echo Intro
When Andrew Tate came to notoriety through social media around 2022, the landscape was receptive. The incel subculture had grown significantly, and the specific target audience of young men had been neglected by both conservative and progressive spaces for too long. Andrew Tate championed both a conservative notion of empowering men alongside the critique of what he called “The Matrix” that the conservative spaces would not. Coupled with the tension in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the support of his existing fanbase, his significant impact on men’s social circles comes as no surprise. In retrospect, Andrew Tate’s critique of society has failed to create meaningful revolution, and many men, whether they know of Andrew Tate or not, continue to struggle under The Matrix. However, vague hateful emotions towards the system and the feminists who supposedly perpetuate The Matrix plague young men’s social circles to this day. Men aren’t stupid, many recognize the hypocrisy of Tate, yet the critiques Tate brings to the table regarding the grievances of men ring undeniably true.
The Manosphere
Andrew Tate is only one figure among many who promote a narrow idea of masculinity and an opposition to feminism as the cure to men’s struggles. The spaces that cultivate these figures and ideologies are collectively called the manosphere, which is a dominant movement in addressing men’s mental health. The manosphere is relevant to men because it presents a common enemy. Society is against their ideal of “true masculinity,” and this masculinity is the freedom all men truly desire. More often than not, feminists are placed as the agents of oppressive society by repressing strong men, using the term “toxic masculinity” to invalidate masculinity and weaken men by celebrating sensitive men or those who embrace aspects of femininity.
The manosphere champions displays of archetypal masculinity as a method of empowering men. Some of this advice often does improve the ethics of their practitioners—working out to maintain good health, practicing male hygiene—these are good ways to practice self improvement, however they are often muddled with superficial values and idealist concepts. For example, the center of men’s struggle is loneliness, and the manosphere’s solution is to become “High-value.” There are several videos in which figures stress on how men have devalued themselves. Viewed in isolation, these are powerfully formated call-to-action pieces that push virtue and discipline, however in videos such as this, Tate describes a rather contrasting standard for high-value men—one that is young, muscular, smart, tall, intelligent and rich. Regardless of if these high-value traits are realistically able to be achieved on pure virtue, is this truly the answer to the alienation men feel?—or in Andrew Tate’s words, is this truly escaping The Matrix?
“The Matrix”
The Matrix as described by Andrew Tate in this interview with Tucker Carlson and this interview with CEOCAST vary slightly in their focuses, but together can be summarised as this: The Matrix is what controls information and legislation with the goal of ensuring people do not discuss what is truly important. Secondly, The Matrix is what ensures the poor stay poor and the rich stay in power. The likely reason Tate uses altered perspectives to describe the Matrix in either interview is because one podcast is directed at ordinary people who idealize escaping middle class life and becoming CEOs themselves, meanwhile Tucker Carlson is a conservative millionaire who himself benefits from The Matrix. This begs the question: is becoming “high-value” really the freedom from The Matrix that men long for? Tate explains that similar to the movie the term “The Matrix” originates from, the main mode of manipulation the people in power implement is information manipulation; however Tate’s misleading method of “escaping The Matrix” takes advantage of class struggle the same way the dominant class does rather than truly operating against it or outside it. Specifically, Tate, in the aforementioned interviews, describes his journey escaping The Matrix as his journey to becoming wealthy enough to not have to rely on the state. This is the freedom he claims men should strive for. This method of starting from nothing and ending in success aligns perfectly with the ideals of The American Dream, that one is able to achieve upward mobility, freedom, and equality despite class differences as long as one works hard and has the will to succeed. This is where Andrew Tate’s hypocrisy shines the brightest.
Andrew Tate himself benefits off The Matrix, and by doing so, is an agent of The Matrix. Even while putting aside his crimes in which he exploits others for his own benefit, Tate sells men on commodity dreams. These are not the dreams of ordinary people, but the dreams the rich want the ordinary to chase. Furthermore, in ensuring men within the manosphere are preoccupied with arguing with Feminists, these figures bring the consciousness of struggling men away from productive self improvement, instead connecting it to gender and identity politics, which are lacking in the radical potential that “escaping The Matrix” truly requires.
