The Manosphere is a Scamosphere (And This Is How You Fight It)
5/29/202654 min
You will want to send this episode to your husband, brother, boyfriend, son and all the men in your life.
Did you know that some online influencers use a rented facade of Lamborghinis and mansions just to trap young men into harmful algorithmic loops? Or have you noticed the boys in your life changing how they act the second they are in a group?
In this episode of But Are You Happy, host Ashani Dante sits down with guest Ben Vasilou, CEO of The Man Cave, to pull back the curtain on the rise of the manosphere and modern masculinity. We’re moving beyond the surface level to explore the real-world harm this toxic content has on young people and our personal relationships.
Together, they dive into how the manosphere operates as a lucrative business model targeting the isolation of young men, while sharing practical ways guys can find the courage to call out their mates' bad behaviour in everyday moments. The episode also addresses the heavy emotional burden of shame and fear that well-intentioned men carry, busting the myth of hyper-masculinity - proving these rigid stereotypes are just environmental conditioning, and that true masculinity is simply learning to be a good human being.
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CREDITS:
Host: Ashani Dante
Guest: Ben Vasilou
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Audio and Video Producer: Marlena Cacciotti
Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBen Vassallo· Guest0:00
[sighs] I feel embarrassed and the shame as a man that we are responsible for this. There's no getting around that.
Ashani Dante· Host0:08
Welcome to But Are You Happy? I'm Ashani Dante. With the rise of the manosphere, more women are feeling concerned, while many teenage boys and young men are struggling. There's a growing gap where real connection and community used to be, and into that space steps online figures offering belonging, but often promoting ideas about masculinity, money, and relationships that can be misleading and harmful. Ben Vassallo is the CEO of The Man Cave, a preventative mental health charity supporting teenage boys and young men. In this conversation, he speaks candidly about what it means to be a man today, the impact male behavior is having on women and girls, and what's really being said in these online spaces. We also explore how young men can find healthier and more meaningful forms of connection, and how ideas of masculinity are evolving. This conversation matters because discussions around gender can often be had in silo, and this is about finding a way forward together. Just a note, in this episode, we refer to women and men, and female and male, while fully respecting all gender identities. Today's conversation focuses on this topic through the lens of the work we do. Here's our conversation. [upbeat music] Ben.