and that I never hated minorities and it was mostly out of insecurity. Now I'm an openly gay man who has a big interest in Marxist ideology.

[@darlamckinnon4546]

I'm a woman who went through the alt right pipeline only to realize that I was acting as a pick-me

[@mmmmmmmm9358]

The Arc!

[@stuart6552]

Man. Im probably a year or so older than you, but good god i wish i could have jad you as a teacher when i was young. Youre articulate, concise, well read and humble. I count myself fortunate that i found you after you already produced your available content. Thanks so so much for all of this.

[@stuart6552]

And my 11 yr old will definitely be watching this.

[@studiouscoma406]

That point about how it starts with wanting to get more physical fit, learn to talk to women, etc. is so on point. I used to watch this channel called AlphaM. I had no idea what an "Alpha Male" was at this point, I just watched it because I wanted to start dressing better because I was so depressed with the way I was. I stopped watching the channel and didn't really think of it until I saw a KZbin video recently critique AlphaM and his views etc. That's when it kinda hit me that that could have been my introduction into "Alpha culture" or whatever you want to call it, if I ended up slipping into it. It's crazy how it can start with something as simple as "I want to dress nice" and snowball from there.

[@monicarenee7949]

I have an ex who started off with fashion also, and increasingly started to talk more about traditional values, making fun of me for being “feminist” and over the years we grew apart more and more due to his views becoming so different from mine.

[@bakerboat4572]

@@monicarenee7949 To be fair, feminism is a joke. It's ruined it's own credibility, ruined women's quality of life, and has frequently aided and abetted radicals within the movement.

[@azure113]

that’s so interesting and i wonder if that could be avoided if men were taught things like dressing well or developing a sense of self through their appearance and style the way women are taught.

[@studiouscoma406]

@@azure113 definitely, I think it starts with better male role models and better friends. I feel like women are more support of one another than men are, we hardly talk about our appearance or our feelings amongst each other.

[@elijahk.7828]

Funnily enough, Alpha M is one of the most tame people within the manosphere.

[@taylorswan8587]

Man, I just wanted to touch on the white suicide part. I’m a 27 year old white guy. I went to a very fancy private school in Georgia my whole childhood, the kind of place that was 98% white. And the number of suicides is mind blowing. We had less than 200 kids in school while I was there, and for the last decade there’s been a suicide every four months or so. My best friend just texts me a name every couple months and I know what he’s saying. I asked my dad once and he could only come up with one person he knew who killed himself. I don’t have any answers, but the numbers really are shocking. Great video too, this was my first time finding your channel

[@bawieland]

In your opinion, what is driving this? From the video, I got the idea that FD's school was in an economically challenged area and that may have factored into the suicides. But it sounds like something else may have been driving it at your school (fancy and private - I admit I'm making some assumptions). Where is this despair coming from? I get the anxiety of uncertain futures/changing society/vacuum of belief, but why is it leading to such a violent expression among this group when ALL of us are feeling these pressures in some way? Don't mean to put you on the spot, I just thought you might have some insight.

[@majorlazor5058]

That’s crazy high. Wow.

[@briannawaldorf8485]

@@bawieland it’s the realisation that you can never have what your parents had and that everything they sold you was a lie.

[@briannawaldorf8485]

@@bawieland I went to public school not private but in the wealthiest district in my area. I was middle class but most of my classmates were upper middle - wealthy. They had everything they wanted. New cars new clothes etc. All lived in a bubble. So many of them today, 8 years later, have burnt out. They realised they will never have the opportunities they were promised when they were going to school. The very wealthy ones seems to be okay as they used their parents connections for good jobs but the upper middle class ones those are the ones who have killed themseleves burnt out turned to drugs because they realised you can’t just go to college follow y our Dream job and be able to survive. They realised they can’t live off a marine biology degree. They realised school didn’t really matter it matters what market you enter. That’s the group I know the most people suffering in either od or suicide.

[@mjohnson1741]

It's really a deep issue and in depth issue of suicide rates in white America. The suicide rate in the US increased by almost 40% in less than 20yrs over 80% are whites. Whites historically have had a higher suicide rate than minorities the only exception is Native Americans. Native Americans are slightly higher than whites for suicide, so comparable whites have the same suicide rate. What makes you prone to suicide is being male and white and that's it. Whites consistently have better health outcomes than minorities the only exception is mental health. Whites suffer from poor mental health and have high rates of depression, psychiatric disorders etc...

[@hassam363]

I'm a 30 year old south Asian guy and this description of a troubled youth and and the manosphere really spoke to my experiences as a kid growing up in Canada. I experienced those feelings of nihilism and depression and still grapple with them to some extent to this day (though greatly reduced). I honestly don't know how I avoided going down that road that leads to extremism but somehow I got lucky and didn't.

[@bradbastow7341]

Used to be someone that this video is about, never made it farther down the rabbit hole but deprogramming and fixing my thinking still took awhile. I think the biggest aspects of contributing to being in that mentality was mental illness, being without friends, and growing up in too white of a space. Every video I’ve seen from this channel has been informative & I’m grateful for the perspective since there’s not enough black folks to talk to where I live.

[@NaNcs777]

Funnily enough, I was one of those edgelords at the peak of the edgelord KZbin era. I only started to break out of it when the pandemic started and I began to self reflect. However, I feel like I owe my ability to becoming deradicalised to being a WOC who is not by any means poor but poor enough to see the stark difference between myself and the rich people in the school I go to. The reality I was facing was just not adding up with the stuff I was interacting with online. Then I started to find out more about personalised algorithms and it finally hit me that every “original thought” I thought I had had been fed to me by a machine that profiled me to be a white male.

[@juicyparsons]

bruh this comment section is FIRE. Thanks for sharing!

[@wazoowi]

You've highlighted precisely how the algorithm works to sustain the white male gaze as a default and dominantly-held view !

[@andrewtregoning]

i was consuming a lot of alt right content a while ago after going through a big life change (losing The father figure), i even bought a dr j peterson book and bought one of his online courses, i was tipped back by a combination of my friends feedback on the stuff i showed them, and listening to left wing entertainment like the dollop podcast and youtubers like hbomber guy, and oddly enough a pewdiepie review of the jp book!

[@rasspliffari]

@@andrewtregoning the fact that you think jordan peterson is part of the alt right, then trust me you werent any where near the alt right

[@RT710.]

As a young cishet white man from small town Iowa, I am extremely thankful for the kind of spaces that you, FD, and many others are creating. I am learning so much from y’all and I 100% absolutely wouldn’t have been exposed to all that information if it wasn’t for all the hard work y’all are putting in. You are literally helping to change and grow my mind and spirit.

[@lissie3669]

The true red pill

[@ChumleyNuffington]

Just gunna piggyback on this and say ditto but from England. Big love.

[@amaude]

@@lissie3669 love that

[@lissie3669]

@424mph hey what’s up

[@moonfeatherp145]

Iowa? Wtf is in iowa?

[@coralBlue]

This man is out here giving us free college level lectures, I appreciate it

[@TAPPSONLINE]

I got sucked into the alt right pipeline for YEARS when I was a younger kid, due to a combo of childhood trauma, loneliness, and edgy humor online. I'm so glad I had good enough friends who cared about me enough to pull me out of that, if it wasn't for them I'd be the most abhorrent, horrible person. Thank you so much for making this video, it's incredibly informative and I've quickly became a fan of your channel from this video and others you have made. I hope you continue to talk about important subjects and continue to share your views. Much love, take care!

[@emmettlester739]

How did your friends help you out?

[@TAPPSONLINE]

@@emmettlester739 they had the right conversations with me, and weren’t afraid to point out where I was wrong and explain to me why I was wrong, while encouraging me to think for myself.

