A decade ago, the online men’s sphere was made of mostly smaller, pseudonymous bloggers. Since then, the market for men’s gurus has exploded. The biggest name is Jordan Peterson, obviously. But there are also people like Joe Rogan or the now-jailed Andrew Tate with huge audiences as well. And beyond them a host of major and minor figures with significant followings. Some, like Peterson and Rogan, appeal to both genders but with a male audience skew. But many explicitly target men.
Interesting write up. I did not know that McKay is a Mormon. I always thought of him as a Catholic, by the way he talks on his podcast and from some of the guests that he has had. While McKay goes out of his way to keep his podcast and blog religious neutral, Michler has been open about his faith, stressing its importance.
Over the last five years, especially since the COVID shutdown, there has been an abundance of books and podcasts for men that’s come out. In regard to divorce, toughness, responsibility and male leadership, America appears to have begun its decline shortly after its founding, if not earlier. Television and the internet seems to be cultivating an even greater momentum for this disaster.
Aaron, thank you for this write-up. I am sympathetic to your point about self-improvement literature not always resonating. Psychologists distinguish between an "internal locus of control" where an individual sees their life as mainly determined by their own work and choices versus an "external locus of control" where events around us affect us much more deeply than our own choices do. I think we both might rationally tend toward the external locus of control. Paradoxically, the best outcomes tend to go toward people with an internal locus of control, even if their attitudes seem irrational. And if so, were they really wrong all along? It is good for those of us who tend toward an external locus of control to be find motivation and agency that undermine our attitude from time to time. I am reminded of William James's idea that a young man who believes he *can* woo a young lady, however irrationally, is the only one who will likely ever do so.
This article has inspired me to read Michler's previous book - Sovereignty. It's pretty good so far. If I like it, I'll go on to read his next book.
Interesting write up. I did not know that McKay is a Mormon. I always thought of him as a Catholic, by the way he talks on his podcast and from some of the guests that he has had. While McKay goes out of his way to keep his podcast and blog religious neutral, Michler has been open about his faith, stressing its importance.
Over the last five years, especially since the COVID shutdown, there has been an abundance of books and podcasts for men that’s come out. In regard to divorce, toughness, responsibility and male leadership, America appears to have begun its decline shortly after its founding, if not earlier. Television and the internet seems to be cultivating an even greater momentum for this disaster.
Thanks, Aaron, for the work you do.
I don't know a great deal about Ryan Michler, but it does seem like worth picking up. Thanks for the recommendation.
Aaron, thank you for this write-up. I am sympathetic to your point about self-improvement literature not always resonating. Psychologists distinguish between an "internal locus of control" where an individual sees their life as mainly determined by their own work and choices versus an "external locus of control" where events around us affect us much more deeply than our own choices do. I think we both might rationally tend toward the external locus of control. Paradoxically, the best outcomes tend to go toward people with an internal locus of control, even if their attitudes seem irrational. And if so, were they really wrong all along? It is good for those of us who tend toward an external locus of control to be find motivation and agency that undermine our attitude from time to time. I am reminded of William James's idea that a young man who believes he *can* woo a young lady, however irrationally, is the only one who will likely ever do so.