Shut Up, Bitch! Der Kampf um Männlichkeit
Die Alpha-Falle: Wie Influencer junge Männer radikalisieren – Ein schockierender Blick hinter die Fassade des neuen Frauenhasses!
Diese aufrüttelnde Dokumentation enthüllt die gefährliche Welt der sogenannten „Manfluencer“, die mit frauenfeindlichen Inhalten und einfachen Antworten auf YouTube, TikTok und Co. Millionen junger Männer in ihren Bann ziehen. "Shut Up, Bitch! Der Kampf um Männlichkeit" begleitet den 16-jährigen Alex, der tief in die Welt der toxischen Männlichkeit abdriftet, und untersucht die Mechanismen, mit denen Algorithmen und charismatische Hassprediger alte Rollenbilder reanimieren. Die Doku beleuchtet nicht nur die Psychologie der Produzenten wie Andrew Tate und ihre Geschäftsmodelle, sondern zeigt auch die besorgniserregenden realen Auswirkungen auf die Konsumenten. Ein wichtiger, schockierender Einblick in eine wachsende Subkultur, deren frauenfeindliche Narrative bis in politische Kreise reichen.
Online-Radikalisierung,
Toxische Männlichkeit,
Manfluencer,
Andrew Tate,
Frauenhass,
Doku,
Jugendkultur,
Social Media,
Männlichkeit,
Rollenbilder,
Selbstoptimierung,
Alpha-Männer,
Misogynie,
Generation Z,
Internet-Gefahr,
ARD,
SWR,
Medienkompetenz,
Internetphänomen,
Männerbilder,
TikTok,
YouTube,
Algorithmus,
Hassrede,
Gesellschaftskritik,
Digitale Welt,
Psychologie,
Einfluss,
Rechtspopulismus,
#ShutUpBitch,
#Manfluencer,
#ToxischeMännlichkeit,
#AndrewTate,
#OnlineRadikalisierung,
#MännlichkeitInDerKrise,
#DokuTipp,
#SocialMediaGefahr,
#FrauenhassImNetz,
#ARDDoku,
Doku
Die Alpha-Falle: Wie Influencer junge Männer radikalisieren – Ein schockierender Blick hinter die Fassade des neuen Frauenhasses!
Diese aufrüttelnde Dokumentation enthüllt die gefährliche Welt der sogenannten „Manfluencer“, die mit frauenfeindlichen Inhalten und einfachen Antworten auf YouTube, TikTok und Co. Millionen junger Männer in ihren Bann ziehen. "Shut Up, Bitch! Der Kampf um Männlichkeit" begleitet den 16-jährigen Alex, der tief in die Welt der toxischen Männlichkeit abdriftet, und untersucht die Mechanismen, mit denen Algorithmen und charismatische Hassprediger alte Rollenbilder reanimieren. Die Doku beleuchtet nicht nur die Psychologie der Produzenten wie Andrew Tate und ihre Geschäftsmodelle, sondern zeigt auch die besorgniserregenden realen Auswirkungen auf die Konsumenten. Ein wichtiger, schockierender Einblick in eine wachsende Subkultur, deren frauenfeindliche Narrative bis in politische Kreise reichen.
Online-Radikalisierung,
Toxische Männlichkeit,
Manfluencer,
Andrew Tate,
Frauenhass,
Doku,
Jugendkultur,
Social Media,
Männlichkeit,
Rollenbilder,
Selbstoptimierung,
Alpha-Männer,
Misogynie,
Generation Z,
Internet-Gefahr,
ARD,
SWR,
Medienkompetenz,
Internetphänomen,
Männerbilder,
TikTok,
YouTube,
Algorithmus,
Hassrede,
Gesellschaftskritik,
Digitale Welt,
Psychologie,
Einfluss,
Rechtspopulismus,
#ShutUpBitch,
#Manfluencer,
#ToxischeMännlichkeit,
#AndrewTate,
#OnlineRadikalisierung,
#MännlichkeitInDerKrise,
#DokuTipp,
#SocialMediaGefahr,
#FrauenhassImNetz,
#ARDDoku,
Doku
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00There is a world that attracts millions of young men.
00:06I'll smash your ugly face in if you keep chasing your ex.
00:10But because violence is not a solution, well, except sometimes, I'm going to give you a three-step plan to forget about her forever.
00:16Alex also searches for answers to life’s big questions in this world.