[@l30n.marin3r0]

What is the "alt right pipeline"? Do you even know what alt right stands for?

[@aidanpeterbio]

It's so strange that basically me and all of my friends in school got sucked into it too, for me it was very much just liking edgy humour and having been bullied/isolated, the only one of my friends who didn't make it out and is now a complete naz! and potentially homeless(? I don't keep up with him). He had Conservative Christian parents who thought he was gay, he constantly felt the need to prove his masculinity, got involved in black metal then national socialist black metal and the online spaces associated with them. I couldn't tell the difference between "jokes" and him actually spouting racist rhetoric

[@TheManOnTheStreetOMG]

The internet preys on our mental health. I remember almost falling down this rabbit hole at college because I was spending too much time on the internet. Tuning into Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson and all the anti-sjw enlightened centrist bs. I'm not even a white dude but I fell for the same rhetoric that we need to be snarky and distrustful of everything. Having a social life and some female friends literally just deflated all that bottled up nonsense. I simply cared too much about things that don't affect me. I'm in a way better headspace now, I value my own happiness. I don't know if any of that makes sense but when you start caring about things that truly matter to you rather than a collective dogma, life feels a lot better. It's so easy to lose your way as a young man in the age of the internet, falling prey to other peoples perceptions of what should matter to you and telling you how you should feel about things. It's ridiculous and irrational looking back on it.

[@sabelotoda2]

Mmm ok thats cool for you but thats literally petersons message... The collective dogma is the woke shit. You are literally fallowing petersons advise but you seem too think his problematic im confused lol.

[@TheManOnTheStreetOMG]

@@sabelotoda2 yeah, nah.

[@sabelotoda2]

@@TheManOnTheStreetOMG actually yes you focus on what matters to you and improving your own life instead of being part of a collectivist dogma (which is what wokenes is collectivist dogma) you are being an individual instead of worrying about collective dogma and you are cleaning your room as peterson says Good for you, you just seem to be confused about who promotes collectivist dogma and who doesn't.

[@TheManOnTheStreetOMG]

@@sabelotoda2 you need to not base your entire personality on what he tells you and being 'anti-woke.' Can you even define wokeness to me, since I didn't even mention it myself

[@josephschmizzo1595]

So you just allowed women to tell u how you ought to think and live? Lol Sounds pretty dumb to me bud.

[@shanegrogan8133]

“I retreated into the things that pandered to my need to feel angry at something” This hit me harder than anything else in this video. I’ve known this about myself for so long. I’ve struggled to let go of media that hurts me just because it’s fashionable. I think hearing that from another man helped. What makes these things so hard is the loneliness that accompanies them. What we need is community.

[@Chaos.Brigade]

"What we need is community." Yes, sometimes that community is busy, or just not there at all.

[@Pssst.ByTheWay]

I commented on the huge draw that the sphere is by plain simply not ridiculing and acknowledging that anger. And yes fuelling it at times. I think a huge amount of people in the sphere would not be there if they were acknowledged/accepted anywhere else. Shown some compassion and understanding for the human condition.

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

We are social creatures after all.

[@jijitters]

You are very right, and this need for community is often what the truly evil people take advantage of. It's far easier to drag someone over to your side when they're alone and seeking acceptance. Cult leaders, corrupt politicians, edgelords in positions of power; they all know how much impact they can have by offering that acceptance to someone and hiding their true intentions behind it.

[@justinferrante5056]

I think the idea of needing a community is vitally important. But something so critical to know is that a community is something that takes a lot of work. And, generally, a core idea of a community is that when you yourself are doing well that you are “paying into” the community by addressing those within your community who are in need. So much of performative white male culture is about being indomitably strong of will and body, standing on one’s own and showing or displaying no weaknesses that it becomes complicated to create the kind of community we see other junctions or paths along the various intersectionality identities that provides comfort and guidance. Worse, I think the idealized hegemonic masculine identity for white men is the effortless leader, who is led by no one, but has throngs of followers for no reason other than to bask in their glory. This is deeply problematic from many different levels. I think, for example, no small amount of anger is directed from the Mano sphere, in the throes of performative masculinity, towards women for having so many “safe spaces”, such as friends groups, other women or even strangers on the street who might comfort a crying woman who is a stranger, but avoid a crying man. It becomes convenient to look at a perceived benefit of a social system, without considering its costs, purposes or foundations. I think some white men, usually who are hurting (as all people do feel pain and angst, it is part of the human existence) want to have an automatic system of comfort and guidance from an established community. The fact that the default white male community is video games, which is just a chaotic, loose assembly of those seeking entertainment, tells a great deal about the amount of work needed to create a wholesome community or to take actions that grant one proximity to another established community, such as allyship. Which, on that point, allyship’s purpose is to aid the other group as selflessly as can be done, and NOT to soak up their resources meant for its members, so comfort from allyship is also problematic. The problem is, when you’re hurting, you don’t have it in you to give to a community. But paying into a community with good deeds, actions and efforts is how you gain acceptance. So, for many young white men, I fear that at the same moment they enter crisis and most need community, they are least able to find, access or establish a community that fulfills their needs. Really, the only communities I can think of at the moment off the top of my head ready made for white men that have an established base, system and perpetual renewal cycle are ivory tower academia and the alt-right. There are certainly others, but those two are the only standouts for communities truly designed at their inception for white maleness. Only one of them is accessible to any and all white men in crisis, and so we end up with radicalizing as more and more the norm. All of this without unpacking the can of worms that is idealizing or fetishizing the communities of other people and groups. The reality is that many groups that have robust community outlets for pain, trauma and give comfort are robust because of a system that creates so much suffering or so many problems for that group that having a communal support system is mandatory for long term group cultural sustainability. From the inside it probably feels like survival, if only just barely. To tie this together, and put an end to my dithering, I think the critical place to start is to remember that all people are in a cycle of suffering. Not everyday must be bad, but everyone must have bad days. Everyone is exhausted. Everyone is worried. And we all feel our pain, worry and exhaustion are the pinnacle of their kind. So lead with empathy in everything we all do. If you can extend kindness and empathy even at your lowest, that is one brick of a community. As selfish as it sounds, if you become a person so pleasant and so healing to be around for others, they will come to you. And I think that is one way to find and become a part of a community. The only person who you can rely on to break the cycles of your life and build toward something bigger than yourself is yourself. This may all be rubbish, or unhelpful, but I do earnestly want everyone, even internet strangers, to achieve and grow towards better outcomes in their lives. Everyone deserves happiness, comfort, and as you said, a sense of community. No one is going to create a community for you. That doesn’t happen for anyone, anywhere. Not in what I’ve seen of the world, at least. So the surest way to have a community you belong in is to be a founding member of the kind of community you need.

[@WolfwashereBOO]

Your work is incredible. I feel like I don't hear a lot of conversations about these topics where people give nuance to it. I can't word this super well, but I just want you to know I appreciate it a lot. I hope that you are healthy and well.

[@elkhornstagbeetle]

Also as a narrative researcher im so glad you mentioned Hegemony. Dominant narratives, which tell us things like who is deserving of what and why, are everywhere. its so hard to point to where these ideas come from without taking many steps back! I appreciate these videos so much. Thanks:)

[@liamk7720]

As a young white man, I really appreciate you going through the emotional labor and effort to make videos like this. It’s unfair that you feel obligated to produce it, but please know your efforts are appreciated by me at the very least :)

[@rogirek3362]

@@n.a.199 (This is not about you, it's just related to what you said.) The idea that white supremacy is or should be examined and dismantled for the sake of whites' betterment is such a gross, liberal, whitecentric way of looking at it. We're not working for the benefit of good-boy allies. Nobody is out here doing emotional labor for free. We're doing it for freedom.

