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Mother Refuses To Sit Idle As Her Son Slips Into The Manosphere With Her Toxic Ex
Worried woman with her son in background, illustrating conflict after divorce and issues involving their child.

Teen Boy Becomes A Carbon Copy Of His Misogynist Dad And Mom Is Alarmed

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The internet has spent years dissecting the pipeline that turns impressionable young men into self-proclaimed “high value males” who blame women for everything wrong in their lives. It usually starts with a podcast, then a forum, then a whole personality built around resentment.

One mother is living that nightmare in real time. Her ex-husband dove headfirst into a world of incel ideology that he has been happily passing along to their fifteen-year-old son like it’s some kind of inheritance. She is watching the boy she raised disappear in front of her, and she is desperately looking for a way to pull him back.

More info: Reddit

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    The manosphere pipeline has been pulling in young men for years, and it is getting harder to ignore just how far its reach has grown

    Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Four years ago, a mom divorced her husband for cheating, and he responded by deciding the real problem was her and every woman like her

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    Image credits: zinkevych / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    He declared himself a high-value male, started listening to the podcasts, and made sure his fifteen-year-old son heard every single word of it

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    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    His daughter heard it too, decided it was ridiculous, and shut him down completely, but his son heard it and thought his father had a point

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    Image credits: No_Technology_8831

    The mom went to court to make him stop, the court said his comments were not harmful, and she went home to a son who no longer thinks she is worth listening to

    One mother ended her marriage after her husband cheated on her. Rather than take any accountability, he decided the real problem was her. He claimed she had cheated first, demanded a paternity test for both children, said he only strayed because she was “used up,” announced he had “let herself go,” and declared himself a high-value male in need of a more devoted woman.

    The ideology did not stay in his apartment. He brought it home to his kids every single week, fifty percent of the time, right on schedule. His daughter, who is twelve and apparently already done with this world’s nonsense, heard it, clocked it, and shut him down completely. His fifteen-year-old son, unfortunately, heard it and thought it sounded about right.

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    The son has since been reprimanded multiple times at school for making misogynistic comments to girls and female teachers, banned from online gaming for the things he was saying to women, and now openly identifies as an incel. He does not respect his mother or his sister because they are female. The mother even went to court to try to force the father to stop.

    So here she is. The courts have shrugged, the ex is actively sabotaging every intervention, and her son is not interested in hearing anything she has to say because she is, in his current worldview, not worth listening to. She came to the internet asking how to pull her son back from the edge, and the responses came flooding in fast.

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    Image credits: bearfotos / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Let’s be very clear about something: this did not start with a fifteen year old boy deciding on his own that women were the enemy. According to therapist Steven Ing MFT, the incel pipeline almost always begins with a boy who feels isolated, unsupported, and invisible, and then finds a community online that finally makes him feel seen.

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    The difference in this particular case is that the community did not find him on the internet. It was handed to him by his father over dinner, which is somehow so much worse. The manosphere did not need an algorithm to reach this kid. It had a key to the front door.

    And the manosphere is not a small or fringe phenomenon anymore. According to Forbes, it is a sprawling network of websites, forums, and podcasts promoting hyper-masculinity. A global study of 23,000 people found that young men today actually hold more repressive attitudes toward gender equality than older generations, and a third of Gen Z men believe wives should obey their husbands.

    Family lawyers are increasingly reporting that manosphere ideology is showing up directly in custody cases, with fathers framing mothers as the enemy, dismissing physical harm allegations as feminist myths, and using parental alienation claims as weapons.

    Legal experts say that courts can order psychological evaluations or mandatory therapy and even modify custody arrangements when a parent is actively undermining the other’s relationship with the children. This mother tried exactly that and the court decided the comments were not harmful enough to intervene. The bar, apparently, is not very high.

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    The hard truth is that this mother is fighting on every front simultaneously and at least one of those fronts, the court system, has already waved her through without backup. What the research does make clear is that pushback and punishment tend to reinforce these ideologies rather than dismantle them, and that the window for intervention gets smaller the longer it goes on.

    What do you think this mother should do? Share some advice in the comments!

    The internet showed up for this one with a flood of responses, and the advice, the anger, and the support came pouring in from every direction

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    Louise Pieterse

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    Louise Pieterse

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    I am a visual editor here. In my free time I enjoy the vibrant worlds of art galleries, exhibitions, and soulful concerts. Yet, amidst life's hustle and bustle, I find solace in nature's embrace, cherishing tranquil moments with beloved friends. Deep within, I hold a dream close - to embark on a global journey in an RV, accompanied by my faithful canine companion. Together, we'll wander through diverse cultures, weaving precious memories under the starry night sky, fulfilling the wanderlust that stirs my soul.

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    Monika Pašukonytė

    Monika Pašukonytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I am a visual editor here. In my free time I enjoy the vibrant worlds of art galleries, exhibitions, and soulful concerts. Yet, amidst life's hustle and bustle, I find solace in nature's embrace, cherishing tranquil moments with beloved friends. Deep within, I hold a dream close - to embark on a global journey in an RV, accompanied by my faithful canine companion. Together, we'll wander through diverse cultures, weaving precious memories under the starry night sky, fulfilling the wanderlust that stirs my soul.

    What do you think ?
    Marno C.
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe start referring to the father in pitying terms, redrawing his projected image of 'strength' and 'high-value.'. "Your poor father. He's such a sad man. He's pushed so many people away with his anger. I'm glad you have compassion for him; you might be the only relationship he has left. He's just so lonely and that makes a person bitter. I hope he can turn his life around and start building something positive."

    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Incel and manosphere etc are just a new brand of toxic religion. The best advice for deconstruction will be from deconstruction communities. It's a long and complicated road, but there are a lot of good books podcasts, courses etc.

    Ms.GB
    Community Member
    5 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That kid needs real male role models. A man to teach him how to really be a man instead of a sniveling, insecure toddler.

    Load More Replies...
    Janelle Collard
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "High-value man." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 If you have to *tell* people you are one, you've already lost.

    Load More Comments
    Marno C.
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe start referring to the father in pitying terms, redrawing his projected image of 'strength' and 'high-value.'. "Your poor father. He's such a sad man. He's pushed so many people away with his anger. I'm glad you have compassion for him; you might be the only relationship he has left. He's just so lonely and that makes a person bitter. I hope he can turn his life around and start building something positive."

    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Incel and manosphere etc are just a new brand of toxic religion. The best advice for deconstruction will be from deconstruction communities. It's a long and complicated road, but there are a lot of good books podcasts, courses etc.

    Ms.GB
    Community Member
    5 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That kid needs real male role models. A man to teach him how to really be a man instead of a sniveling, insecure toddler.

    Load More Replies...
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    Janelle Collard
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "High-value man." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 If you have to *tell* people you are one, you've already lost.

    Load More Comments
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