00:21How do you become a real man? How do you grow up?
00:24Am I a pussy or am I a man?
00:26A man's physics is the single greatest thing he has.
00:28Alex has been watching such videos for four years.
00:33The world also needs strong men who are traditional, very self-confident, very strong, very masculine.
00:41You just have to have one thing, you have to have the balls, the perseverance to keep going.
00:47But there is more behind the promise of becoming a supposedly better man.
00:51The women are actually manipulated to let society and families down.
00:57Dear women, you are responsible for making families function.
01:01You hear it from adults, you think, okay, maybe there's something to it.
01:05The content changes a generation.
01:08I believe that it also influenced me in a political sense.
01:11Real men are right-wing, real men are patriots.
01:14It works with your girlfriend too.
01:15I was definitely a completely different person before.
01:17I was much more climate-focused, yes, I wanted to become vegan and things like that.
01:21And these days, I'm actually the exact opposite.
01:23What fascinates so many young men about this world in which a message is becoming ever louder?
01:40It all started at the end of the Corona period.
01:43Many people were at home, social media, consumption increased.
01:46Alex is just 16.
01:49Before the pandemic, there were Fridays for Future demonstrations.
01:52Then school is cancelled.
01:54And Alex spends more and more time on his cell phone.
01:56And that's where it all started, especially with content critical of dating, about, yes, what kind of women you should choose.
02:05The message of the videos is simple.
02:24Focus on yourself.
02:26Go exercise.
02:27And never let women dictate how you feel as a man.
02:31You shouldn't focus on finding a girlfriend or losing your virginity.
02:40How long have you been in a relationship with your girlfriend?
02:41Yes.
02:42Is she a good woman?
02:43Instead, you should look after yourself, you should do sports, you should be self-confident.
02:48Exactly, you should make yourself a little bit untouchable for everyone else, because then the world is open to you.
03:05This world that Alex immerses himself in is a loosely connected online community.
03:10The manosphere.
03:11The content revolves around masculinity and reaches millions of users on TikTok and YouTube.
03:22We meet Alex in Munich. He doesn't want to reveal his real name on camera.
03:27His training will begin soon. He doesn't want to get into trouble because of what he's going to tell us about himself.
03:33But why do you only want to speak anonymously?
03:37Because today it is viewed more critically than perhaps even before.
03:41The sides have polarized and one can already expect headwinds.
03:46The content that bombards Alex is short videos, sometimes in a matter of seconds, many of them in English.
03:52But a study shows that German videos with manosphere content are increasing.
03:58Here are two rules that make you untouchable as a man.
04:01Rule 1. Control over yourself.
04:02Become independent of women's expectations. Be self-confident. Ideal type, lone warrior.
04:12For Alex, this sounds plausible, like a blueprint for growing up.
04:16Of course, it planted something in you somewhere. You hear it from grown-ups.
04:21You think, okay, maybe there's something to statements like, you have to ignore them.
04:26Or you can't be friendly to women; you simply have to be very self-confident. They'll come to you on their own.
04:33At first, Alex didn't actively search for the videos. They were simply displayed to him.
04:38Research shows that after just 17 minutes, users see sexist content, even though they have only stated harmless interests such as fitness or football.
04:47Alex is considering becoming vegan and is searching social media for recipes and new training plans.
04:52And initially find harmless videos like this one.
05:08But his social media feed changes pretty quickly.
05:11From harmless fitness videos to content that revolves around the relationship between women and men.
05:16Because the algorithm pushed what you consumed so hard.
05:21For example, every other video I watched was about fitness or food recipes.
05:27And then, of course, this content came up more often because they talked a lot about sports.
05:35Never talk to a woman about anything substantial.
05:38And then they also sneaked in this idea that you have to do this in order not to be a man or to even appeal to women.
05:46Alex becomes curious. He's no longer just interested in getting fit.
05:50Suddenly he asks himself what kind of man he actually wants to become.
05:55How do you grow up? What qualities should you have to be attractive to women or people around you?
06:06On TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, influencers tell young men like Alex that they asked themselves the same questions as teenagers and offer a simple solution.
06:16We know your struggle and we know how to get out of it.
06:20One of these influencers is Hamza. Like no other, Hamza appeals to young students, as in this YouTube video.
06:27Hamza is one of the stars of the manosphere. His topics? Fitness, masculinity, and self-optimization.