[@andyv8624]

@Sean E I hope you find someone you can talk to about things that might be bothering you. Restraining yourself so that you’re perceived as unemotional and what you describe as attractive 100% of the time doesn’t sound like it makes you happy. It’s okay to need help, even if it’s someone to vent to, and it doesn’t make us any less masculine. Take care.

[@Laetu]

@@n.a.199 I feel like such work shouldn’t be branded as “for the betterment of white people”. I think the creation of content like f.d.’s comes from a need to understand the racism and cruelty from toxic white men and then learn how to avoid it. It’s still good content even though it’s not trying to improve white men directly. I just think that improvement is not necessarily the sole nor almost important purpose of analysis.

[@mattyice1500]

The problem is it, like a lot of different media focuses almost solely on toxic white men or racist white men. And it turns out their is a whole globe full of toxicity/racism and a large portion of them are non-white and the often - they are quite often explained away or excused.

[@gabrielchovan-spence4215]

@Sean E someone got trapped in the manospere

[@swiddy6556]

I appreciate the exploration of the white male intersection, even as a black man, because intersectionality, to my knowledge, is about understanding the lived experiences of a subset of peoples, even when there isn't a systemic oppressive force over them. Without the attempt to understand how people end up where they are, the journey in reversing the effects is that much harder.

[@stoodmuffinpersonal3144]

I mean. I was raised as a white man, and I get some of what they were saying. Im scared I havent completely left it behind. The worst is when I had friends who would go down the "white grevence," rabbit hole and, I couldnt pull them out or stop them. Even when they werent white. I just. Idk. How do you give them that empathy and then not have them stab you? Or get sucked in yourself? Just. Becareful out there.

[@lissie3669]

I think that white males do suffer as a result of a systemic oppressive force, it’s just that that force was created by their demographic and created to benefit themselves. The reason that they suffer under their own system is I think because of the need for an economic underclass. Men are told they have to be emotionless, needless, providers. Earning money at any cost is their mandated role in society, and this means putting up with bad working conditions and consenting to the economic systems we have in place. Creating an economic underclass through racism isn’t even enough for capitalism, it needs more workers to be exploited and the appearance of consent from a “divinely chosen” demographic of people. This is why, while I think class reductionism is dangerous, the conversation isn’t nearly complete without looking at what capital requires of us all culturally.

[@mercurial1025]

I’m white

[@thandokhan1962]

And if you focus on skin colour it will only get worse. /typos

[@SmartDave60]

I was talking to a buddy about how white American men of previous generations had social groups which celebrated their identity such as the Hibernians, Sons of Italy, etc. and how white men have moved away from that recently. So w/ those kinda organizations on the wane there are fewer healthy outlets for white guys to acknowledge their identity.

[@nahaiatours]

This is the first video of yours that I'm watching and I just want to applaud that you mentioned the ACEs studies and how any adverse childhood experience can impact a person.

[@tippytoptiger248]

I knew so many kids like the ones you are talking about when I was a youngster in Oklahoma. I was one of them. I am lucky I made it out, and to hear the empathy you have for people that may not have it for you is beautiful.

[@synthiandrakon]

One thing I will saying about being an edgelord is that when you're 16 it's a cheat code for unfunny people, when you're not creative or funny one of the easiest ways to get other kids to laugh at your jokes is to say the most offensive things you can think of. In hindsight it's a terrible method because although people did laugh they also would think you're a fucking weirdo for saying that shit... And they weren't wrong when they came to that conclusion

[@disasterjones5798]

I had a brief edgelord phase when I was still figuring out what kind of person I wanted to be separate of my childhood trauma, and the cheat code thing is real. It's a secret handshake into easy but shallow friendships based on being shitty to people that aren't your in-group. They're also some of the most toxic relationships you'll ever experience, which is by design. It's a coin toss: you either realize how terrible and damaging everything is and you make it out, or it sinks its hooks into you and pulls you even deeper.

[@thepubknight6144]

@@disasterjones5798 a good example of a edgelord who used it to get his point across was George Carlin because he was edgy because he wants his audience or fans to think and question things , it had a point the uncomfortability was by design because you don't get to the truth by smiling , being upbeat, or praying , it's gonna be ugly because the harsh truth usually is that's why he's still being mentioned years after his death...edgelords of today think the reason Carlin was beloved was because he was "Edgy" when that's not true and we allowed these edgelords to get popular cause most of them were bullied as kids and their families didn't really give them lots of support so you're gonna be empathetic to their plights

[@ajaj643]

Every joke is weird to some people so does that mean if a group of people found my joke offensive I'm an edgelord now.

[@manzanito3652]

@@ajaj643 "every joke is weird to some people". The thing with edgelords is that they choose the "weirdest" jokes on purpose knowing the listener won't like it.

[@alim.9801]

I think you're exactly right, it's a lack of creativity. You can really see in how a lot of young edgelords just repeat variations of the same few jokes, like the attack helicopter joke

[@BBrunnel]

Honestly cannot thank you enough for your work. I don’t think ppl understand how much of a safe space your channel is. I’m currently transitioning and I felt really uncomfortable in manosphere spaces primarily because I didn’t agree with them but also bcos they have such a rigid sense of what being a man is, I started questioning whether I would ever be perceived as one. Watching your channel has made me question my own gender bias but also embrace myself as a black man. Thank you bro keep up the good work

[@christopherbrown5409]

What part of those men's "rigid sense of manhood" do you disagree or take issue with, and why?

[@JulianSteve]

Thanks for sharing Dobby💪🏾‼️

[@copiouscat]

@Mira M ouuuuu THIS. I believe black women do it too tho(I’m black Asf not a troll lol) but there is definitely and higher form or level I should say men be taking shit 🤣 it’s literally one of the things embedded In todays rap culture and other behavioral things as well. (I got a patek Phillip, while y’all wearing gshock… for example)

[@imanigordon6803]

How are you a black man if you are dobby?

[@biggame315]

@@copiouscat a higher form or level? That’s ego talking. Both genders have people that do the same wrong’s just disguised differently with different context. All bad, ain’t no favoritism.

[@vintediana1252]

Wow, this is the best video essay I’ve seen on this topic. Informative, thoughtful, and well-constructed. I learned some new things.

[@thelowercaseperson]

Brilliant and so eloquently presented. I'm gonna go binge watch your videos now, thank you very much

[@stockingsstuffer6302]

My two cents on this video, I'll never forgive what edgelords did to Friedrich Nietzsche. One of the most brilliant, profound scholars to speak to those lost, with an aching heart and a yearning to not only know, but to be more, and he's been reduced to the likes of "living sucks, people suck!" when his writings were purely meant to fight those ideals, on both a moral and objective basis.

[@fideletamo4292]

What's so great about him? He was a prick who promoted Barbary..

[@themightyquyn]

If there ever was a philosopher that was misunderstood it was Nietzsche.

[@stockingsstuffer6302]

@stabilobowskilmfao good catch, ty

[@Ellestra]

I blame Nazis (the OG ones) - all we see today is just extension of that

[@briannawaldorf8485]

@@Ellestra yes they used his philosophy which has tainted it forever :(

[@rashadjones]

Bro your aside at 49:17 really spoke to me as a teacher (who's ready to leave public schools) and I felt all of it. Losing students and not being able to connect with all of them on a meaningful level, while not trying to feel guilty can be exhausting and demoralizing.

[@christineherrmann205]

Yeah, I just got here, and ouch.

[@Robstafarian]

Love and respect, dude.

[@LatoyaNickee]

I appreciate how thorough your research is 👏🏾 (As an aspiring sociology professor) I genuinely enjoy watching the entirety of your videos!

