[Sumanguru]

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-uncomforta...-movement/

Another MSM (and at this point, Cracked is so big and well read that it qualifies as mainsteam media IMO) shitting on the MRM/Manosphere. Of course, what it comes down to is, "They're sad, sad people." Interesting they pull all their quotes from the Redpill Redditt, which I don't spend much time on.

[Volk]

I used to read it once in a while. Not anymore. I don't respect PR/ social justice fellatio.

[Truth Teller]

1-4 are bullshit points. #5 is true of every social movement, cult, and political party.

[bjerauld]

This is interesting. However they peg us as people complaining and looking to point a finger at others for inadequacy. My experience with literature on both this site and ROK is taking responsibility for your own person and gaining the knowledge to avoid societies hazards. Self improvement is not some violent cult following. ... This article is all over the place.

[Parsifal]

I too used to read them back in the day. Their humorous posts about badass US -presidents or famous last words where hilarious. Since then they seem to have turned more into the PC -bullshit though.

[Scesci]

the articles are user submitted, even lindy west has a shitty article there (just to use on her portfolio), but its still one of the best sites on the web, i`ve seen cracked being dismissed here in the forum as a progressive pop culture safe heaven for looser and nerds so ill try to make some justice

Some good articles for example are

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-c...icted.html

http://www.cracked.com/article_19360_7-q...-math.html

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-mo...happiness/

http://www.cracked.com/article_19376_5-s...wrong.html (this articles reminds me a bit of Roosh)

Quote:

#4. You Physically Can't Feel Happiness for Very Long


Quick: What's the final line of every fairy tale you know? "And they all lived ..."


Yes, everybody realizes life is not a fairy tale, or a Hollywood movie (where 99 percent of the time, the final shot implies, "And they lived happily ever after"). We say we realize that, anyway. Yet, people still talk about happiness like there is some finish line. Once you cross it, you'll have "achieved happiness."

"The first 10 to not hate their lives win a free hat!"

Don't take our word for it -- go to Amazon.com and search for the words "achieve happiness" and check out how many self-help books promise they'll get you to that destination:


Yes, the No. 1 result is by Russell Simmons.

Well, science says it's not possible.

As it turns out, the human brain is equipped with "hedonic set points" which not only establish where our base mood is (optimistic, pessimistic or indifferent); but also adapts rather quickly to our surroundings and returns to our base frame of mind. Basically, we all have a built-in buzzkill app.


Getty

"Laugh all you want. That romantic comedy won't halt your inevitable demise."

In 1978, a research group studied lottery winners, regular assholes and those who had suffered injuries rendering them paraplegic or quadriplegic. All groups reported a similar number of good days versus bad days, with no clear victor in the happiness race.

On the bright side, these studies show that people adapt better than they think they would to devastating situations. The triumph of the human spirit, etc. But on the flip side, if you're completely miserable now, achieving your goals will probably only result in a slight surge on the happiness meter and then you'll be right back to your crotchety old self.


Getty

"This Nobel Prize is lovely, but right now, I'm much more interested in learning the banjo."

Some psychologists refer to this trend as the "hedonic treadmill," saying that we experience only a brief moment of fleeting happiness when we achieve a goal before our minds look forward to the next conquest.

And ... look at that. There's the carrot and the stick again. Only instead of coming in the form of some philosopher or book telling you if you do the following, you will be happy in the future, it's your own brain. It's triggering a built-in mechanism to keep you from getting complacent. Either way, the promise of happiness just over the next hill turns out to be a tool to keep you climbing hills.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18606_8-h...think.html

http://www.cracked.com/article_17476_7-m...ysics.html

they also have some nice articles on history, and do a good job dissecting movies and books, quality has been compromised in the last 2 years, the articles before were all about science and cool animal camouflage, but you eventually run out of interessting things to write.
I guess

[turkishcandy]

I think manosphere should distance itself from something laughable as mens rights movement. Making individuals real men through masculinity and self improvement is a far better cause than complaining about divorce laws, imprisonment rates etc.

[darklightdispatch]

The manosphere is immune from mainstream criticism because it is totally unlike every other identity-based movement out there in the following way: self-improvement is a fundamental "tenant."

