Men Who Hate Women: From incels to pickup artists, the truth about extreme misogyny and how it affects us all

by Laura Bates

Its ideology, smuggled inside via other hosts, can infect you before you even realize it. Once inside, it spreads and grows, eventually causing great pain. In an attempt to ease that pain, hosts cause harm to others and accelerate wider infestation. And while only a small part of the problem is visible, a much greater portion lurks beneath the surface. It isn’t possible simply to pull the Guinea worm out of your leg. Though only the tip protrudes, the body of the worm might be up to a meter long, and it will not simply slide out with ease. Pulling too hard or too quickly risks breaking the worm, which can be disastrous, causing putrefaction. The only way to extract the worm is to wrap it around a small stick and to slowly turn the stick a little each day, pulling the worm out gradually over a period of weeks. The same is true of the manosphere. It won’t work to try to lop off just the visible tip. It isn’t enough to try to yank it out in one go or to focus only on one part of the problem. Quick fixes won’t do. The only method that will work must be slow and sustained, patient and thorough. We have to get the whole worm.