[@Coco89033]

My roommate started to get into the manosphere by Peterson self help videos. He often debates with me and people around me often criticize me for staying around. I don’t want to have a debate every day about how I see the world but I don’t mind challenging how he thinks to try to keep him out. I also feel like that he is attracted to this content because he feels lost and isolated that’s one of the reasons why I’m staying around him even. I try to understand his point of view and he often tells me the struggles of men faces and I agree with him. He just get mad when I tell him that women and men issues are different, complex and nuanced. I don’t find it fair to compare the two since the experience lived are very different also it is hard to debate with him since he totally idolize Jordan and take it personally that I don’t like the guy. I tried to watch his content but for me Jordan Peterson is way too confusing and don’t go straight to the point and I find his video low efforts and hard to engage with. I want to be there for him and not make him feel more isolated than he is. It is just not easy since I feel like I’m talking to a wall. I am sorry for my long rant and for the mistakes French is my first language

[@jrarroyo2856]

I totally understand what you mean, my best friend has been consumed by jordan peterson enough to even buy one of his books. I do push back on him, but he seems to just engage with me less and less about him. I fear that if I start to push more it'll just push him further away. Not really sure what to do, but I do have hope.

[@rafacaze]

Guys, let them be. It's ok

[@Shaytan.666]

I mean it's up to you two if you want to mentally exhaust yourself by talking to a wall but some people are already far too away to reach them

[@ebuslamentee5963]

JP is not the manosphere

[@emmettlester739]

Dude I'm sorry to say but you might wanna live your own life and not waste time on someone who doesn't want to change. Trying to save someone who doesn't want to be saved isn't a goal. You seem like a batman (the videos idea of batman) you should help those who want help. Idk I'm just saying do things for you. I use to try to do what you're doing but you can't help everyone, that's something I had to learn in difficult ways. If this came off negative I don't mean it to be.

[@professorskye]

"Stop deifying the theorists, lets just rock with the theory as much as it is useful to us." Perfection! Also, I'd buy that on a T-Shirt, just saying.

[@lanceclarke7069]

What are you doing here?

[@HaitiSpaceAgency]

What does the shirt say? I can’t read it.

[@namedasurname3968]

you all have to stop with this toxic demasculization

[@OrdoAbChao-kg5rf]

People that think like you, ARE a problem.

[@purgetheXYs]

@@lanceclarke7069 you're the perfect example of what hes talking about..learn to stop being racist and gargling ballsacks for a living

[@winterflower5383]

I am an Indian woman living in India. I have personally experienced how harmful nihilism can be. After facing a failure in my career (I couldn't make it to my dream college) I went on a downward spiral hating on the system for failing me. I didn't go the alt right way but I turned towards leftism. I think the reason why that happened was my engagement in various book and music fandoms aka female coded spaces. I am a woman in the STEM field and generally excluded from spaces and disadvantaged there. Nihilism came to me naturally. I am slowly trying to grow out of it. Therapy is not accessible where I live but I am trying my best, talking to friends and families and doing my best to get out of that mindset. This is an amazing video thank you for making it! I might not be a white male on the path to alt right but it did help me in a huge capacity.

[@polasamierwahsh421]

Good luck sister And remember online therapy is still an option

[@tinamenon1593]

Don't give up sister, one step at a time......our ancestor mothers are proud of their savage daughter for surviving :).

[@RE-gf7lr]

@@tinamenon1593 bro really called her savage.

[@oru_malayaleezombie7329]

How is nihilism bad? It fucking rocks knowing that everything and nothing you do has just about the same value and nothing ever really matters in the end,it's kind of comforting.

[@adelenemer6948]

Look into optimistic nihilism! The movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is a beautiful example of this philosophy.

[@dariellec8234]

FD, I’m loving it here. Thank you for all you do 🙏🏽 The world needed this and all the video essays you’ve shared with us, and will continue to share.

[@EndlesslyKiwi]

Hey, I’ve been watching your essays on and off since your buck breaking video and I’ve been binging your videos over the last few days. I only just realized how relatively young this channel is and so I just wanted to say I so enjoy and value what you’re doing here. Thank you for the time, effort and thoughtfulness you invest in this. Your experience and insight has been helpful in broadening perspective, for me personally. I look forward to what you might have to say going forward!

[@michelle_9875]

It’s crazy because as a black woman, it took me a very long time to even begin to empathize with the white male struggle, because it just seems as though they have every advantage in the world. But whats I’ve come to realize is that if you have all these advantages and fail that failure hits 10 times harder. It also may seem a bit radical, but if you think about it, there’s a thin line between the manosphere and the Aryan brotherhood. They both pick up people who they feel like society has thrown to the side of the road and with that it creates an even stronger bond to the organization because they feel like nobody has believed in them except their desired group

[@leoandersson6461]

Look at white criminal organizations that deals drugs, sells weapons, murder and run prostitution like the Italian mafia, Russian mafia, biker gangs like Hells Angels and Bandidos or Peckerwoods. A lot of stemming from middle class environments, now why would they engage in gang wars and drug dealing? That's the reason.

[@juliakiehl9557]

This. Exactly, I know a guy who had been excluded from various groups time and time again. (School, friend groups, etc) Until at some point in his life he ended up in the alt right pipeline. Apparently he felt like he belonged. But the thing is if these people whom he admires so much saw him, they wouldn't want anything to do with him, because he is disabled. That is the very reason he wasn't accepted by others in the first place. It just seems so strange to me that he would fall down the alt right pipeline, despite being part of a marginalized group.

[@PopularNobody]

It hits 10x harder because they'll get 100x more chances. 100x more leniency. It's still hard to emphasize with.

[@RE-gf7lr]

im just wondering how tf does a woman find those videos and still comments on them? like no hate but what made you interested into clicking on that video

[@Itsme_1648]

@@RE-gf7lr …another Black woman here! I’m here because I like to learn and see other perspectives. Simple.

[@00mongoose]

We just aren't taught as dudes to "connect". Showing vulnerability, expressing positive sentiments, offering compassion... They're (sometimes literally) beaten out of us. But its only through connecting to others, going beyond our own existence that we truly learn, truly grow.

[@ExeErdna]

That's why to me the Manosphere was valid since the ones within it were people I've known for years at that point. But yeah too many boys have their "brightness" beaten out of them because they must uphold this bullshit standard.

[@Dan_Kanerva]

is funny how you say that , yet women themselves will admit there is more drama and conflict between them on the daily than between us all. We connect alright , we just do it differently . Our brains don't work the same so we won't do the same things

[@mistressofstones]

@@Dan_Kanerva "women themselves will admit there is more drama and conflict between them on the daily than between us all" this is true, women are incredibly socially complex and political, and an aggressive woman is a thing of terror. I personally prefer to spend time with men because I'm not socially complex enough to always know what other women are up to, BUT the drama with women does go two ways. We also express love and care for each other in very obvious ways. If I need help it's my female friends who will pick me up. My male friends wouldn't even notice I was in trouble until I directly spelled it out. Viva la difference!

[@jbattin3034]

I mean I think a LOT of the different ways the genders show things has a LOT to do with how we teach and raise boys and girls differently and this leads often to differences was we become men and women. I don't think stereotypes help EITHER gender. I feel like men however are MORE taught that they can't be allowed to show their emotions outright. I grew a lot when I just stopped giving a fuck about how I was "perceived" and just acted how I wanted to act while taking the time to also be respectful of others in the process. Oddly enough I felt more masculine expressing the emotions I had after that then I ever did when I hid them from myself or the world. I felt idk...like fully integrated with myself and I started to see masculinity as being brave enough to true to ones self rather then bothering to adhere blindly to what the world saw as "being a man". I BECAME a man when I stopped working about being one so much as I became a man who chose his own paths for himself rather then obsessing over being a man enough for everyone else. Oddly enough the world followed suit and saw my truthfulness to myself and my emotions and those I loved as strength. So very litteraly it was my embrace of that which the world says made me "weak" which gave me the strength to see any challenge. Who is more weak a man who can cry when he needs to or a man who is so afraid of his own tears that he contorts himself into knots to avoid admitting such a human and universal thing?