Yes, we criticize and complain about feminism, but it's with the intent of increasing understanding, NOT "affecting change." For feminists and pretty much everyone else, "change" means more laws, more government, and more top-down control. It means asking someone in charge to make society more to your liking.

Feminism, anti-racism, gay rights, etc. all boil down to forcing people, via government, to do things your way. Looking at themselves critically and/or changing themselves is invariable not part of thought process for people involved in these movements. The manosphere is precisely the opposite:

-- how do things really work?
-- what do I actually want in life?
-- what can I change about myself to achieve it?

Those are the basic questions that drive the manosphere guy.

On the other hand: "I think the world SHOULD be _____ way. Now, we need to use force to make everyone else conform to my vision" is the way all mainstream activists think.

One of the reasons I suspect mainstream sources get the manosphere so wrong is that they literally can't conceive of a movement that doesn't follow the "I'm upset about something, now I'm going to whine and those in authority better do something about it" template. I think this is also why they focus on the MRM so often, it's the closest thing to the manosphere that *does* follow the standard leftist approach.

[germanico]

Cracked is a clickbait manufacturer. anything they publish is intended to be entertainment for stupid minds.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Cracked has jump the shark a long time ago. Now they're just sad social justice warriors not much different from Jezebel or Salon.

[BlurredSevens]

Other hard-hitting Cracked.com headlines:

"5 Country Names That Are Stupid When You Know the Backstory"

"26 Microscopic Horrors In and Around Your House Right Now"

"5 Human Flaws That Prevent Progress and Keep Us Dumb"

[runsonmagic]

I generally agree with the problems the MRA points out. The world would be a better place without divorce-rape, less men in prison, etc.

However I generally disagree with their solutions. Other groups can play victim because men help the less fortunate. It's an exploitation of the protective instinct I wrote about in my series on Esther Vilar. Rather than appealing to others for help, men must help themselves and stop helping those who play weak for a handout.

[AnonymousBosch]

(06-03-2014 04:06 PM)germanico Wrote:  

Cracked is a clickbait manufacturer. anything they publish is intended to be entertainment for stupid minds.

Exactly. Articles for cubicle drones to read at work whilst pretending to look busy.

[Trim]

(06-03-2014 03:58 PM)turkishcandy Wrote:  

I think manosphere should distance itself from something laughable as mens rights movement. Making individuals real men through masculinity and self improvement is a far better cause than complaining about divorce laws, imprisonment rates etc.

Until you get screwed by those things. MRAs are far from perfect, sometimes even full of crap, but there are laws which have to go.

[Samseau]

(06-03-2014 04:48 PM)Trim Wrote:  

(06-03-2014 03:58 PM)turkishcandy Wrote:  

I think manosphere should distance itself from something laughable as mens rights movement. Making individuals real men through masculinity and self improvement is a far better cause than complaining about divorce laws, imprisonment rates etc.

Until you get screwed by those things. MRAs are far from perfect, sometimes even full of crap, but there are laws which have to go.

But the laws aren't the problem. They are the symptom. Men being clueless with women is the problem.

[Trim]

I think things are far more complex than just one sole reason for why things have gone to crap for guys. I think society needs to take a blame as a whole.

[BadWolf]

I liked cracked magazine when I was a kid in the 80's and it was written with kids in mind.

[Checkmat]

(06-03-2014 04:23 PM)runsonmagic Wrote:  

I generally agree with the problems the MRA points out. The world would be a better place without divorce-rape, less men in prison, etc.

However I generally disagree with their solutions. Other groups can play victim because men help the less fortunate. It's an exploitation of the protective instinct I wrote about in my series on Esther Vilar. Rather than appealing to others for help, men must help themselves and stop helping those who play weak for a handout.

I read Vilar's book The Manipulated Man a couple of years ago. Found it pretty extreme. Can you link to the piece you wrote?

[MattW]

Yeah, actually a bunch of stuff on the red pill subreddit is out there. A lot of keyboard jockeys there. Not that there's much you can do about it when a forum gets that populated.