06:49Teenagers around the world hang on his every word. This video has been viewed nearly three and a half million times.
06:58Veronika Kracher has been researching the manosphere for years.
07:01I enjoy research, monitoring, and analytical work on the topics of online radicalization, digital misogyny, antifeminism, and right-wing extremism.
07:12Influencers like Hamza are incredibly interesting because they address a very real core issue.
07:19They signal to their viewers, hey, you feel somehow powerless.
07:23You feel like you're not in control of your life. You're not feeling well.
07:33He has more than two million followers on YouTube, and his videos have been viewed more than 300 million times worldwide.
07:45In the comments, thousands of users thank Hamza for his content.
07:48At first glance, influencers like Hamza promise, "I'll bring out the best in you. I'll help you optimize yourself."
08:01Through his Adonis School, he sells coaching programs for $37 a month.
08:07Individual coaching sessions sometimes cost several hundred dollars.
08:10The freely accessible YouTube videos serve primarily as advertising.
08:13They are intended to generate reach and ultimately bring in paying customers.
08:25These coaches, life coaches, financial coaches, dating coaches are particularly strong and popular.
08:32Today's topic: Possification of men, especially German and European men.
08:38Today we're talking about the 15 golden rules for dealing with women.
08:44And there are so many of them because coach is not a protected term.
08:48Anyone can just sit down and say, here, I'll teach you how to make incredible amounts of money
08:54and connect with other cool coaches, entrepreneurs, makers, and alphas.
09:02The manosphere has understood that almost any product can be sold under the label of masculinity
09:08and thus make a lot of money.
09:10At second glance, however, this self-optimization turns out to be the systematic rejection and devaluation of everything that has feminine connotations.
09:32Whether fitness, finance or dating coach.
09:45Most influencers from the manosphere sooner or later also talk about the relationship between women and men.
09:52Behind this lies a very specific view of the world.
09:55It is the belief of the manosphere, the so-called Red Pill.
10:00Men are systematically oppressed and effeminate.
10:06And what you can do about it is take the red pill and become a dominant alpha male.
10:11British influencer Hamza explains the Red Pill like this.
10:15Andrew Tate is Red Pill. I'm Red Pill.
10:18There is the blue pill.
10:20Blue Pill is like normal modern society, believing that men and women are equal and the same.
10:25And the red pill.
10:26The Red Pill is more like going back to traditional gender roles.
10:30Red Pill influencers claim that young men live in a matrix, a world glorified by feminism.
10:40And when they swallow the red pill, they see the world as it really is.
10:44You wake up, you no longer follow the mainstream.
10:49And I found the comparison interesting, and I thought it was appropriate.
10:52I probably have to say that this kind of content led me directly to where I am today, in politics.
10:59Alex swallows the red pill. And it changes his view of the world.
11:05The manosphere not only influences young men, but also their relationships with women.
11:10This also includes the first great love.
11:24In the summer of 2021, we started to get to know each other better.
11:29We simply realized that we were on the same page, that we understood each other, and that perhaps we also had a similar sense of humor.
11:34That was four years ago now. Lea was 14 when she met her boyfriend.
11:41And then about a year later we started to notice that our stomachs were tingling as we looked at each other.
11:51Lea lives in a small village. Everyone knows everyone there.
11:54That's why she also only wants to speak to us anonymously. We've also changed her name.
11:58The butterflies in her stomach turn into something more. Lea and her boyfriend become a couple.
12:04After a year of dating, Lea notices how her boyfriend's social media feed is changing.
12:08His feed was often about huge sports motivation and general topics about masculinity, how to become more masculine, how to attract more women and things like that.
12:20Lea's boyfriend apparently has similar experiences to Alex. And at some point, Lea begins to hear this voice from her boyfriend's cell phone more and more frequently.
12:35At the beginning, I didn't even really know who that was.
12:38The voice belongs to Andrew Tate, the star of the manosphere.
12:53Over 10 million people follow him on X.
12:56In his videos he explains to his followers that success is a question of mindset and discipline.
13:02He has fans all over the world.
13:04They acclaim him as a top skier, as a top gentleman.
13:08On social media, his fans post videos of him, through which he and his brother become symbols of ultimate male success.
13:21Lea notices that her boyfriend is increasingly watching videos in which women are degraded.
13:26So then it started that there were more and more of these Men is Here podcasts, where women were sometimes invited and immediately put down.