[@Dan_Kanerva]

@@jbattin3034 every adult man cries . It was shown even in 50's movies , pal... You are writting a long comment , just to pat yourself in the back for acting like most men do . You would have to dwell on the internet to not know most adult men cry when they really sad and dont care

[@jademist17]

"There has to be a hegemonic hold that has to be severed first or at least greatly weakened before boys and men are able to actually deal with the problems they all face: which is living as men under late-capitalism, being the gears in a capitalist patriarchal system that benefits them, definitely, but also consumes them as fuel." This was already a top-tier video, and this gem hit me like lightning. I'm so glad the algorithm did me right yesterday and recommended your channel. I'll be diving into your content and spreading the word, for sure. SUBSCRIBED! Extra bonus also finding Mother's Basement giving you props too. Anime lovers, unite!

[@gun_toting_lefty]

I usually watch big lectures on the weekends, but this one really drew me in.

[@professorofpi]

Philosophy guy here. So while Nietzsche is associated with nihilism, he himelf was not a proponent of it. He agreed with basically what this video said, nihilism is pointless and a waste and all. The whole "reality has no meaning so I will create my own meaning" is called absurdism. People who go into a nihilism phase need to actually read Nietzsche because it does turn you off from nihilism.

[@beansfebreeze]

Yo that Ruff Ruffman profile pic goes hard

[@blessedbetit665]

Your way of interpreting Nietzsche and nihilism is interesting. I interpreted his view on nihilism not as pointless but as a necessary condition of his era. The intersect of religious beliefs and the progression of science in his times left a moral void that was difficult to cope with.

[@harmoniesplus1345]

Same thing with Jordan Peterson which I presume is why he mentioned edgelords

[@fideletamo4292]

The problem is, creating your own meaning is total bullcrap, and only leads to drama, Nietzsche is a nihilist but not good enough nihilist to admit that his own life was meaningless..the World is full of people who want to break moral and social rules and become sociopaths..i hate Nietzsche, he's dangerous and make no sense..he had no morals, no values, no humanity..he was barbaric! that's why any edgelord would like him..the chad of philosophy..lol.

[@Dinahhh]

Yes! Nietzsche is so misunderstood imo

[@ghettoguero2396]

As a teacher, I just wanna say my heart goes out to you when discussing losing students. I worked at a school similar to the one you described your first year, and a few years prior we had a surge of students taking their own lives. We also had a decent amount of violence. I lost a few students to violence, and others to the system for committing violence. And it eats you as a teacher. Mashallah for making this video and diving in so deep on a difficult topic.

[@robinwhetstone]

Holy cats. Your words are like a balm to my soul. I could listen to you talk sense all day long. I'm off to share this with everyone I know, and tell them to give you all their money. This is the kind of thing we need to be talking about in order to address the despair and anomie that lead to violence. Thanks very much for making my brain go ping. What you are doing is so important, and you are really good at it.

[@Malpakot]

Omg the ending, glad your okay, really appreciate your content and voice ❤

[@jankelsey9738]

Bro, I'm an almost 50 year old black man that grew up in an upper class almost entirely white rural area. I befriended several "loser" white boys, some that were active skin heads. Micro aggressions were extreme as you'd expect, but I came to understand the various iterations and manifestations of racism that presented in white people, especially in white men. I couldn't help but develop profound empathy for those white boys that didn't occupy that middle/upper middle class hierarchy. They had it hard too; one in particular committed suicide my sophomore year. Never worry about having empathy for human beings, despite being a black male. Empathy is what makes us even more human. By the way, I found you on BJG Badfaith KZbin channel. You really impressed, and still do. Great video.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Yeah no, I don't see them as worthy of empathy. Other black people deserve it more.

[@LisaLee__]

That's nice of you have you any stories of empathy being shown towards you by these same types? Im very interested in hearing about them

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@LisaLee__ I don't think he has

[@LisaLee__]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 considering he experienced only micro aggressions as the only black man with skin heads as friends? Me thinks this entire comment is cockamaney bullsht. But, ofc, I'm hoping I'm wrong.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@LisaLee__ Nah there's a lotta that shit in these comments

[@KuncanDastner]

this is amazing work, very excited for the next part!

[@lillyluvseminem]

@Kuncan Dastner, I love your videos!

[@darrenpierrot323]

So I just ran across this video today. Just had to say thank you so much! So much of your analysis is so spot on and said more concisely and eloquently than I could ever hope. You got a new fan.

[@dominiquecrump9929]

I GREATLY appreciate your work. I was recently hired at a group therapy practice and I plan to share this video with my team, as we service some of the folks you discuss in the video. Thank you so much for your work. I’m praying the student group of social workers I volunteer with get their programming together so that we can invite you to the University of Michigan! Paid of course lol Thank you again for all you do!

[@HyenaDandy]

Also, when it comes to Batman, I feel like Batman as a character has sort of been split into two. There's the Batman that is based on the entirety of the character's history in comics, which is that he is a man who was traumatized as a child and never wants anyone to experience that again. That's the version of Batman that frequently lets lower-level criminals go, that the ones he DOES lock up often end up 'fortunately' finding a job at Wayne Enterprises. The Batman who, having tracked down a robber who had been on a spree lately and finding him walking with his daughter in an alley, didn't attack him, just told him that he knows who he is and what he's doing and he needs to stop. It's that version of Batman who's the reason that Batman doesn't use guns. Because if you use a gun, you're doing it to kill someone, and the whole point of being Batman is to make sure that Bruce Wayne will be the last child to attend his family's funeral over a strand of pearls and a wedding ring. Then there's the Batman based on the films and only the most popular comics. That's the Batman that is way more often seen, the one who is aggressive, 'edgelord'-y, and who does what he does because, seeing his family taken down, he decided he had to end crime. He'll go to pretty drastic lengths, and he doesn't see the criminals as anything but scum to be punished. Crime and criminals make him angry, and they need to be stopped. He won't kill, because to him, killing = murder, murder = crime, Batman doesn't do crime, therefore no killing. I feel like the best comparison I can think of would be the way that Bane worked in the Nolan movie versus the original comic. Both versions of Bane attack Batman by taking away everything he has, and then showing up and breaking his back. The comic Batman, though, he does this by organizing a mass breakout from Arkham. That forces Batman to constantly be in Bat-Mode, trying to put away all these people who have just been broken out. And because he's constantly in that state, he becomes distant and cold and alienates those close to him, because he's under too much pressure to be there the way that they need it. The end of that story is Bane breaking Batman's back, because having taken everything else that Batman loves, he finally takes away the last thing he had, which is his ability to be Batman. In the Nolan movie, he takes away everything Batman has by taking away his money, his company, and his technology. He takes everything away from Batman by making it so that he's broke, homeless, and can no longer fight crime because all his tools are taken away. Then he breaks his back and sends him to the other side of the world. In that version, the back break isn't the coup de gras because, having taken away his friends he finally takes away his ability to be Batman, it's because having taken away his ability to be Batman, he finally takes away his friends and the city he loves. I''m not saying one is more the 'real' Batman than the other, although I prefer the former. I'm just saying that I feel like a lot of the Batman discourse comes from the fact that a lot of people seem to think that things like "The Batman" deconstruct the comics, when in fact "The Batman" deconstructs the existing pop culture understanding. Most of the critiques levied at Batman about his treatment of the poor and mentally ill and his failure to take into account the systemic issues are critiques of only one of those two. When it comes to this cinematic Batman, the answer to why he puts more effort into fighting crime when he could donate a ton of money is that Batman ultimately doesn't care about making people's lives better, just getting rid of criminals. When it comes to the comic Batman, the answer to "Why does Bruce Wayne spend more time and money on criminals than charity" is "Because he mostly fights criminals who do horrific things that are likely to kill hundreds of thousands or even MILLIONS of people. Also, no-one in Gotham is ever more than four blocks from a Wayne Foundation-run soup kitchen, he has personally paid to repave the streets and fix crumbling infrastructure, finds out when developers are planning to tear down an apartment building and buys it instead, discovers a 'hidden flaw' in the architecture and makes sure that the tenants understand that they don't need to pay rent until it's fixed and then comes by and says 'You know what, something just keeps coming up and I still can't get workmen out there to fix the crack in the roof that I promise is there you just can't see it. It's between the rooftop and the top floor ceiling. No you can't see it, it'd be too difficult to get in there. How did I find it? Uhh... Wayne Industries trade secret I'm afraid. But I'm definitely trying to get a repair team out here, I'm just SUPER busy lately, so unfortunately you're going to have to keep not paying me rent :(" Basically, Cinema Batman doesn't use his wealth to help people because there's a specific thing he's focused on. Comic Batman uses his wealth to help people all the time, and the main reason he doesn't spend more on that is that if he did that, then probably Joker would have killed everyone by now. And if he lived in a Cinema Batman world, he wouldn't be Batman.

