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Doctor S 457337

Difficult Reading but Important

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2023

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The information in this book has awakened me to some recent developments of concern, of which I've been only vaguely aware.

Men Who Hate Women details the curent trend of increasing online radicalization and the ways in which this is not only becoming more extreme but more normalized. It makes for difficult but important reading.

For some time now, I have been aware of opinions coming from younger generations to the general effect that all or most of the major concerns of the 1960s and '70s -- among them reproductive freedom -- have been resolved, so that, although many still identified as "feminists," many others vocally rejected or were not interested -- ie, "problem solved," ERA defeated, and movement shelved.

We see today, women voting in local and national governmental elections, I'd call it against their own interests, to put, and keep, women and men in positions of power over them who are anti-woman.

And we see the rise of the kind of woman-hating so well described by this book, not only in online groups but in national media and on social media, YouTube being one example the author details.

This situation harms both genders; and children too young to be able to evaluate this trend from experience are drawn into it.

Can we do anything? To address any challenge, learning as much as possible about it is a good first step.

Therefore, on the general subject of misogyny and subjection, here are two excellent classic books, both deep dives, both by men, that I'd like to recommend:

Misogyny - The World's Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland
The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill

I also recommend a newer book with a premise that is gaining in influence, and research to back it up, that explains anger, but may add some additional insight to the misogyny phenomenon:

Anger by Carol Tavris

Misogyny has deep roots. It has to do with history, socialization, cultural norms and more. But as to the norms, how did they develop and what purpose do they serve?

Consider that both genders, well into old age typically continue believing certain things, long after they have had many opportunities to reconsider earlier learnings. Reconsidering is often done on a selective basis ... thus we could ask which ideas are most resistant to change and why.

I think Tavris helps answer this, and her book would be additional valuable reading, especially for authors on the related subject of misogyny.

Pros:
I'd recommend this book for people who would like information on what is happening with the men's movement(s), and who are able to handle some pretty harsh realities.

Cons:
Some will find the information a bit overwhelming.

C. E. Lee

Excellent review of current state of patriarchy

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023

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It's sad to see that a small percentage of men have just come up with new ways to convince themselves they are superior to women and/or abuse them. Good overview of last 15 years or so. Information is power. Guys need to read it too and stop tolerating bad behavior by other guys.

Kindle Customer

Everyone should give this book a read

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023

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This book brings up important things like checking facts, checking sources, and teaching young minds critical thinking.
I think it's something most people, including myself, could do more of.

Katie Bell

Chilling

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023

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"Men Who Hate Women" by Laura Bates is a chilling and eye-opening look at the rise of misogynistic extremist communities that have proliferated online. Through interviews with former members of these groups, academics studying the movement, and men fighting back against misogyny, Bates uncovers the hateful and toxic rhetoric used by these communities and their connections to other extremist movements like white supremacy.

One of the most shocking aspects of the book is how Bates reveals the way in which young boys are targeted and gradually drawn into these groups. It is a frightening reminder of the power of online extremist communities to radicalize and manipulate individuals, and the urgent need to address and combat this issue.

Bates also does an excellent job of showing how this ideology has infiltrated mainstream media, our everyday lives, and even our government. The book is both fascinating and horrifying, and serves as a wake-up call to the deep-seated issues of loathing and anti-feminism that continue to plague our society. Overall, "Men Who Hate Women" is a must-read for anyone who cares about gender equality and the fight for women's rights.

AnotherOne

Amazing!

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2023

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Such an insightful book! I would recommend this to everyone! I already told some of my peers about it. Thank you for writing it! I wish you the best!

andjela

Good quality, nice paper!

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023

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I got it as a gift and it is very good quality, the font paper and the hardcover are very nice!!
I would recommend it!

Alex

a little scuffed but the pages are okay

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2022

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so the outside cover that you slip on the book was scuffed and damaged a little but luckily the actual covers and pages of the book were okay.

i feel like the small amount of damage could’ve been avoided if the book wasn’t just thrown into a box and had some bubble wrap around it when being packaged. i would be more upset if this was manga but like i said, it was just the book cover. just be mindful about that tho bc i know some ppl like to collect books in perfect condition.

Nicole Arlitt

Read This Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023

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I am going to echo other reviews and say that this should be required reading for everyone.

Top reviews from other countries

Alexis Zachariou

A book that all should read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2023

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I've never written a review for a book before and only at a later stage in my life and a decision to make changes to how I perceive the world did I stumble across this (I must also admit i did in fact buy this book in error - im thankful I did!). I only wish this could become part of the reading list for all schools but also for older generations still living on past expectations of what it means to be a man. Simply wonderful book written on a frightening topic which is right under our noses but we are refusing to see it. I may not be an expert in this field or even anymore than a novice when it comes to literature but what this book has done is open my eyes as well as leaving me with a different point of view. And I'm sure that when Laura Bates wrote this she would have agreed, that even if that is just a start, it's achieved something.

J. Millman

Needs a new title!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2023

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This book covers an important topic, one which Laura Bates knows very well (she is a feminist activist who has suffered horrible levels of online and offline abuse). It’s a complex topic and Bates does a good job of outlining the different types of online misogynist, the similarities between them (I liked her analogy of both PUAs and incels seeing women as being like slot machines - the PUAs see the machines as ‘gameable’, the incels see them as rigged, both fail to see women as real people) and the relationship between online extremist communities, the media and mainstream politics. Bates is clearly coming at this from a feminist perspective - I wouldn’t call myself a feminist but she makes her position very clear, and I’d agree with her basic position that online misogyny is very damaging, has a corrosive effect on politics and society and isn’t taken as seriously as it should be.