[Turnaround]

The manosphere produces some of the most logical, insightful, realistic commentary out there, but unfortunately it is overshadowed by a minority of bitter commenters who are more interested in venting frustration than improving their outcomes. Put yourself in the place of a leftist MSM journalist asked to write a piece investigating the manosphere: You hate the it by default, and are looking for even more reason to justify your disdain. You scroll through a collection of intelligent, reasonable (if contrarian) commentary, only to come across some idiot saying "the west is doomed unless we acquit all accused rapists!!" What will stick out in your mind?

It also doesn't help that some of the flagship bloggers go off the deep end just often enough to give the MSM the fodder they need. Anyone who reads Heartiste closely can attest to him being beyond brilliant, possibly a genius--but every now and then he feels the need to go on a white nationalism rant that would be a quote goldmine for detractors should his site become famous.

I understand that manosphere culture is not about appeasing the mainstream, but then it's not surprising that the mainstream doesn't accept us.

[Hades]

Cracked is huge and bloated with an enormous collective of crowd sourced ideas. It would not be challenging but not impossible to infiltrate some pro manosphere (the term here is used very loosely) propaganda that's been properly whitewashed with dipshit buzzwords and dick jokes.

You'd have to go with fairly neutral topics and be non confrontational with respect to the continuously whining "WHAT ABOUT THE WIMMINZ" crowd, maybe saying some like "10 Issues Affecting Women that You Didn't Know Also Affect Men". Then you can go with some shit like "Well every four seconds a woman gets raped, but DID YOU KNOW that every ten seconds a dude gets raped in prison, too? Then just blather on about how horrible it is that nobody cares about it. Prisoners are people too, etc, most of the guys getting raped are nonviolent offenders. I bet Tuth would be up to the challenge since he has enough skill to troll with ROK articles on a regular basis.

This all being said, I quit reading cracked about a year ago and think it sucks, but if they ever did any red pill stuff, it would be have to be packaged just like this just to be sent out. I have noticed though that most people read it and anything posted on the site becomes gospel truth in a hurry. That's a lot of media power and it might be useful to take advantage of it.

[ElBorrachoInfamoso]

A lot (possibly most) of the comments are against the article. The MSM can publish all the propaganda it likes, we'll keep shitting on it and pointing out how the MSM got it wrong. People with enough interest to read the comments are also more likely to change their opinions on issues. We are winning.

[Suits]

First of all, this forum isn't the Men's Rights Movement. Not even close.

I've rubbed shoulders with members of the Men's Rights Movement and they aren't about self-improvement. They are usually guys who have been screwed over by society largely because they were the male and they lost to a female (divorce, visitation rights, etc).

They don't talk much about self improvement, as they tend to lean towards just simply Going Their Own Way.

Here at RooshV Forum, we are about self improvement. While there probably is an unfortunately percentage that only dream about bettering themselves, the soul of this forum is to not take life lying down.

Women and their beta white knights don't like the Men's Rights Movement, because any suggestion that men can suffer too threatens to rob them of their much enjoyed victim class, which they heartily cherish.

However, women also don't like male self improvement, as it is built around a particular tenant that they can never get behind. A man's value can increase. A woman's value peaks somewhere between 18-22, depending on whether she develops any personality after 18.

Women have a huge problem with all of this.

[ddjembe mutombo]

I remember when some silly MRA article about the evils of circumcision and ADD/ADHD drugs was somehow published on ROK. It was just a pity party of an article. I pointed it out in the comments that we should focus on what we should do to be better instead of how we were wronged, and I received an onslaught of negativity from other commenters/readers.

We definitely have tons of open-minded readers and commenters here on this forum, but it is those wandering negative pricks that stick out like a sore thumb. The keyboard jockeys that have been wronged are the most vocal and the least insightful. It's hard to separate from them because they have nothing to do but post on fifteen different forums and subscribe to thirty different blogs.

It is enlightening to see how outsiders view this community of men. Even though we aren't MRA, we are lumped in with them. Let us do our best not to feed the MRA parasites. Yes, let us be aware of how the world works, but let us not complain. We learn so we may adapt.