Blog.
Moral Panic and the Manosphere
Following on from the success of the TV show Adolescence, in this article, I ask, is the response to the Manosphere a classic moral panic?
Beyond the Far Right
Seeing the rise of the far-right through the lens of anti-establishment sentiment reveals why current strategies fail. Mainstream responses that defend the political order or adopt right-wing positions will only accelerate their decline.
What caused the UK riots?
Far-right activists and politicians are stoking racism and discontent, not just in the UK but in Western society at large.
Misogynistic mass violence is on the rise. Why are we ignoring it?
Hatred of women and girls is an underlying factor in many violent crimes. It’s time for society to take this seriously.
Like I’m a Six Year Old - Podcast Interview with Tom Ballard
I spoke with Comedian Tom Ballard for his podcast ‘Like I’m a Six Year Old’. In it I lay out what the "manosphere" is and why it exists. We discuss incel violence, male alienation, Jordan Peterson, the material conditions that leads to this stuff and the challenges of trying to understand it. Scrubbing the internet clean of these ideas clearly isn't working and neither is joking about killing all men; so what's the alternative?
The Far Right Online - Freilich Foundation Talk
In October I participated in a panel discussion titled ‘The Far Right Online’ for The Freilich Foundation. I talk about the manosphere, what it is, how it has developed, and how we should respond to it. In particular I argue that simply labeling manosphere participants as ‘sexist’ is not enough, and that instead we need to do more to tackle the social issues that drive participation in the space.
The radicalisation puzzle
This week I have not been able to stop thinking about an article I read called “The Radicalization Puzzle: A Theoretical Synthesis of Empirical Approaches to Homegrown Extremism.” Examining homegrown Islamic terrorism in Europe, the article from Hafez and Mullins synthesises the pieces of the puzzle that lead people (mostly young men, but increasingly women) toward radicalisation.
On the politics of Joker
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Over the weekend I saw Joker with a friend. The movie has been controversial to say the least. Despite the connections the commentary has had with my research interests I’ve been hesitant to write anything about it. Now that I’ve seen it for myself, boy do I have some feelings.
Book Review: See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill
I just finished the excellent book See What You Made Me Do by the journalist Jess Hill. See What You Made Me Do is an in depth investigation into domestic abuse in Australia, written by a journalist who has spent years covering the topic, and who brings a lot of expertise into the field.
Gender: its value and its limitations
This is a talk I gave at a high table dinner at the ANU College Bruce Hall on Tuesday the 6th of August (republished with their permission). Thank you for the organisers at Bruce Hall for inviting me to speak. I had a great night!
On Cloudflare's decision to knock off 8chan
Some thoughts, somewhat unstructured, about Cloudflare’s decision to remove 8chan from their server.
What do networks tell us about white extremist terrorism?
In analysis published in The New York Times last week they presented evidence of a growing network of white extremist terrorists.
On Christchurch, lone wolves, and the threat of fascism
Following the horrendous attack on two mosques in Christchurch two weeks ago, debate has turned toward the nature of the fascist threat in Western countries. Many have argued that we have ignored the threat of a growing fascist movement for too long, and that this attack highlights the consequences of this.