Post #2156993

After a convo with my friends, it has occurred to me that I may need to write out how I view something that maybe I did not express well in speaking.  We were talking about the manosphere and I feel like I failed to articulate why I am skeptical of the critique of the manosphere without falling into apologia. Here is the result. @LucyStag @chrishudsonjr The media’s concern trolling over figures like Clavicular or Hasan Piker reveals its patriarchal nature. The goal of the corporate media is to concentrate power in the hands of the wealthy and predominantly male elite.  That goal is sought by punishing those who challenge them. The media operates like a stern father figure, dictating the rules of acceptable discourse and dismissing those who refuse to comply. Just as patriarchy ensures that authority remains with a select group, the media enforces these norms by deciding who is allowed a voice and who is derided. Those who diverge from the established order are treated like disobedient children, labeled as dangerous, malfeasant, or hangry. Whether it’s women speaking "out of turn", anyone demanding fair treatment, or even white male commentators incidentally exposing inconsistencies, the response is always the same: comply with Daddy’s rules, or face the consequences. The media employs concern trolling as a primary tool to maintain control, much like a father issuing warnings to keep his children in line. Instead of engaging with the substance of an argument, it attacks the individual. Hasan Piker is branded as an antisemitic islamist, Candace Owens is just a kooky conspiracy theorist, and Nick Fuentes is dismissed as a child edgelord nazi. The objective is not to refute their points but to discredit them entirely, ensuring that no one takes their challenges seriously. The media dictates what is acceptable to discuss, just as a father dictates what is acceptable behavior at the dinner table. Criticism of Israel is framed as antisemitic, criticism of capitalism as unrealistic, and criticism of the media itself as conspiratorial. The aim is always to shift focus away from systemic issues and onto the individuals who dare to speak out, reinforcing the idea that Daddy knows best. This is not about ethics, or aesthetics, or truth; it’s about the people who identify with power maintaining their sense of control. These pundits control the narrative, determining what is considered truth and what is dismissed as fringe. They defend the status quo as they see it, to maintain their position as "arbiter of truth" while everyone else is kept in suspense.  The act of directing public attention to a "concern" encourages ingroup righteousness and reasserts the dominant position in the media environment.  Just as a father might scold a child into submission by admonishing them to their siblings, when the mass media targets figures from the internet, it is less because they are of any real moral concern than because they threaten the existing power structure. Daddy cannot allow that. This performance exposes some vulnerability. Every time a major outlet attacks a relatively less visible commentator or streamer, it signals that they have already lost some of their grip. The more they resort to outrage, the more transparent their manipulation becomes.  The analogue is a father whose authority is slipping as his children begin to see through rhetorical admonishment of misbehavior at the dinner table for what it is: a vain attempt to maintain a patriarchal set of norms. The media and patriarchy form a self-reinforcing system of suppression. They use concern trolling to keep the public divided, distracted, and compliant, just as a controlling father might employ admonishments to keep his household in line and maintain his position of superiority. The power harnessed by the elites of our society is reliant on our compliance and participation; the media serves to manufacture consent for this end. So when you begin to feel outrage over a so-called "controversial" figure, ask yourself this: Who truly benefits from this arrangement and who is your Daddy?