[@aidanbenson3617]

The Animated Batman from the 90s is a version that I think doesn't get enough credit. I never read the comics, but I always preferred the 90s animated version because he was one of the most empathetic.

[@stackenitup87]

This is really good analysis, fire 🔥 comment

[@TSDTalks22]

As Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions so succinctly put it, “Can you imagine your version of Batman comforting a scared child? If not, that’s not Batman, that’s The Punisher in a funny hat.”

[@paultapping9510]

good comment, nice analysis, though I would perhaps quibble over the presentation of Comic Batman as a unified, monolithic entity. Comic Batman embraces a multiplicity of archetypes and characterisation, from Frank Millers Neo-Fascist take to something like the gonzo All-Star Batman

[@mattyice1500]

All this focus on Batman and …… I wouldn’t change a thing.

[@RadicalTrivia]

I feel you SO HARD on the internal "magical negro" struggle. I'm an entertainer and a martial arts instructor, so, as you can imagine, for a lot of people I'm either their favorite black guy they know from the bar, or I'm a mystical kung-fu dude. It's difficult because in both of these cases, everyone is very friendly, so it's hard to know what role I'm serving for them, especially if they're only an acquaintance. I just try to focus on being good at the things I do, and realize that I can't change the inner workings of others.

[@leothelion5035]

So, dunno if this will help with this struggle, because is just my particular point of view. I had a black kung fu master for a while. I only stayed with him for a year (we discovered he was doing some drug dealing here and there, and picking some other martial trainees and using them as muscle after I was away for a while from a training related injury.) And because of that, I left the school. Other than that, he was cool honestly. He kind of overpushed me to be better (I'm quite physically frail, I had a condition I discovered just a year ago, and it was affecting me even back then.) And that make me have this injury for a while, but it also made me stronger in a lot of senses, and gave me a lot of confidence in myself and my martial art skills. I didn't really saw him as something "magical" at least not more than when any other sensei/sifu told me about stuff like chi kung or ki, which is, intrinsically, mystical. I was though (and that's a fault of my upbringing and being awfully socially shy) quite intimidated by him, even if I respected him a lot at the time...which kind of changed after I learned he liked star trek. Not because I like it in particular, but because it helped me to see him in a more multidimensional perspective: I knew that the guy was a motorcycler gang member and did kung fu for a lot of years, even living in the mountains, going to China to train and stuff, but knowing that he was into star trek was kind of... down to earth and humanizing? In a sense. He really was a larger than life figure for me at the time though, but I think that as long as you are not only the "entertainer" or "the martial artist" is okay, even if you are surrounded by shy akward white boys that idolize you a lot. They just need to see you are not only the "cool sifu" or "the awesome entertainer" you are also the dude who likes to put milk before the cereals, the guy that is tired of parking prices or the man that like some very down to earth thing. You know, is true that people like me would fall a bit into the "OMG he is such an amazing martial artist and has such air of mistery around him". I'm sure kids will even have some curious stories or rumours when they talk about you (we all love to say our sifu is the best and sometimes we say it with fantastical stories) so the "magical black man" will still be a bit out there... if it helps, for little teens and kids, it's kind of part of the magic of martial arts too, but it's not that related to race I think, rather than the mystique the teaching implies. Hope this helped a bit and it wasn't too much of a rambling. And thank you for reading it all if you did!

[@RadicalTrivia]

@@leothelion5035 I did read it all, and it definitely helped! I agree, and I should say that there are also plenty of people who don't make me feel that way, who I actually connect with. So it's really just with some people where I have to just let it go and abide. 😄

[@ronswanson1410]

@@RadicalTrivia The most control we have over our own image is what we project about ourselves, but that isn't even that much and people are gonna think what they think about you unless they know you differently. If you want to be understood in a different way, try to be appreciated and known for different things and not make what you are good at a major part of your identity.

[@demarcjohnson]

I feel that we put too much value on trying to look a certain people in and outside the black community. For me wanting fry chicken or watermelon felt weird and until realize that almost all group like the same thing, but yet we are the ones joked about when we all eat the same things. Nowadays the only thing I think of when it come to anything as a Black man is "is the thing that I'm doing good for me or the people around me." Just think about that quote and also think of all the other races you can be and imagine going through that list of races and think would you feel awkward if you doing this if you was any of the races and if the answer is no then don't worry about it.

[@anewagora]

I'm confused on what your criticism or struggle is here. Do you think others are treating you wrong in some way? It sounds like you have acquaintances who like and admire what you do. Is this a bad thing? More context would help me empathize with your experience.

[@justingovas415]

You are such a good content creator. The stuff you don't know about but platform people who do is just a fantastic thing to do. You deserve all the respect and success you have enjoyed. Also I am glad I never truly fell down that radical rabbit hole of those "edgelords"

[@greenjudy]

I love your readings! Solid, trenchant, with that spark that delights. Thank you for your work.

[@GreatGospel97]

As a Black woman I’ve been personally arguing for compassion for a while with this shit-not as self sacrifice, but as understanding and if that understanding helps with avoiding the most dangerous it’s a win win. I keep coming back to the sense that there’s a vacuum and men just need good leaders to start showing and speaking on healthy manhood without trying to sell something. Perhaps that’s a naive and far too reductionist take…

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

No, Ma'am. You are so on point!

[@Salutations26]

All of this. I am a parent of a 19 yo. We have to give these young men compassion in this crazy world.

[@lightfeather9953]

As a white man I agree. Compassion and understanding isn't a zero sum game. We can try to understand and care about different groups without neglecting our own. And we can't fix a problem without understanding it. The way to get people out of a toxic belief is with an open hand not a shove.

[@ronswanson1410]

Men are treated as disposable. You aren't valued if you aren't willing to break yourself to be the protector, provider, and security. It's something that men can only do so much to change this. Men nee to stop appreciating and promoting this as ideal and proper and WOMEN need to stop wanting this and demanding it from men, otherwise a man will give his life to not be lonely anymore. The real question is - How much control does society or people have other what is attractive and what isn't? How much is biologically determined for you? That is where videos by sociologist types tend to fail, is they only look at this issue one-dimensionally and still put most of the problem on the backs of other men to solve for future men.