13:35And then at some point it became much more along the lines of women are worth less and women aren't allowed to cheat, but men are, because that's something completely different.
13:45The podcast Lea is talking about is called Fresh and Fit and is one of Men is Fair’s most well-known talk formats.
13:51And one of the advantages that men enjoy that women don't is that if we have indiscriminate sex with other women, even if we have a wife, it's not that big of a problem.
13:59But it's a huge problem if you do.
14:01Then at some point I asked him about it and said, do you actually know what you're looking at, do you know how incredibly contemptuous this is towards women.
14:12But he always said that he could differentiate and that it was all just fun for him.
14:18Is it all just a joke? We want to know what Alex thinks about videos that glorify violence against women.
14:25We play him a video by Andrew Tate.
14:27I think a lot of boys in particular can relate to it, because the way you talk to friends, in the schoolyard or in private, is sometimes really mean and really bad.
14:56Even though you don't mean it that way. And I think you see the same thing in this video. You think, yeah, the person is just being funny.
15:03Beating women, choking them, forcing them to have sex. That's not fun; it's a crime.
15:09But in our research, we repeatedly encounter this view in conversations with young men.
15:14That Tate doesn't mean it all that seriously. When asked directly about it, they don't support the violence.
15:19Alex also tells us this explicitly. But?
15:23Although I may not like the way he presents it or what he says, it should still be allowed to be said.
15:30Young men celebrate Tate as a hero who defends freedom of expression in the Western world.
15:35No matter what he says. We ask Alex: Doesn't he also see a danger in this?
15:40On the one hand, I do see the danger, especially among very young people who may take it more seriously,
15:50who then adopt this rhetoric and actually talk to other people like that.
15:54Child protection advocates are alarmed. Andrew Tate's misogynistic statements are already causing
16:01that he is banned from platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
16:06But despite the bans, his videos continue to circulate online.
16:11Especially via fan accounts or on alternative platforms like Rumble.
16:15While young people celebrate Andrew Tate, he continues to make headlines.
16:20He is arrested and charged in Romania.
16:23Media reports worldwide.
16:24The charges are human trafficking and rape.
16:38Andrew Tate denies the allegations.
16:55And his fans continue to support him.
16:57People all over the world are taking to the streets for him.
16:59Shout Top G, his nickname like in these videos.
17:03Lea’s boyfriend also knew all this.
17:11Nevertheless, he continues to watch.
17:13Even though he repeatedly emphasizes that it is all just fun,
17:15Lea feels increasingly uncomfortable in the relationship.
17:18He doesn't even recognize her boyfriend anymore.
17:22I am very interested in the topic of Jynism.
17:26And of course I've tried to address that sometimes.
17:29And I noticed relatively quickly,
17:31that I can't come to a common denominator with him.
17:33And that we could really argue about it.
17:37And it got worse and worse.
17:41Lea is 16 and still in love with him.
17:44She doesn't want to lose him.
17:46So she tries not to bring up the topic any further.
17:51And on March 8th there are always demonstrations against the patriarchy.
17:55And sometimes we really argued,
17:58because I went there with his sister
17:59and he didn't like that at all.
18:02Lea notices that the arguments
18:03It is no longer just a difference of opinion.
18:06But that he does not want to discuss with me,
18:08because I am a woman and he thinks
18:10that I have no idea anyway.
18:11Suddenly it’s about completely different worldviews.
18:15Lea, who advocates for equal rights.
18:17And her boyfriend, who watches Andrew Tate's videos.
18:20His tone towards her becomes more disrespectful.
18:22Most of the time it just made me sad,
18:25that I have a friend who has changed so much
18:29and secondly, was just so negative towards women.
18:33And it was just super difficult for me to grasp,
18:37that I can see a person so quickly
18:38can change so much due to such external influences.
18:41And then we argued one day,
18:44that I said I'm leaving now,
18:46He doesn't do anything for me anymore.
18:48You don't have the values I'm looking for in my partner.
18:50After three years it's over.
18:54But the separation doesn't mean the issue suddenly disappears for Lea.
18:57As a young woman who publicly advocates for feminist issues,
19:00she is attacked online.
19:03Yes, I have been insulted really, really harshly at times
19:06and I have also been wished death,
19:07what I find really crazy,
19:09because this is from people I don't know at all
19:11and which can then also be found on the accounts
19:13cannot be traced.