There is merit to the terminology Andrew Tate uses, which is one of the selling points of his ideology in the first place. In a previously mentioned interview, Tate says, “When I talk about The Matrix, I’m talking about the systems that have been created by society which are deliberately designed to enslave. In the movie, The Matrix is used for our body heat, but in this Matrix, we’re used for our efforts, our energies.” The sociological counterpart to The Matrix is “hegemony,” which is the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group over others. The dominant group in this case are not the lower class who are big in numbers but the richest of the rich who can afford to control information using the media and legislation by lobbying. Such power is enough to sway what people discuss and obscure what is truly important; thus being able to decide what is and isn’t culturally relevant to an extent.
Men
All that has been said is to present how the manosphere is riddled with opportunists who change their ideologies to make a profit through subscriptions and content monetization. However, the goal of this article is to address men’s mental health and to provide clear advice, avoiding all the manipulative jargon opportunists would like to take advantage of.
What is a man?
There is an almost ridiculously extensive catalog of gender related research and literature in philosophy. The Youtuber Sysyphus55 attempts to summarize these concepts in the extensive yet rather philosophically heavy video: “Journey into the MANOSPHERE.” The reason for so much effort going into this subject is because as most youth know by now, many elements that are gendered; such as who wears a gown and who wears a suit during a wedding are undeniably features of a culture, and if culture is socially constructed, it is susceptible to manipulation by the hegemony. Maintaining gender norms are of interest to the dominant class because not only does it ensure certain genders have a predetermined role in their society, but when there is conflict between the two, it draws attention away from the conflict between the dominant class and the dominated.
The truth is that there is a way to approach this without going into dense academia or relying on figures who seek to profit from men who are genuinely confused, isolated, and in pain. Across history and culture, what counts as masculine can shift; In some cultures, wearing jewelry or makeup was a sign of status. In others, being a good father or sacrificing for your community defined manhood. To many in the manosphere, there’s this pressure to be stoic, independent, to dominate others, to avoid vulnerability, and to always be “high-value.” On the other hand, men sometimes hear messages—especially in online spaces—that make it seem like masculinity itself is the problem. Even when the original intent is to challenge harmful behaviors, it’s easy for these conversations to be misunderstood as calls to reject masculinity entirely.
It’s unlikely that traditional masculinity will fade away. For many, it’s comfortable to rely on the security of the stable ideal of masculinity. For those on their existential journey who find their identity clashing with the rigid ideals of masculinity, perhaps being a man isn’t about fitting a fixed mold. It’s about learning to live with integrity, to take care of yourself and the people around you, and to define strength in a way that doesn’t require stepping on others. You can be masculine without being oppressive, and you can be sensitive without being weak. Performing in a virtuous way that is true to you is one of the first steps to breaking free from control.
Psychologists in the manosphere
Men are lonely, and it is a serious issue to address separately. In addressing this, there are two figures in the manosphere that are worth looking at who differ in their perspectives from the previously mentioned figures. Dr Jordan B Peterson and Dr Alok Kanojia (known online as Dr K) are both popular online psychologists within men’s mental health discourse.
Peterson is widely known for his self-help books and lectures on discipline, responsibility, and meaning, but his work is often inseparable from his conservative political views. Critics point out that he blends psychology with reactionary politics, which can limit the credibility of his advice—especially for men outside of the traditional mold he often promotes.
Dr. K, on the other hand, approaches men’s mental health through livestreamed conversations and coaching via his platform “HealthyGamerGG.” He draws on both Western psychiatry and Ayurvedic philosophy, which has earned him both praise for accessibility and critique for leaning into unscientific territory.
Despite their flaws, both Peterson and Dr. K provide something many young men crave: validation. They don’t mock or dismiss insecurity. They give men permission to say, “I’m lost,” and offer some tools to start navigating out of that. That compassion—whether grounded in science or not—is part of what makes their work resonate.
What’s worth learning from them isn’t necessarily their entire ideology, but the basic principle: men need safe places to talk about pain without judgment or shame.
Conclusion
Media and emotional literacy go hand in hand in taking the first step towards interpersonal stability. Men’s mental health shouldn’t be the arena for confusion and hatred. The manosphere thrives not on truth and authentic self discovery, but by speaking to real pain men experience with the charming certainty of bold performance. But performance isn’t the same as healing.
The next step is to build spaces where masculinity isn’t policed by profit or anger, but connection across gender and ideology, and this can only happen when we work together to seek the truth.
Written By: Sera & Fel
Edited By: Ashley
