Tater thoughts: Traversing the manosphere

on the fish. It focuses on the people more, working with them in terms of managing, conserving, and protecting their resources,” she shares.

Collaborating with expert biologists, advocate mentors, and other young leaders has enabled Ellaga to thrive in her advocacy work. In doing so, helping her own community makes it all the more special.

“It’s a fulfilling job—it’s so good that you grow up from that community and then eventually work with that same community, and then you see progress despite the many challenges,” she maintains.

RAIN OR SHINE

One notable aspect of Ellaga’s work involves understanding local policies, specifically those centered around environmental concerns. Despite the promise in proposing solutions, political authorities struggle with the implementation process. “You have to understand the people and the

MISOGYNY IS nothing new, but trust the Internet to find new ways to present it. Gone are the days of the “nice guy,” as women-hating men have taken a hard-to-swallow pill: the red pill. Should men steer away from stereotypical forms of masculinity, they’d be accused of going “soft.” Men are then encouraged to wake up to the reality that women threaten their dominance. Under the guise of safeguarding masculinity, those in the manosphere foster spaces with oppressive morals that have no place in any time.

SO MUCH TATE communities affected by these local policies. […] The real challenge is not just passing the ordinance but reinforcing them and sustaining them,” she explains.

In the manosphere—a collective term for male supremacist communities—redpilling refers to an awakening comparable to The Matrix’s Neo, but the “reality” faced is that men and masculinity are “under attack” by feminism. For instance, red-pilling can lead a man to believe that all women are users. Red-pilling also unfortunately endangers women further, as the beliefs that come with red-pilling can lead a man to take the lives of six women as “punishment” for rejecting him. Varying levels of intensity are united by one toxicity: the incel movement.

The nature of the work itself also holds hazardous risks. Ellaga has closely worked with Bantay Dagat volunteers, who are at the frontlines of protecting fisheries and coasts. This job proves to be life-threatening, as they face not only unpredictable weather at the hands of climate change but also contentions of territory, which may lead to dangerous altercations.

Despite the risks they face, these volunteers receive no benefits or incentives. In response, the Bantay Dagat Welfare and Incentives Act is being pushed to provide the volunteers security of tenure, insurance, and allowances, among many other benefits.

Moreover, environmental activists are at the forefront of calling out issues such as the misogyny, hate, and entitlement. The incel community has many role models, but kickboxer Andrew Tate is arguably the newest notable one. Tate has been penetrating YouTube and TikTok algorithms, as he has said that he is a proud misogynist and that women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually harassed.

In discussing what makes men advocate for these spaces, Loyola Schools Department of Communication Chair Jozon Lorenzana, PhD says that an assertion of one’s privilege and shared sentiments come into play. “Incel culture is a manifestation of masculinity being under attack,” Lorenzana says. “At the end of the day, it’s [about] asserting privilege, so [incel communities are] a manifestation of the privilege [being asserted].”

NO MAN’S SPHERE A lot of the flak garnered by those who combat the many forms of discrimination in society centers around the idea of political correctness. However, opposers of feminism often downplay the potential harm of their worldviews. What they fail to acknowledge is that the spread of these ideologies can lead to a slew of unpleasant consequences.

MT Princess Empress oil spill, which has affected the health, livelihood, and food source of multiple coastal barangays in Oriental Mindoro. It has also put multiple endangered and threatened species in the Verde Island Passage at further risk. “It is heartbreaking to see… it sometimes [makes you angry]. It also urges responsible industries and agencies to take action and compensate [for] the damages done,” Ellaga says.

These harrowing circumstances are also why environmental activists like Ellaga continue to push for their advocacies. “It’s mostly because of the passion and love we have for the environment. That’s where we root our determination in working this dangerous job even if there are risks,” she expresses.

AN

Environmental Legacy

With her work in the island and her residence in a coastal community, Ellaga herself has seen the worsening effects of climate change firsthand. “We really experience [how] sea level rise. […] We see the tides rise very high [to heights] that we’ve never seen before,” she shares. As such, coastal and marginalized communities are at most risk to the consequences of climate change. To combat such dangers necessitates multidisciplinary responses to environmental work. “Having diverse people coming from different backgrounds that share the same passion for the environment [is] crucial if we want to move our concerns for environmental issues forward,” Ellaga stresses.

“‘Do I dumb myself down?’ That was our question for the longest time. ‘Do I hinder myself from achieving more just so he feels safe?’” she pondered.

Because of this perceived duty, Ciara often felt like she was left with regret. “I knew that I was holding myself back from my own potential—from opportunities that don’t even come by to many people,” she shared.

These constructs of male superiority do not always remain in the mental realm. Independent gender and development specialist Joie Cortina asserts that chauvinistic masculinities rooted in online spaces have led to real-life incidents of violence, such as assaults on women and even mass shootings, especially in the United States.

On a more local note, Cortina attributes the Philippines’ recent slip in gender equality rating to women’s diminished involvement in democratic exercises—in part due to the incessant trolling they encounter. “If a woman participates, she’s silenced by attacks on her person. That happens online, and it also has its equivalent offline, na women human rights defenders are attacked,” she laments.

Finally, Ellaga’s hope for her advocacy rests in the work she does with the youth. For her, it is fulfilling that young leaders are advocating for the environment one project at a time. With a legacy of diverse young leaders in the works, every environmentalist’s desire lies with the hope that movements toward the protection and conservation of nature are sustained.

SOGIE Equality Bill meet much resistance.

RED-Y OR NOT

The problem of toxic masculinity has been acknowledged and addressed by many, but there’s still a long way to go to foster safer spaces. Many efforts still feel skin-deep, especially for Filipinos. “In the Philippines, the face of a poor person is still the face of a woman. We might have all these laws that supposedly espouse equality but the culture is still unyieldingly patriarchal,” says Cortina.

According to Lorenzana, these laws help shape judgments, and while more laws can codify gender-progressive norms, other cultures have taken matters to their own hands. For instance, the 4B movement in South Korea is an ideological lifestyle for feminists who renounce heterosexual sex, marriage, dating, and childbearing. In this movement, feminists boycott men by avoiding them entirely. This ultimatum, while extreme, comes from a place of resignation. Though, a renouncement of men is admittedly not the only way to create safer spheres for women.

BY GAB APLASCA AND ALLY DE LEON ILLUSTRATION BY PAU LASALA

“Incel” is short for “involuntary celibate,” or men who desire a romantic partner but cannot find one. The term has then transformed into a catch-all for a subculture that runs on

For Ciara*, the notion that men are expected to provide for their families left her and her friends feeling that they were responsible for maintaining their male partners’ pride.

The pervasiveness of toxic masculinity may also enable microaggression on the societal scale. Cortina expresses that politicians tend to endorse policies that align with Catholicism and its associated gender norms, which is why regulations like the

Ciara and Cortina both believe that involving men in discussions can correct their backward misconstructions of masculinity and pave the way for a kinder society. To them, it’s one thing to create a new world—and another to make the existing one better.