19:1463% of those affected by digital violence are female.
19:20What Lea describes here fits into the statistics
19:23and into the worldview of the manosphere.
19:25She thinks feminism has gone too far.
19:29Whoever swallows the Red Pill is indoctrinated,
19:32Women would oppress men.
19:34On social media, in talk shows,
19:45the influencers of the manosphere
19:47spread the same message
19:49and it arrives.
19:51Men are the losers of modern society
19:53and it's time to turn back the clock.
19:56You should have more respect for yourself,
20:02As a man you shouldn’t always try to please women,
20:05because women are more of a problem in society than men.
20:09That you then receive positive feedback
20:12or someone else who is the scapegoat,
20:15You secretly like that somehow.
20:18But the world of thought is not only based on a logic of sacrifice.
20:22It creates a worldview,
20:23in which women are declared enemies.
20:26The transition to open misogyny is fluid.
20:41With performances like these
20:45Tate pushes the boundaries of what can be said.
20:47A slip-up or part of his marketing strategy?
20:51In any case, he wants to shock.
20:53Shock.
21:00Polarize.
21:04Generate reach.
21:13Such content reaches millions of minors.
21:16Unfiltered and without classification.
21:23I think that’s the big difference,
21:25that these young people today
21:26an insane amount of information
21:30have to process.
21:33Maximilian Schneider gives workshops at schools throughout Berlin.
21:37Over the course of a school year, he talks to male students about topics,
21:41that no one else talks to them about.
21:43Masculinity, role models and the pressure to somehow belong.
21:47I think a very central theme is always the question of identity.
21:54So, who am I, who do I want to be someday, what are the values that are very, very important to me.
22:00And he notices that one thing always resonates in all groups.
22:05The ideas of masculinity presented by influencers from the manosphere.
22:09Today there are Alpha emails, there are Sigma emails, there are Beta emails, there are Giga Chats, these are, so to speak, the ultra-cheap Alpha emails.
22:20These are all terms from this manosphere and they are not used all the time.
22:31It depends on the group. But they're known, so to speak.
22:37Maximilian Schneider knows from the workshops that there is a huge need for discussion among young people.
22:43But the topic is sensitive and there are hardly any places where they can talk about it openly and without prejudice.
22:52Of course, there were some teachers who were a bit younger, who were perhaps already familiar with the topic and brought it up.
22:58Not exactly as webpill content, but maybe they dared to tackle the topic, but otherwise my parents wouldn't anyway.
23:08Did you have any explicit lessons, including on social media in general?
23:13How do you use it? How does an algorithm work, and so on?
23:18There was never anything in the curriculum, a lesson about it, or even once it was specifically addressed.
23:24So social media was actually completely out of my school.
23:26Parents, teachers, they often have no idea what young men are watching.
23:32I definitely notice it, too. Even when I sometimes speak with friends, it's not always familiar to everyone.
23:41What is the manosphere? It's definitely a stark generational divide.
23:48In the UK, the Department of Education will require schools to educate young people about misogynistic content from the manosphere starting in 2026.
23:58In Germany, the issue has not yet reached the political arena.
24:03Maximilian Schneider is concerned about a shift in values among young men, fueled by social media.
24:09Antifeminism, so to speak, the contempt, the devaluation of equality between men and women, but also the conscious literal, I am against feminism.
24:23Feminism is a joke.
24:25Why I think feminism kills relationships.
24:28Feminism has ruined dating today.
24:31What Maximilian Schneider learns at school does not only affect young men, but also reflects social developments, as a study shows.
24:40One in four people in Germany thinks that women should concentrate more on their role as mothers and wives.
24:47I also believe that this is partly due to the fact that young men often feel that they are not included in this feminism.
24:54They're always the problem. And I think that's a failure.
25:00And this failure has been recognized not only by the manosphere, but also by political forces.
25:07I'm Alice Hasters. I write a lot about pop culture and feminism.
25:14And that means, even in these times, that we have to deal with the manosphere.
25:20There is a growing desire among the younger generation for people to simply tell them what to do.
25:28And the right has a relatively easy time of it.
25:31Being a man, being a woman, that has become difficult.
25:34If you are a teenager, you are now in the phase where you are transforming from a child into a man or a woman.
25:38All the guardrails you need to do this are now being spoken against.
25:41Because it is the right-wing that naturally stands for clear narratives, for clear, defined identities and directions.
