Boys Don’t Cry? Masculine Gender Role Stress in the Reddit Forum “r/TheRedPill”
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2024-07-03
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en
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Abstract
This study examined how users in the online forum “r/TheRedPill”, a Reddit
community associated with the Manosphere, frame the ‘crisis of masculinity’ attested by The
Red Pill ideology. Further, it investigated the extent to which elements of Masculine Gender
Role Stress (MGRS) are present in this forum. A qualitative content analysis was conducted
on posts and comments published on r/TheRedPill using the software program Atlas.ti. A
deductive analysis was conducted, guided by five assumptions that were drawn from literature
regarding male-supremacist movements. Further, an inductive analysis was conducted to let
novel themes emerge from the data. To test the presence of MGRS in the contents, the five
factors of the MGRS-scale by Eisler & Skidmore (1987) were used to code the data. The final
sample consisted of 19 posts and 616 comments. Adherents of The Red Pill were found to
construct themselves as the victims of the current social hierarchy. Further, they lament the
non-success of men in contemporary society to behave in line with a hegemonic standard,
thereby becoming subordinate to women. Out of all concepts that were applied to the data,
dimensions of MGRS were found most frequently, indicating that users perceive themselves
as failing to live up to a masculine ideal. A key finding of this study is that these users are not
monolithic in their understanding of masculinity. Nevertheless, their efforts in adhering to
masculine norms are guided by a desire for women’s approval.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen