Ben Shapiro Exploits My Image and Content for Manosphere Propaganda: The Debate on Modern Comment Tactics & Culture War Intensifies
Typically, I’m captivated by the live debates of Ben Shapiro. To me, he represents one of the more rational and well-informed conservative figures. Nonetheless, his noticeable presence in the somewhat radical community referred to as the intellectual dark web, often thought to be a stepping-stone into radicalization, inevitably encourages him to pander to an audience hooked on misinformation and content aimed to appeal to the least discerning individuals.
Yesterday, I faced a business-related issue, during which I received an unexpected phone call from a friend. To my astonishment, a TikTok video I had uploaded months ago had been utilized by Ben Shapiro and the Daily Wire for his segment on “Anti-American TikToks from July 4th”. Initially, it struck me as peculiar since I hadn’t posted anything specific to the Fourth of July, nor was I in the United States as I’m currently living overseas. I’ve been immersing myself in a study on modern Haitian enslavement in the Caribbean and progressing with my fintech inventions.
Considering my Puerto Rican American heritage, the Fourth of July doesn’t resonate with my family’s history. Back in 1776, my predecessors were Spanish citizens, not Americans. Moreover, it wasn’t until 1898 when the United States invaded and annexed Puerto Rico, so the Fourth of July neither bears personal nor historical significance to me.
What it primarily signifies to me is the irony of white Americans celebrating independence while relegating Puerto Ricans to the status of three-fifths of a person. Despite being United States citizens, we are excluded from several civil rights that other Americans take for granted — we shoulder taxation without voting representation, pay the nation’s highest sales tax, and can’t vote for the president. We are barred from participating in the rights and freedoms white Americans are celebrating on July 4th.
To me, the Fourth of July, with its stunning display of fireworks, epitomizes another day of hypocrisy that I personally find unimportant. Given the tendency of the right wing to inflame trivial outrage and instigate culture wars whenever American democracy is questioned, I never thought I’d find myself amidst such a debate. Yet, here I am.
It’s become apparent that white Americans often fail to empathize with the uniquely different histories of ethnic minority Americans. My cultural community, for a staggering 530 years, has been subjected to colonization and remains a United States colony to this day. Whose independence am I supposed to be celebrating? Certainly not mine.
Including the fact I’m currently residing in a country where the Fourth of July isn’t observed, the day passed like any other for me. Learning that I had featured in a Fourth of July-centered Daily Wire segment was not just surprising, but also bewildering. My friend shared a link with me which, given our history of jesting about my debating Ben Shapiro or being on the Daily Wire, I initially took as a joke. As I clicked on the link and began watching, I quickly realized this was not the case. Upon watching the segment, it didn’t shock me to see memes ridiculing my voice and severe manipulation of my core argument and message. My recent exposure of the manosphere communities emanated from years of painstaking research, culminating in my book, “The Pathway Towards Peace: U.S. Human Rights Manifesto.” In this book, I extensively discuss the Intellectual Dark Web, a manosphere community identified as a moderate step towards radicalization on the extremism spectrum. Unquestionably, the most renowned figure in this community is Ben Shapiro. I had familiarized myself with him and the Daily Wire’s culture war stratagems in the process of my in-depth study. The particular segment I was presently viewing was an archetypal representation of the Intellectual Dark Web propaganda.
I don’t engage in or follow content from the IDW since it doesn’t resonate with me. I’m certainly not part of their desired viewership. Nevertheless, in my book, I extensively discuss their manipulation of feminist issues to foster outrage. This is especially relevant when I talk about my concept of psychosocial misogyny and sexism, which suggests that media platforms indoctrinate men and adolescent boys to despise feminists, despite our enduring quest for equality for all. Historically, feminists have been at the forefront of battles for equal rights for everyone- be it minorities, women, or men. Equality forms the backbone of feminism. However, the intent of the manosphere is to breed sexists and misogynists who support the patriarchal structure. Every day I see men lured into believing in male superiority- a misleading premise that hurts everyone. This is the crux of what the IDW is banking on.
In the segment where I appear, Ben Shapiro starts by stating that he had to view “woke” TikToks regarding the Fourth of July. Wokeness centers on racial equality. My TikTok pointed out how conservatives misinterpret our national history by claiming we’re a Christian nation, when in fact, the United States was founded on secular liberal democratic principles. Our history isn’t “woke” — it’s factual, and it’s valid to criticize conservatives for distorting our national narrative to align with evangelical beliefs that we are a Christian nation.
Contrary to Ben Shapiro’s ill intended assertions, it is essential to analyze this decontextualization and manipulation of social media content within the broader issue of the Manosphere community’s techniques of indoctrination and radicalization. It is through such methods that these communities largely promote psychosocial sexism and misogyny, causing societal harm.
Unsurprisingly, Ben Shapiro’s seemingly pointless debate regarding my content serves a rather sinister agenda. His comments fit within a wider strategy deployed by elements of the Manosphere community. This strategy exploits and capitalizes on anger through political manipulations, creating and amplifying polarization, which, in turn, furthers the community’s psychosocially sexist and misogynistic narratives. Manipulating the public discourse to market politically charged outrage appears to be a traditional tool of theirs for monetization and views.
The transformation of a TikTok critiquing conservative propaganda into a skewed representation of its original meaning is indicative of the tactics used by Manosphere communities to foster extremism. This indoctrination occurs subtly, utilizing tactics such as satire, memes, or music to lull the audience into a state of complacency while also serving to minimize potential outrage by presenting their messages under the guise of ‘humor’ or ‘entertainment’.
That is not to say these tactics are void of maliciousness. Once they have lured in their audience, they gradually disseminate ideas that undermine the equality of multiple genders, promote toxic masculinity, and encourage an array of harmful stereotypes. This gradual dissemination of misogynist ideologies is a core tactic within the Manosphere universe, hiding behind the screen of manipulated social media narratives, and serving as a crucial component of their indoctrination process.
As evidenced by Shapiro’s segment, Manosphere communities also employ tactics of misinformation and defamation. By manipulating content, particularly content disputing their biased points of view, they not only malign opposing voices but also further entrench the skewed narratives they seek to propagate.
In conclusion, the expansion of the Manosphere communities and their indoctrination techniques pose a substantial challenge. By shrouding their propaganda within modified social media content, they continue to carry out their destructive ideologies with alarming discretion. Therefore, comprehensive awareness and critical analysis are crucial tools to combat the harmful narratives they endorse, to promote a more inclusive, equal, factual and respectful discourse.