25:51You are a man and a woman. There are only two genders.
25:54Maximilian Krah. Within the AfD, he is considered a representative of the radical wing.
26:01He repeatedly makes headlines with right-wing extremist positions.
26:05For example, with his trivializing statements about SS crimes in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
26:12The scandals don’t seem to harm Krah.
26:15In the 2025 federal election, he won the direct mandate in his Saxon constituency with over 44 percent.
26:22Krah spreads his right-wing extremist position on social media in a conversational, relaxed tone.
26:33Our ancestors weren't criminals. Wow, I got a flack for that sentence.
26:40He specifically addresses young men and uses the themes of Red Pill influencers.
26:45One in three young men has never had a girlfriend. You're one of them.
26:52You start with very everyday emotional states.
26:56That people say we suffer from loneliness or feel disorientated and so on.
27:03And then you link that to certain enemy images.
27:06Don't let anyone convince you that you have to be sweet, soft, weak and left-wing.
27:12In June 2023, Krah posted a video on TikTok that had never been seen before in the German election campaign.
27:17Real men are right-wing. Real men have ideals. Real men are patriots.
27:22Then things will work out with your girlfriend too.
27:24He combines dating tips with his political message.
27:271.6 million people see the video and Alex also gets it played in his social media feed.
27:32For many years before that, few young men were addressed.
27:37And if they were approached, then rather than being such, let's say, raudis as you are, try to be nicer, more feminine, let's say.
27:48And then you hear the exact opposite. You felt validated, just as you are, perhaps even as you secretly feel.
27:55Look in the mirror. Pretty good. Be proud of yourself.
27:59Krah offers men like Alex an opportunity to identify with him, sometimes with absurd claims that he presents as givens. Like here.
28:08Young men's testosterone levels drop and sing. This makes them less assertive and more likely to complain.
28:14Victim. Soft and weak. Yes, it has something to do with nutrition. Soy doesn't make muscles grow.
28:21Eat meat. Eat healthy. Go to the gym.
28:25I can certainly agree with the message he is trying to convey.
28:29Yes, so men need people who have the drive, who are strong. Not emotionally, but physically.
28:37These taunts against Sojasörens, or, let's say, against these, yes, hate objects of people. Makes it entertaining, of course.
28:47But Krah's videos not only provide entertainment value, but also a clearly defined role model.
28:54It's also part of being a woman to have children at some point. That's wonderful. The man should provide for the family.
29:00I think what appeals to me is that he speaks very openly and without beating around the bush.
29:08Have a family, have a wife, have children and be proud of it, take care of it and everything else doesn't matter.
29:16In interviews, Maximilian Krah repeatedly cites his role model: Donald Trump.
29:21Trump has changed political communication throughout the Western world, I would say worldwide.
29:27He copies his media strategy and learns from him how to use the media's network to reach new voter groups.
29:34We confronted Maximilian Krah with this and other allegations.
29:38Our inquiry remained unanswered at the time of publication.
29:43Donald Trump's media strategy is working. In the 2024 election campaign, he is focusing on a single group of voters.
29:51Young, rather apolitical men. He reaches them at martial arts events like this one. And online, too.
29:58Shortly after his victory, analysts agree.
30:01Without the high-reach influencers from the media sphere, Trump's election victory would not have been possible.
30:08President-elect Trump has won over almost all Democratic groups.
30:13But one of the most important changes was between young men, who moved about 15 points to the right.
30:18He simply did not sit down with the major media outlets and give interviews there.
30:24Instead, he was a guest on the live streams of America's most popular Gen Z podcasters, like Joe Rogan here.
30:30They talk for hours. 59 million people watch. Most of them are men.
30:40These are all podcasters who aren't critical journalists, who come from a wrestling background, or who are comedians. And he talked to them.
30:54Like Donald Trump, they understand something about entertainment and know how to present themselves in the media.
31:04Modern men's associations that benefit both sides.
31:07And they show how closely connected the players in the manusphere really are.
31:19Alongside Donald Trump, regular guest of online streamer Adam Ross, Andrew Tate.
31:25The podcasters have become central figures in Trump’s election campaign.
31:28Donald Trump's appearances generate clips that go viral, reaching young people on their smartphones.
31:37Far from political arenas that are foreign to them. With news tailored precisely to them.
31:43It is much more natural to link identity with political stance.
31:53Trump politicizes masculinity.
31:56You make men into a group that you can address in a political way.
32:02When he appears in public for the first time on election night, it is clear that Trump will be the new President of the USA.
32:11Joining him on stage is Dana White, a well-known face from the martial arts scene.
32:17Longtime Trump supporter and bridge between the manusphere and politics.
32:21At the election party in Florida, he thanked not the Republican campaign team, but the podcasters from the manusphere.
32:34At the inauguration, Melania Trump stands close to her husband's side.
32:51And someone who not only observes this from afar but also comments on it? Andrew Tate.
32:56On X, he draws attention to Melania Trump, making clear the role he assigns to women.
33:02Donald Trump ignores them and focuses on his work. As he should.
33:08He's important. She's calm and obedient, watching him win. Just as she should.
33:15This is a real woman.
33:16This status of having a certain dominance, having a certain cohesion in this dominance and also defending it.
33:27This image of masculinity goes hand in hand with right-wing politics. They are essentially mutually dependent.
33:33And so Red Pill influencers and right-wing politicians find each other. In Germany, too.
33:39Maximilian Krah and the Tates. They fraternize on social media and celebrate each other as those who restore men's status in society.
33:52United in the fight against supposed left-wing, woke dominance.
33:56Federal election campaign January 2025. Maximilian Krah is a guest of Jürgen Elsässer, editor-in-chief of Kompakt magazine, a mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene.
34:08The second is sometimes a detour to restore masculinity.
34:11Because, of course, the big youth influencers, the Tate brothers, are also in Wunderrecht, as they have now contacted me via X.
34:18The fact that someone like Maximilian Krah or Andrew Tate all meet somehow is a counter-reaction to the struggle for equality.
34:27He essentially links the rescue of masculinity to the policies of the AfD. He says you'll feel better as a man if you vote for the AfD.
34:43You will be more popular with women if you vote for the AfD, because by voting for the AfD you become a real man.
34:52And with this message, Krah, as he himself says, tours the country like an itinerant preacher. And also through the German podcast landscape.
35:01I am direct, I am controversial and hopefully entertaining.
35:07What is her true face?
35:09How do you come up with ideas like that? It's uncharacteristic of a politician to give dating advice to young men who have never had a girlfriend.
35:15This is actually my first political podcast. I have no idea.
35:19Like Donald Trump, Krah is seeking an alternative public in these formats.
35:24One who is young, digital, and male. And, like Alex, gets her information exclusively online.
35:31I was never a big fan of these short populist formats because they didn't really appeal to me.
35:37I found it much more interesting to watch his interviews, for example on Jungen Naiv.
35:41The interview Alex is talking about here will go online in April 2024.
35:49Podcaster Thilo Jung and his colleague Maximilian Krah are in debate for six hours.
35:55And Alex? He's watching this with quite an interest.
35:59Because here he experiences a Maximilian Krah that he has never known before.
36:03Quite frankly, too many losers.
36:10We have reached a point where things can become a little more masculine in the classic sense.
36:17Thilo Jung, podcaster and journalist. He is not part of the Manusphere and is critical of the AfD.
36:24But one thing in particular sticks with Alex.
36:26Ah, that really is a person who can speak sensibly, who has reasonable arguments, who can think further than just the typical, yes, without much opinion behind it or without much content behind it, one should really do that too.
36:41My name is Johannes Hildje, I am a political and communications consultant and I focus intensively on political parties' digital strategies.
36:49Maximilian Krah is essentially exploiting a loophole created by other parties.
36:54In my opinion, the democratic forces have failed to address young men in particular on social media in recent years.
37:06And basically, this part of the electorate has been completely ignored by many parties.
37:12The podcast episode with Krah piques Alex's curiosity, so he seizes the opportunity to meet the politician in person.
37:18In January 2025, shortly before the federal election, Alex goes to an AfD campaign event in Munich.
37:26Maximilian Krah spoke for half an hour about the changes that Germany needs and criticized the current government and what is going wrong.
37:34But I also encouraged the young people, saying that we need men who are strong, that we should find time to feed ourselves and everything.
37:42He also joked a bit about how he needed to lose weight himself.
37:45Alex says it was also about masculinity, fitness, and discipline. And Alex has questions for Krah.
37:53Germany has a very low birth rate and then I asked him what adjustments politicians could make to change that.
