MGTOW
Men Going Their Own Way (short MGTOW, pronounced migtow) is an online "volcel" movement consisting of a collection of forums dedicated to "male separatism", anti-feminism, and anti-gynocentrism. In other words it is a movement against feminism and, in theory, against long term relationships with women. It is believed that most MGTOWs are coping celibates, especially those in monk-mode.
Besides promotiong volceldom, more austere adherents of monk-mode MGTOW's also promote the avoidance of freemixing generally. However, one does not need to be celibate to be a MGTOW, with many MGTOWs consorting with prostitutes or claiming to engage in non-committal sexual relationships with women.
Beliefs[edit | edit source]
The 'core' level ideal of MGTOW is generally considered to consist of refraining from any long-term committed relationship with a woman.
Also, no fap is very popular among some MGTOWs. Some argue against this though, and encourage masturbation as an alternative to sexual interactions with women. The asceticism, slut shaming, patriarchal attitudes, and self-styled proud volceldom of MGTOW forums makes the members of the forums remarkably similar to puritanical Catholics. This is the general thinking behind the use of the word, "monk", to self-describe in the MGTOW forum sphere.
MGTOW vloggers[edit | edit source]
Although MGTOW.com and /r/MGTOW are/were popular MGTOW sites, MGTOW activity seems to be especially present on YouTube with countless accounts dedicated to MGTOW content just from motivated individuals. It's not really an organized group. Here's some of the more notable ones:
- Sandman
- TurdFlingingMonkey
- Think Before You Sleep
- Paul Proteus
- MGTOW 101
- Stardusk
- Element X
- VentionMGTOW
- LFA
- Colttaine
- Onison[1]
Popularity[edit | edit source]
Despite claims that MGTOW is dying as a movement, it remains the most popular manosphere content format on Youtube, as the top three manosphere content creators as of mid-2019 seem to be MGTOW content creators instead of incel or MRA.
Off-gridders[edit | edit source]
Off-gridders are the most extreme MGTOWs, who go a step further by disengaging from society as a whole. They can be seen as somewhat similar to the Sovereign Citizen movement in the United States.
Difference between MGTOWs and incels[edit | edit source]
Incels frequently claim that most of these men aren't choosing this path and are instead being men sent their own way (MSTOW) by female hypergamy. This estimation is made because almost all men accept sex upon random invitation and most MGTOWs do not appear masculine or attractive enough for women in 2019. MGTOWs also obsess over women instead of posting uplifting content extolling the benefits of a man 'choosing' MGTOW.
MGTOW forums generally focus on statistical data that shows inequality in society and view the sexual marketplace as a dangerous game with little benefits. Some of the more extreme views think female nature is inherently evil/selfish and that female nature can't be overridden. These perspectives generally lead to fear of relationships and frustration from the internal and external expectation to fit within societal norms. While there are many different approaches to MGTOW's base philosophy, the majority agree that marriage is not a good idea, that long term relationships are not worth the risk, and their approach to sex after these considerations can vary greatly. The main approaches towards sex can vary from occasional short term dating, focusing on getting laid and leaving women, searching for a NAWALT outside of western society, or choosing a voluntary celibate lifestyle. The major confusion between MGTOW and Incel comes from the last approach listed previously, the voluntary celibate as it can be difficult to determine if celibacy is voluntary or not.
Incel is, in MGTOW communities, a derogatory term used to describe male non-voluntary celibacy. It is normally associated with men who are "failures" or are unable to be sexually appealing to women. There is also a common opinion outside of both the Incel and MGTOW community that Incel's main reason for their non-voluntary celibacy is due to their attitude and behavior. Some of the more extreme Incel's believe in the Blackpill and they believe that they never had a chance to be with a women since the day they were born. This philosophy is greatly different than MGTOW, as Incel philosophy would regard their celibacy as out of their control, where as MGTOW views celibacy as a safer approach to life. An Incel may decide that their celibacy is society's fault, or more accurately women's, and lash out online where they are safer to do so. They may join MGTOW communities where celibacy is not looked down upon and commonalities can be found. Extremist going through the "red pill rage" may be seen as Incels, due to both groups showing high levels of hostility and frustration, that is not to say that the majority of Incels are hostile online, rather hostile MGTOW experiencing "red pill rage" are the most confusing group to identify from outside these communities. Another main difference between Incel's and MGTOW is their opinion of female attraction. Incel's are more likely to focus on looks as the issue, while MGTOW tend to look at women's sexual desires centering around LMS. This focus for incels can lead to a more nihilistic, deterministic conclusion that their situation is unrecoverable.
From outside these communities, MGTOWs are seen as either incels in denial or as ex-betabux providers who experienced 'divorce-rape' from their ex-wives. MGTOW tends to look down on the term incel seeing it as derogatory and see those who experience it as less fortunate. MGTOW also believes that if Incel's wanted to recover they would only need to work towards wealth and power to overcome their dispositions. From outside these communities, Incel's are seen as people with bad personalities which even within their community would agree can be seen from some struggling with these psychological hardships. From outside these communities it is commonly believed that incels see sex as a right and that most MGTOW followers are just incels, however both these groups commonly argue against these statements.