Unfortunately there are a number of flaws. The first is the title - I was reading the book on my kindle on my lunch breaks at work, and I didn’t want to have to tell anyone what I was reading. The next is that the analysis is often pretty shallow - she correctly highlights the overlap between misogyny and the ‘alt-right’, but she doesn’t explore the deeper politics going on (the self-contradictory ways the ‘Manosphere’ can be both libertarian and reactionary, for example). It’s a world where things move very fast (see the rise of TikTok and the rise and fall of Andrew Tate), and it would have been better to focus chronologically on the different trends over the last couple of decades rather than skipping about in a somewhat scattergun fashion. Lastly, it gets very repetitive and it feels like Bates is going over the same points too many times. That said, I would definitely recommend this book to parents, teachers and youth workers (and others) who are concerned about what teenage boys are being exposed to.

Xaven Taner

Throws light into dark places, but ultimately offers timid solutions

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2020

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I was vaguely aware of Laura Bates' everyday sexism project, but what attracted me to this book was the promise of an in-depth treatment of the connections between online misogyny and the rise of far right ethno-nationalist movements in the UK and North America. For the most part Bates does a pretty good job, though if anything her central thesis - which is that what happens online has very real world consequences (notably violence against women and minorities) - could be more strongly signalled from the start. It is odd to still have to make that argument in 2020. As you would expect for a book that delves into the dark corners of the internet, there's no shortage of examples of extreme cruelty and hate emanating from the groups the author covers; from the pathological resentment of Incels (the involuntary celibate) to Pick-up artists, Men's Rights Activists and MGTOW (Men going their own way), who are essentially male separatists.

The book is strongest where Bates describes how the way mainstream media outlets cover feminist issues often functions as part of a feedback loop with the Manosphere. Fringe controversies are amplified by major news and current affairs outlets, which in turn fuels more conflict and abuse online, which serves to further push the news agenda as media commentators cover stories which they have themselves created. The role of Piers Morgan as agent provocateur is considered in detail. All the while it is individual women who are exposed to more and more abuse online and offline as collateral. There are good "case studies" covered here from Gamergate, to Katie Bouman (who became an object of misogynistic abuse after coverage of her role in producing the first image of a black hole), to the career of erstwhile alt-Right darling Milo Yiannopoulos. Bates also covers how big tech companies have persistently refused to clamp down on extreme misogyny, noting that much of their advertising revenue is tied to the kind of material which promotes hate.

Men Who Hate Women really opened my eyes to the sheer scale of the problem, with Bates' research into the relationships between certain key figures in the network and their constant push towards mainstreaming their ideas particularly impressive. The book is however let down by pulling its punches at the end, and in particular by the timid, centrist solutions the author offers.

For a book which is mostly about internet culture there is a surprising lack of consideration for the role the pornographic industry has as a laboratory for violent misogyny. The ideational content for much of the sexually violent hate speech Bates' reports on in the book (and she herself has suffered) is lifted directly from freely accessible pornographic websites, which like social media companies now feature primarily user uploaded content and make much of their revenue from advertising. As with mainstream social media companies the algorithm tends towards more extreme content, and rewards users who supply it, as part of a silent, but undeniable feedback loop.

Bates' book would have benefitted from a reflection on these kinds of trends in the context of Manosphere ideology and sexual violence. There is a deeper question about the effectiveness of consent classes - and even the Law itself - in a society that is increasingly normalising consensual violence as a "value neutral" part of intimate relations. To begin to question this however would require having some kind of value laden notion of what a healthy relationship should look like, and by implication what an unhealthy one looks like. This would necessitate a departure from liberal laissez faire attitudes to sexuality which treat consent alone as a panacea for all evils.

Despite her detailed analysis of the interconnections between social media revenues and extreme content, Bates seems unwilling to draw the obvious conclusion which is that this not an unintended consequence of the system but the basic function of that system. Our entire economic and political mode of life in the era of big data is increasing being directed towards radicalising, amplifying and monetising extreme affect (hate being the most profitable emotion). This is not a fringe phenomenon , or unintended consequence, but the way our society is intentionally being run. That was the truth of the 2016 Trump and Brexit campaigns, and it has become more true since as populism and the culture wars surge. As such Bates' solution to lobby politicians to place greater legal obligations on big tech is woefully naive. Politicians don't want to neuter the power of big tech, they want to harness it for their own ends; principally keeping themselves in power and manipulating public opinion at a granular level.

Similarly her support for early intervention in schools and a creative reimagining of masculinity are all laudable and sensible goals, but they run up against the very thesis which she has been at pains to emphasise throughout the book, which is that the power of the political/media/big data industry leaves little space for the kinds of alternative thinking or community building necessary to turn the tide against the economy of hate. How can you fight a system that knows you better than you know yourself, and which nurtures and monetises your worst impulses? Furthermore, in a post-pandemic world it is doubtful that the kinds of everyday person to person interactions needed to de-radicalise angry young men will even be permitted, let alone publically funded. All the while screen times increase and the big tech companies tighten their grip on our ability to think beyond the dystopia they have created.

Men Who Hate Women provides a distillation, a sign of the times, for a civilisation that is rapidly approaching its denouement. Let it come soon.

Harriet

Love the Book, but Amazon is awful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2023

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I ordered and had a text saying it was arriving & then got a text later saying it was damaged on transit and some will arrive but not all - this one arrived covered in a fizzy orange drink. Shocked that it was allowed to be sent like this so I had to send it back and get it exchanged. The other books that never arrived I waited a week and didn’t get a refund nor was it exchanged I had to get in contact with Amazon myself to get it sorted.

The book on the other hand is very good!

Veritas Missenibus

Compulsory Reading for both genders

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2023

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This book should be compulsory reading for every secondary school student.
A brilliant insight into the culture of sexism.

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