I can’t remember the exact point in time when I stumbled upon the MGTOW movement. But I do remember reviewing some of the online content and thinking a few things. My initial thought was that I found it strange that I had never heard about MGTOW before even though it’s been in existence for so long. Deep research then led to my understanding of the MGTOW movement.
History of MGTOW
For those who don’t know, MGTOW stands for Men Going Their Own Way; it is generally viewed in the context of men choosing to NOT have romantic relationships with women. The movement is said to have been formed in the mid to early 2000’s by two men who go by the online aliases of Solaris and Ragna. But the history of MGTOW is much less important than what it’s all about.
Quintessentially, the MGTOW movement encourages men to first decrease the significance that women play in their lives; then to increase the value they are able to add to themselves and society as a single man. What this translates to for many who follow this movement is to stop dating women, stop having children and stop getting married.
This stance would seem unfortunate or pathetic to many. Some even go as far as labeling those who adhere to MGTOW philosophies as Herbivore Men or mere cowards. However, there is a lot more to it. How did men reach to this stage in the first place?
MGTOW: A way for men to protect themselves
It’s no secret that just like there are many good for nothing men in the world there are perhaps an equal number of women who are not worth their salt. As plainly as it can be said, lots of women have disenchanted men for various reasons. Some men have lost faith in women due to the fact that they were cheated on. Others had their hearts broken or lost all of their money or even children to women. These are all valid concerns that men have a right to strongly consider in advance so they can protect themselves.
But those who do not believe in MGTOW assume that these men have gone about things in the wrong way. They believe men are running from facing their insecurities, problems with women and the world at hand. So let’s look at things from a different perspective.
Forced into MGTOW
One of the easiest things to say to a man is to “man up”. Yes we know the world is harsh. It is tough, cruel, heartless, unfair. But it’s often the action or lack or action by others that makes the world appear to be so inhumane. We now live in a world where feminism has long accomplished what it has set out to accomplish; and still seems to want more and more. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more. But constantly and selfishly having to take from someone else to get more is a different story.
The truth is that in most countries the law still often favors women. And this is so to the extent that some may joke that a woman can commit a crime against a man, be pardoned by a judge and instead the man be put in jail for it. When men feel this way and feel as though they are always fighting a losing battle, they tend to care less about voicing their opinions in an attempt to fix a situation. Instead they take matters into their own hands and decide to do something about it. The answer for some is MGTOW.
MGTOW as a choice
“Why fight a battle that cannot be won?” is the question many men today eventually ask themselves. They think, I can love a woman to death, treat her right and give her everything and she may still turn around and stab me in the back and take everything away from me. Many would then say that is no excuse because love is about taking risks. But figuratively speaking, if someone worked their entire lives to build themselves an empire no one deserves the right to tell them why they should risk it. It should be their choice.
And so, MGTOW is all about choice. It’s about men choosing to become better men. And it’s about them choosing to do so without having a woman by their side and all the problems that relationships bring with it. Again, if you properly understand MGTOW it isn’t about men running from facing problems. It’s really about men finding an alternate way to face problems within a world that appears to have changed to more often give women the benefit of the doubt. It matters not whether the last statement is true. More importantly, it matters how some people react to the MGTOW way of life.
The red pill versus the blue pill
Quite frankly as the MGTOW movement upsets many people, one cannot help but ask themselves why. We are now at a stage where LGBTQIA communities have quickly gained rights and respect. Feminism and women’s rights are universally celebrated. And the exploitation of children is heavily protected under treaties and endless laws.
Yet, a movement about men who choose to go their own way (without legally trying to change laws to fight against women) seems either as a treat or so highly distasteful to most men and women. The MGTOW community calls those who disagree with their philosophies as the “blue pilled society”. Those who are “red pilled” are seen to have obtained a true understanding about life, similar to Neo from the The Matrix.
Don’t take MGTOW for granted
It all boils down to one think. If men felt as though they could comfortably express how they feel about being wronged by women more would open up. If they felt the world wasn’t set to view them as expendables they would feel more comfortable trusting more women to marry them.
Some may even say now men know how women have felt for so long. But who does such a statement really satisfy? MGTOW now exists because many now feel as though their only chance of happiness is to stay by themselves. Yes, it may be sad, but unless more genuine women start stepping up and proving these men wrong, more and more men may end up just going their own way and eventually end up living more happily ever after.
In the end it’s easy to think that it’s their loss but in the long run MGTOW can actually result in an even bigger loss for society.