[@maimee1]

Yeah it's a win-win, except for the fact that compassion takes energy, and even more so if it's towards someone against you or your being. Not missing anything except that it's actually hard work to do that.

[@AntelopeofInfo]

“Stop deifying the theorists and let’s just rock with the theory as much as it’s useful to us.” This, 100% Edit for typo.

[@juniperrodley9843]

*deifying Not usually one for corrections, but the typo here completely reverses the meaning

[@simon.templar9998]

@@juniperrodley9843 😏

[@33up24]

@@juniperrodley9843 tru

[@haferbreivernichter274]

Though we gotta admit, Karl Marx had a fucking sturdy beard. Gotta respect the man for that

[@BigHenFor]

A theory is an abstract model that is a tool for better understanding of reality and/or predicting what happens in reality. And no tool is 100% perfect, as anyone using tools can tell you. You have to understand the tool itself, and know how to use it to get it to work at its best. So, the results from a tool is a combination of the tool, the user, and reality. For example, I'm into woodworking and traditionally a NO. 4 bench plane to use to make a board smooth and flat. The problem is that you can't use it straight out of the box. You have to check that the plane itself is flat, square, and true. You have to ensure the blade is set at the right angle, and is sharp, as well as other things. And you haven't smoothed your board yet. What's worse is that once you have set it up, is that you have to use the right technique to get the right results. Observing this as a consumer, one might say "screw that", and go buy some MDF, but whilst the MDF is useful in some applications, in others, it just doesn't work as well. So you need to choose the right tools and the right materials to get the results you want. This takes some humility, empathy, and persistence. You can't just set it up and it's done. Reality is far too complex for that. So, whatever theories you subscribe to, hold onto them lightly. Use them consciously in awareness of their limitations, but be prepared to find a better one that better fits your priorities, because as your knowledge and understanding grows, your priorities will change. Your reality will change. Reality itself is not static. It is emergent, and you have to engage with things creatively, and accept this dynamism happens with or without you.

[@Shelbadelbasingsong]

I love your videos so much, they always make me think in so many new ways. Thank you !!!

[@NineOuh]

Big ups to you FD. You're thr best thing to come out of this website in years. If i saw this back in 2019 maybe it wouldn't have taken me so long to get my act right

[@sunnydays9144]

I just remembered, Contrapoints was once interviewed by the Healthygamer GG KZbin channel. It's run by a psychiatrist, Dr. Kanojia, and I feel like one of the main demographics seems to be young men with the kind of problems you discuss here. He would be an interesting person for you to talk to about this topic.

[@PaulTimothy]

as an often suicidal and isolated disabled leftist white guy who at 13 had alex jones’ notifications turned on this video meant a lot to me, thanks for everything you do ❤️

[@daniej125]

Wishing you all the best. Hang in there! 💜

[@loverboyclement6767]

❤️❤️ honestly impressive that you got out of that rabbit hole

[@OurFoundingLiars]

jones is the man

[@Resanctify]

Just because some creators add politics, and you were watching some crazy politics I guess, doesn't mean you shouldn't respect yourself. The manosphere is Mostly about giving yourself respect and giving yourself value, if you find a partner the Other way, i.e. not settimg boundaries, giving them all your attention, usually they will disrespect you because you don't respect yourself. It's needy people that are the most unattractive to everyone, and the manosphere has helped men not be so needy.

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

Knowledge fight > info wars

[@mynameislunkk_8612]

I absolutely loved this video, absolutely excellent research, editing, and layout. Definitely worth more than one watch lol

[@Napalmdog]

So much in here to take in! A damn good essay!

[@rickylegendesq.514]

Not sure how you haven't hit 500k+ yet man. 95% of creators on KZbin can't even get close to you when it comes to articulating and raising points of discussion.

[@feyrol42]

He’ll get there, he’s grown pretty quickly. He could hit 500k by the end of this year or early next year.

[@nosirrahx]

As someone that watches a handful of black creators that are more independent/libertarian I can say with absolute certainty that youtube isn't doing any black creator any favors unless they are sufficiently to the left. I like 'SomeBlackGuy' and 'Fresh Out' and youtube pretends they don't even exist.

[@pennycheshire5608]

@@nosirrahx Is that the algorithm or is that people on the left being more interested in listening to POC voices than either the mainstream or right wing? Because that seems like a better explanation to me. The algorithm responds to audience behavior.

[@nosirrahx]

@@pennycheshire5608 From my experience, I can watch a certain type of video once and the channel will be recommended to me for many months while watching other channels on a frequent basis still results in them never being recommended. These content creators have commented on when things change because their charts clearly show when they drop off the map.

[@rickylegendesq.514]

@Alias Fakename I don't really consider him obscure any more. It's more a not as widely known kinda thing in my view. There's some people like FD who show up in my feed every time a new video drops and it's usually the ones who adhere to some sort of schedule

[@mv9653]

I’m so glad you mentioned neurodivergence. As an autistic person myself, I see so many young white autistic men taken advantage of by the manosphere for all the reasons you described-plus ableism/neurophobia, but these guys often don’t feel comfortable in the kinds of social justice spaces that discuss ableism, again, for the reasons you described.

[@gzeuskraiste]

Do you recall what section this was in?

[@emma7933]

I'm also autistic, and seeing young autistic guys get sucked into the far-right and incel movements is really depressing, because a lot of the time they have correctly realised that there are systemic issues that are preventing them from achieving as much as their abled peers, but then that anger gets directed towards minorities and/or women instead of what is actually causing their pain.

[@TheNN]

@@emma7933 As an autistic guy I can attest to this personally, I was that kinda person who got sucked in pretty hardcore for years before I got out. I saw it go from a movement about helping men improve themselves to being purely political in nature. Specifically of being right-wing, and supporting Republicans. I grew up conservative, and knew that mentality. I got out of it because I realized what they were doing. I did the same when the 'manosphere' turned into just another extension of the very lifestyle I got out of. Republicans are no allies of autistic people, they'd put a knife in us without so much as a second thought, and tell us they're doing 'God's work' as we lay dying.

[@thewizard1]

Don't congratulate him. He only mentioned it. The bar for neurotypical people is so low

[@wesley5729]

@@thewizard1 why can’t we be more encouraging?

[@theyxaj]

This video is not what I expected, but in the best way possible. I feel like it's helping me understand a little bit what a friend of mine is struggling with.

[@BradFazner]

I'm sprinting through your vids. They have taught me so much! Love it all man

[@jbradleymusic]

Fiq, you made it, it's your Jordan Peterson video!

[@zkye8431]

Every good leftist KZbinr needs one 😌

[@wehorak]

“The data and research points to things like mental illness, substance addiction as well as economic and social instability and an absence of effective coping mechanisms often exacerbated by an adherence to classical views of masculinity” As a white male who lost a friend (white, mid 20s, gay) to suicide a decade ago I can’t thank you enough for this insight!

[@BoojeeRedneck]

Sorry for your loss. I live in a small minded town where too many gay men refuse to acknowledge their true sexuality due to the rampant homophobia of their friends and family. It’s sad.

[@edd1EroxPwDblah]

Your race has no importance at all in what happened to you nor your friend. You'd do yourself a lot of good the moment you stop racializing everything.

[@wehorak]

@@edd1EroxPwDblah The quoted text comes from a part in FD’s video about white male suicide

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Don't agree. Stop pretending like they're anything more than men that can't comprehend why women aren't into them and why they're not at the top of the social ladder

[@edd1EroxPwDblah]

@@wehorak ok

[@bitterseeds]

Just found your channel a few days ago and have spent hours catching up. I'm listening ... mouth shut, ears open.

