For those unaware, there is a movement that is called MGTOW. "MGTOW" is an acronym for "Men Going Their Own Way". Essentially, this movement is men who are not wanting to be held down by societal expectations of relationships, marriage, having a family. The MGTOW wants to be as far away from that as human possible. This movement is not without criticism though. It has drawn a bit of a stereotype about being "basement dwellers" or men who just had bad relationships so now they generalize on the character and behavior of all women. Until recently, I had thought about becoming MGTOW, that is, swearing off relationships, giving up on marriage, but then I had a realization. This movement is absolutely not for me.
Why is that though? There are actually quite a few reasons for this. Movements within identity politics are defined by the lowest and most fringe practitioners. The lowest and most fringe practitioners in MGTOWs case are the misogynist "all women are the enemy" type of MGTOW and I do not want to give credence to movements that justify third wave feminism. Now I am not saying that ALL MGTOWs are misogynists. The misogynist ones are just happening to get the largest platform. Look at The Mayor of MGTOWn to see exactly what I mean.
The Mayor made a video (recently responded to by Armoured Skeptic) wherein he referred to women as "the enemy". Maybe it is just the fact that I was raised in a virtually all female household, but this is not a viewpoint that I hold. This is not to say I grew up without a father because I did have my dad growing up to. I value all of the lessons that I have learned from both of parents. It's vital for children to have at the very least figures by which they learn and grow. Without that, we are not only doing a disservice to individuals. Without that, we are creating individuals who don't know how to deal with their own problems.
But I am a man who has not really been in a great deal of relationships (in terms of quantity or ones that have been functional). This being said, MGTOW should appeal to me; however, why shouldn't I work on self-improvement? Why shouldn't I do something about who I am as a person? Why shouldn't I strive to be the best version of myself that I can be?
This is merely my subjective opinion, but I feel as though MGTOW is a useless ideology. It makes you hate people you don't know and make an enemy where there is not one.