Red pill content often originates from what has become known as the manosphere, which promotes the idea that society is dominated by feminism and biased against men. It also pushes the idea that men are victims who must fight to protect themselves.
Andrew Tate is a classic example of red pill content. Photo: Imogen Bell.
This form of content has piqued the interest of younger people, with creators like ‘Andrew Tate’ at the forefront of the red pill content movement. New research from the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland found that nearly 20 per cent of Australian men believe feminism should be violently resisted. Studies also show 19.4 per cent believed it was legitimate to violently resist feminism.
Infographic: Imogen Bell.
Deserving Better WA president Dr Lisha Van Reyk says children are exposed to unrestricted and harmful content and lack the critical thinking skills to digest it. She says though research on this topic is growing, how the manosphere is affecting school-aged boys is understudied.
“As a professional working in this space there I have definitely seen a significant increase in coercive control and abusive relationships and that really spearheaded the organisation,” she says.
“Particularly with Covid I feel like it escalated already risky situations.
“Sometimes what we see in our organisation makes us question if there is something specific going on in those misogynistic groups. To me the biggest issue is its taking away choice, and enforcing that women don’t have a choice.”
Deserving Better is a not-for-profit group providing support and advocacy to lots of marginalised groups, including victims of domestic violence.
“Sometimes what we see in our organisation makes us question if there is something specific going on in those misogynistic groups. To me the biggest issue is its taking away choice, and enforcing that women don’t have a choice.”
Dr Lisha Van Reyk
“The good thing is we’re now aware of the detrimental impact that this kind of content is having on our children. I would encourage parents to establish healthy digital boundaries,” she says.
Dr Lisha Van Reyk explains what victims of misogynistic behaviour are saying about the manosphere. Video: Imogen Bell
Certified life coach George Helou says he had heard of the growth in misogynistic content, but was unaware it was distilled down to the specific phrase red pill content.
“This content converts you into a cult,” he says.
“What happens is if your masculinity as a man is questioned too much, your confidence in yourself collapses. So now you’re suffering from a build up of jealousy, resentment, envy and it starts to make you make excuses and blame other people.” He says.
Mr Helou says that influential people like Tate make these men who are ripe for exploitation believe he is saving them.
“Instead of masculinity being put into balance it’s pushed to the other extreme, and now you’ve got men who are beating their chest thinking that they can do no wrong.”
George Helou
“Now that its a conversation, start to ask questions that can help people see the value of balance,” he says.
George Helou talks about helping men break the cycle of misogny. Audio: Imogen Bell