[@MikeyCyan]

I really appreciate how good faith you approach things. Ive been bingeing your content last couple of days and you seem to engage fairly even where it may be difficult(or even getting in trouble, within group)

[@Julianacan]

As a 4chan refugee, thx for this vid! Its nice to learn how all this edgelord stuff is like. I saw my crap almost a year ago so its nice to see content i can use to better myself with. im joining my dsa in st. louis pretty soon, hope i can organize with my friends and combat racism directly

[@NextChapterRapper]

Congratulations on your growth!

[@33up24]

Good luck on your journey

[@justinwatson1510]

Unless DSA is the only socialist org in your area, please consider joining a revolutionary org that doesn’t support Democrats under any circumstances. I’m partial to Socialist Alternative, but even they supported Bernie so I’m reluctant to give them a full throated endorsement. Also, it is important that you study theory independently so that you’ll be able to more effectively contribute ideas to whichever group you join.

[@omaro9866]

Proud of you and your growth man :)

[@moksound19]

@@justinwatson1510 Hold on now, give DSA a chance. It's not a monolithic socdem org. More than anything else, it's a collection pool for newbies, a nexus for checking out different projects and tendencies, and a highly accessible way to get your toes in the lefty waters. For many, they'd never know what to look for or how to look for a solid revolutionary org. DSA is just fine as a starting point.

[@professorofpi]

One of my favorite things is analyzing media that very clearly panders to a target group. I have a thing for Korean Webcomics specifically, as they're quite accessible. And the sheer number of comics about poor, unnatractive, gamer, loser guy being sent to another world where he's useful, or somehow magically destroying his enemies, it amazes me. It also says a lot about society. There are so many comics with the premise "I was a loser now I'm not." My Life as a Loser, Lookism, Ominescent Reader, Solo Levelling, or my personal favorite, Viral Hit. Our main character makes money, gets women, beats people up, etc. Such an interesting dissection of masculinity. The most "low brow" artforms have so much to be critically analyzed in terms of gender, race, class, etc. Similar to Batman here. Yeah. The desire for men to "succeed" in various narratives. So right. So right.

[@Nassifeh]

That whole "reborn in another world" concept actually has the opportunity to be both wish fulfillment AND create some kind of model for the sorts of ways an individual really can improve the lives of people around them. It's so sad that it usually just falls back to "imagine if you had a second chance at life and it was just like every RPG you've ever played, with extra cheat codes, and also you were going to accomplish the only useful things you'll ever do before you're 25". I really just want these guys to want more for *themselves* than that.

[@fideletamo4292]

@@Nassifeh the idiotic view of success that capitalism propose to the kids is just suffocating...

[@melaniey.5596]

For the female equivalent it’s very interesting to see how most of the isekai/reincarnation are “reincarnated into an novel as an aristocrat who gets the affection of the attractive male character(s), the admiration of the other characters, and flourish as their own person” and how most of the protagonist are formerly very lonely people who already indulge in novels as a form of escapism, who die either from a random accident or overwork. It’s very interesting how shamelessly “feminine like/princes like” they allow to be themselves, once they have the economic mediums to do so. It’s also very interesting how yandere-like characters are also gaining more popularity. Part of me thinks it’s because that medium already caters to insecure people (or people allow themselves to feel their insecurities when consuming that medium), and the prospect of having a love interest who will love you unconditionally, faults and all, to the point it’s a fault, it’s very reassuring.

[@professorofpi]

@@melaniey.5596 YES!!! I love applying critical gender theory to isekai. The way these stories cater towards lonely women!!! Also how they immediately become pretty princess in the new world like a mgaical glow up or something. It is so fascinating to read. Especially with varieties in protagonists. Mothering ones where the protagonist takes care of a young child (usually the male lead's son), revenge ones where the protagonist takes over a country, or villainess ones where our protagonist is transported into the body of the villainess. What does the extremely popular villainess genre say about how these readers see themselves? Like a heroine is too unrelatable, they already see themselves in a fairly negative night, but the villainess genre involves ignoring bullying and stuff. I desperately need to write an essay on this topic because it is endlessly fascinating!

[@BagelEnjoyer]

This is wonderful! Thank you very much for making this video. This gave me a lot of new perspective on life

[@missmahinay5297]

Loved, loved, loved this. And while it was long, it was informative and I enjoyed your take. I just sped up the video slightly and did chores around the house. A great listen for sure

[@StephanieBoothEDV]

I've been putting this one off because as a middle school teacher in a predominantly white school, and as an afab "nerdy" person who grew up feeling the negative effects of this behavior online, this is a topic that both hits a little too close to home and genuinely scares me. But, I'm so glad I finally watched. I really appreciate your patience and compassion in this video. I really do think that being a teacher gives you a more connected perspective when it comes to sensitive topics like this, because it humanizes even the worst of the worst. Rather than picturing a faceless troll on Twitter - an incredibly easy symbol to villainize - you're picturing a kid who you love and want to help get better. It gives you so much more patience and space to listen to other experiences, and it's one of the things that I think makes this channel incredibly unique. I appreciate you mentioning your history in education and your experiences with that in this video.

[@dirtydish6642]

Grew up rural white middle class in the 80s/90s. The only exposure to black people was TV, and it was just on two shows: COPS and Family Matters. It took me a longtime to open up to the history of racism in this country and more importantly its lasting effects in modern society. Great video, first time viewer and now a sub. I'll be back for part 2 of this series and am likely to check out more of your work that you have here on YT.

[@SynthApprentice]

My parents took in a kid from NYC one summer, as part of a program to give kids the opportunity to have at least a month or two of their life outside of the Inner City, but that really was it. I've never lived in a state that isn't at least 95% white.

[@hippykiller2775]

That is done on purpose. They keep the idea of what black is very managed. This is why rap us never about the poverty pain ir evil in the black community. Or the true nature of American and is instead about "money, drugs, cars, clothes, and hoes." When that is the only introduction to black people by more well to do white people will see violence done to black by the police as a given. If fact I'd say that rap is used by the controlling class TODAY as a mean to educated the white population that all the ideas that the Jim Crow south had were actually "right," and white people just happened to have the grace and morality to allow black people to share "our spaces" even tho they just aren't as civilised. *

[@LisaLee__]

@@SynthApprentice This is really interesting, I wonder how it is living like that. I had almost the opposite experience, whereas being born in NYC, 1st generation American (or is it 2nd? My parents are Caribbean), I didn't experience overt racism until I moved to a small town in Florida when I was 16ish. I asked for directions and was called a N word straight to my face in a gas station. I cried like a baby. Like right there, it felt like a punch in the gut and I cried and...it was weird. Before that I remember being really young and in a mostly Greek and Asian school. Think it was kindergarten. Being told my arm was dirty because of my skin color, but I wished to be white, I cried then too lol asking my mom why couldn't my skin color be like hers. Being stopped and frisked at 14 coming home from school. I think I just went on a small sidebar as these things came to mind, but my point originally and still is that; my friends were from everywhere. My first boyfriend was Asian. Best friends from all over. Always had food from all different cuisines right in the neighborhood. Could be bias, but a melting pot city is awesome. Except for NYPD, they're ridiculous. Otherwise, I think there should be programs for people from the city to go live out in the rural and vice versa. It can't hurt. I don't see how. Felt compelled to share, thanks.

[@briantrowbridge8134]

Holy hell, thank God for family matter, ass COPS would be a pretty terrible representation lol

[@lb8012]

Just discovered your channel. Thank you for sharing this incredibly brilliant and entertaining breakdown. Looking forward to delving into this deep well of content.

[@cicirirideedeefuntime7837]

This video was damn good!!! I really enjoyed your perspective and how you brought everything together!