Folklore of Online MRA Communities
Take The Red Pill
Abstract
Men's Rights Activism (MRA) is a movement centered around reclaiming the hegemonic masculinity men have supposedly lost in contemporary culture. MRA is largely a digital phenomenon, where men gather in impromptu communities on sites like Reddit and 4Chan to affirm their proximity to the masculine ideal. These spaces became sites of folkloric elements of tradition and ritual, such as the infamous event "No-Fap November" and lesser traditions such as working out and practicing pick-up lines. However, the primary function of these spaces is to uplift men by degrading and dehumanizing women or, more accurately, the image of women they’ve created.
Works cited
Manavis, S. (2022, November 1). No Nut November: the insidious internet challenge encouraging men not to masturbate. New Statesman. https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2018/11/no-nut-november-insidious-internet-challenge-encouraging-men-not
Schmitz, R., & Kazyak, E. (2016). Masculinities in Cyberspace: An Analysis of Portrayals of Manhood in Men’s Rights Activist Websites. Social Sciences, 5(2), 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/SOCSCI5020018
Sims, M., & Stephens, M. (2011). Living Folklore, 2nd Edition: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. University Press of Colorado.