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The second article I wrote for The Good Men Project was about a group called MGTOW, which stands for “Men Going Their Own Way.” I’d caught wind of the movement in the depths of the Internet about a year ago. Since I’m interested in exploring male mental health with the hopes of helping to improve said health, I decided to examine MGTOW and write about my initial impressions.

Members of the group jumped into the comments section of the article to express their opinions, in a generally aggressive manner. There were some more moderate comments, however, and I appreciated those who tried to leave rational rebuttals.

Then, someone emailed me to tell me I should have the article taken down and issue a public apology to MGTOW. I replied to politely tell them I would not do so.

Then someone made a YouTube video rebuttal, which was an odd experience. I mean, someone took the time to make a video about my article, reacting to it point by point? I’m flattered! Look, mom, I’m Internet famous! Or maybe infamous?

The video has since been taken down by the creator. Other videos on the guy’s channel consist of content including very conservative viewpoints, ridicule of “The Left” and Antifa, videos warning people that “things are accelerating” toward what I suppose is the end of the world, and links to David Icke videos (Icke thinks reptilian beings run the world).

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I went on to sit down for an interview about MGTOW with the excellent Real Men Feel show to talk through my MGTOW interactions, observations, and concerns regarding the group. There was what could be called a “lively discussion” in the comments section of the interview’s YouTube video.

I decided to Google “Anthony Simeone MGTOW” and, what do you know, I made it to Reddit! Yours truly has been dubbed “Cuck of the Moment” among other dubious honors. I’ve been called a feminist as well as a plethora of MGTOW code words such as “cuck, mangina, simp, beta male, blue pill asshole,” among other delightful epithets.

But I want to set the record straight on one term: I’m not a feminist. I’m a humanist. That’s why I’m going to persevere despite the abuse and focus on those men in the MGTOW movement willing to hold rational conversations. THOSE are the men I want to learn from, to talk about their motivations for being MGTOW. All the others, the haters, can truly go their own way … out of my life.

One of the major hallmarks of a gang is having a common perceived enemy to harass and to hate. I guess I’ve become part of the enemy ranks for those who see MGTOW as a gang dedicated to fighting “conniving and scheming women” and “gynocentric society.”

A Quest into the Male Mind, Heart, and Soul

I’m embarking on an exploration, or maybe it’s a mission of mercy. It’s definitely a mission of empathy. I genuinely feel for men of the MGTOW movement and those in the broader “men’s rights” realm. They are my fellow men, after all. I want to know what makes them decide on various degrees of female avoidance, up to and including outright misogyny. I can tell you that, so far, MGTOW is shaping up to be, like any other human grouping, a diverse lot. Not all MGTOW have the gang mentality.

I’m a believer in the heroic legacy of humanity.

To live a full life, we must not shelter ourselves from the world and the people who share it with us.

That’s why I’m pushing myself to look past the anger and the criticism and abuse from some corners of the MGTOW community.

When I read the comments, I see more than just monsters. I see men who may be lost in some way. They have been hurt, ridiculed, misunderstood. They need someone to look past the tough guy facades and the macho posturing they’re using to cover up their anger and fear. They need someone to offer up the olive branch of understanding first. I’m willing to be that peace maker, for the sake of the health of the male mind, heart, and soul.

With that said, I’m pledging to keep an open mind as I prepare to delve further into the MGTOW/men’s rights mentality. Men are very often held back by the unspoken societal training that tells us to bottle up our fears so we don’t seem weak. We are told not to ask for help.

This is why it often takes the example of another man offering help, understanding, and support before other men will open up about their plight. Too many men won’t take the initiative for themselves. They will suffer in silence for a lifetime, a lifetime that might end in bitter old age or a flame-out in a barrage of bullets.

I’m dedicated to continuing an open-minded exploration of MGTOW and men’s rights activism. To that end, I’ll be breaking down my discoveries into separate articles tackling different aspects of the MGTOW belief system, so they can be explored in detail, as fairly as I can.

I hope you’ll join me on this quest so that together we can perhaps mitigate some of the frustration modern men are feeling. I’m looking forward to (hopefully) gaining some companions on the journey … and maybe a few supportive comments among the vitriol!

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What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.

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Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash

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