Masculinity Building Workshops and Techniques

March 2, 2015 12:24 PM

Hi Brilliant People! I'm researching organizations and leaders in communities of people who are anti-feminist and working to preserve male supremacy, masculinity building for men who may be viewed as weak and techniques used to promote these ways of thinking. Actual people and organizations doing this would be helpful. Also any depictions in film, tv, literature, etc. would be great. Also, any new stories you know of men who have been traumatized by this kind of treatment. Thanks so much!!!
posted by sunnyblues48 to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

You might want to check out the silly series "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" on TLC. There's a lot of posturing by the males; I saw an episode a few weeks ago where the groom was glad to be marrying a virgin: "I don't want used goods." And another one where the male relatives would not let their 18-year-old female relative out of their sight, telling her constantly "you could be kidnapped by those terrible non-gypsies!"
posted by Melismata at 12:33 PM on March 2, 2015

Also any depictions in film, tv, literature, etc. would be great.

Depictions of masculinity building, or depictions of / perspectives on masculinity that MRAs draw from? (If the latter: a lot of anti-feminist people seem to like the comedian Bill Burr.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:33 PM on March 2, 2015

Chuck Holton and his book Making Men.
posted by Ostara at 12:35 PM on March 2, 2015

If I were you, I would go "undercover" and go to places where MRA types gather online and ask them what resources they'd recommend to instill manliness in boys and young men.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:47 PM on March 2, 2015

Also check out archconservatie websites which offer dating advice to teens. They tend to have numerous, prominent tie-ins with books for sale, conferences, etc.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:50 PM on March 2, 2015

Justin Lookadoo / The relevant Metafilter thread
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:57 PM on March 2, 2015

Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream - and Why It Matters
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:10 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Tom Cruise's character in the movie "Magnolia" is exactly what you're looking for. (NSFW)
posted by jbickers at 1:20 PM on March 2, 2015 [6 favorites]

Check out r/TheRedPill as a starting point. There are numerous blogs that promote this philosophy and offer advice for men.

Vision Forum used to offer boy's and men's conferences and retreats, including this, before they shut down. There are probably other religious organizations that offer similar conferences.
posted by Shanda at 2:21 PM on March 2, 2015

Promise Keepers
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:24 PM on March 2, 2015

There are lots of PUA sites and speakers. Here's Julien Blanc we recently kept out of Australia.

Our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is also known for his outdated sexist attitudes and is the Minister for Women. Just google and you can find all sorts of stupid things he has said and done.
posted by stellathon at 2:45 PM on March 2, 2015

Paul Elam. He's the founder of A Voice for Men, and the subject of two recent exposés (that he is upset with): Buzzfeed, GQ.

There's also been a growing "meninist" movement, mainly as a hashtag on Twitter.
posted by O9scar at 3:46 PM on March 2, 2015

Real Social Dynamics
PS: Yuck!
posted by treadstone11 at 5:47 PM on March 2, 2015

There's been a lot of press about Russell Tovey and his (or his father's) decision to reject being effeminate.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:01 PM on March 2, 2015

We Hunted the Mammoth catalogs all kinds of "meninist" activity.
posted by Lexica at 8:49 AM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Depictions in fiction: Four Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula Le Guin. In one of the stories she describes a slave society where masculine self-help systems have developed very much at the expense of women.
Gender relations are another area examined by the stories. In its initial years of settlement, only male slaves were transported to Yeowe, leading to a hypermasculine culture and formalized homosexual relationships among them, both of which had a strong impact on later gender relations on Yeowe.

There are a couple of stories in The Birthday of the World that are very thoughtful about apparent male dominance and gender roles:
"The Matter of Seggri" Takes place on Seggri of the Ekumen. The discovery, exploration, and ultimate alteration of a planet characterised by extreme gender imbalance and segregation.
"Solitude" Takes place on Eleven-Soro on the fringes of the Ekumen. Society has fragmented - men and women live apart, and adult women do not even enter each other's houses.
posted by glasseyes at 5:28 PM on March 3, 2015