How some men think of women

There exist, mainly online, some extreme groups of men that hover on the fringes of society and have a real hatred of women. These people do not see women as equal or worth anything and only as objects to be used in any way they choose. In Men who Hate Women by Laura Bates the author explores and examines the views and actions of some of these groups.

The book explores the extreme misogyny that some men have and the author shows how easy it can be for vulnerable men to become caught up in the vitriol that is out there if you are looking on the Internet. She shows how hating women increases their sense of superiority and acts as a bond between many men. She also shows how online hatred can lead to real world violence and abuse of women.

The book starts by looking at the Incel community, men who are involuntarily celibate, and how they develop a sense of entitlement to the company of women and to sex. Many groups allied to the Incel movement believe that women should be forced, if necessary, to have sex with men and that women are challenging men’s rightful place in control of society. Other groups look at how they can trick or coerce women into relationships. There are websites online that encourage men to use behaviour modification methods to make women more submissive. The book looks also at violent pornography and violence against women and what behaviour that reflects and feeds.

This is a very unsettling book for a woman to read. No woman is ignorant of the fact that many men have extreme views about women but this book gives plenty of examples and outlines the different ways that some men behave and think and how these views are passed on and amplified. The author can also give, from personal experience, examples of how these groups behave when they are challenged or their thinking is discussed by women in public.

I recommend this book, which is clearly written and evidenced, as it shines a bright light on a very worrying issue.