38:00Alex doesn't have a girlfriend at the time of filming. But he wants to have a family someday.
38:05That's why he's curious about Krah's answer. And Alex remembers it like this.
38:09The only thing the state can do financially is create housing, affordable housing.
38:15Otherwise, there are completely different factors, such as women who are not only concerned with their careers but are more likely to stay at home.
38:22It is no coincidence that Krah succeeds in appealing to young people.
38:26Maximilian Krah was supported in his TikTok appearance by a young right-wing extremist activist.
38:34His name is Erik Ahrens.
38:36Erik Ahrens was a long-time member of the now-disbanded Young Alternative.
38:41He is considered the head of the AfD’s TikTok strategy.
38:45According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg, he spreads right-wing extremist ideologies.
38:50I definitely have a strategy for how we can bring our worldview, our movement, into the mainstream.
38:56And in his opinion, that's how it goes.
38:58At 13, students were supposed to come into contact with right-wing extremist ideas about martial arts, fitness and identity for the first time on TikTok.
39:07So that the right worldview is consolidated by the age of 18.
39:11And they go to university, into their careers, and into marriage with this mindset.
39:16Before Maximilian Krah, he already understood very well how this platform works.
39:24He was very much influenced by Andrew Tate. He was essentially his role model.
39:30Erik Ahrens promotes his Andrew Tate-inspired social media strategy at this event in Schnellroder.
39:37Think tank of the New Right.
39:39And that is precisely why everyone knows the name Andrew Tate.
39:43While he was banned from every platform, he and his helpers simply kept uploading new videos with new TikTok channels.
39:52And each of these videos on each of these new channels has gone viral again and again because the name and the face and the message...
39:58In the lecture, Ahrens claims that he helped make weed clips go viral.
40:04Despite range limitations.
40:07You can google it.
40:10The AfD’s social media success is largely based on multiplier effects.
40:15Let us overcome this paternalism.
40:17If you see videos of me, download them and edit them.
40:21Add subtitles and your own music and upload them to any platform you like.
40:25Despite being blocked, the content continued to spread millions of times.
40:30Krah and Ahrens say they no longer work together.
40:34But the strategy seems to be working.
40:36Even if users are equally interested in all parties,
40:39During the 2025 federal election campaign, pro-AfD content accounted for 78% of recommended posts on TikTok.
40:49The new right no longer appears only in combat boots and with a bald head.
40:53Do you have some coconut oil ready?
40:54You can put that on your face.
40:56This is antibacterial.
40:58Erik Ahrens posts this video with beauty tips on his YouTube channel.
41:02And on the same day, in a tweet on X, he reveals the strategy behind it.
41:08Right is mainstream and there is an industry for it.
41:11You have to push lifestyle now.
41:13The right-winger of the future will wear mainly linen and vintage clothing.
41:17Fashion, nutrition, fitness, all of these things play a role.
41:23And the ideology basically only comes in the second step.
41:28But first, we try to address young people with everyday topics that they are already interested in.
41:34And Maximilian Krahr? He knows how to take advantage of it.
41:39He goes on the campaign trail as Mad Max.
41:42Poses with the right-wing youngsters and thus reaches a completely new target group.
41:45In the youngest voting group, the AfD gained 14 percent compared to the last election.
41:59Especially among young men there is a need to have a sense of responsibility, to feel relevant in society.
42:06In some way, the role of protector is also important to them.
42:11The needs are there and men are looking for where they can fulfill them.
42:18And if the right offers an answer to that but the progressives don't, we have a problem.
42:24More and more young men feel attracted to the AfD.
42:28In the last federal election, 27 percent of men in the 18- to 24-year-old group voted for the AfD, but only 15 percent of women.
42:41Alex also notices a growing divide between young women and men and knows he is part of it.
42:50I was definitely a completely different person before in the sense that I was more climate-focused, yes, I wanted to become vegan and things like that.
43:00And these days, I'm actually the exact opposite.
43:02And Red Pill certainly played its part in that.
43:06And who did you vote for in the federal election?
43:08The AfD again.
43:10The crisis of masculinity is real and it is also hard.
43:18And it is somehow unfair that it now affects a young generation that somehow has to deal with this ambiguity, this ambiguity, these contradictions.
43:30And that's why we have to think about it in a much more holistic way and actually try to discuss it more and resolve it and really give young people some relief.
43:41Because to do that, I think you have to deconstruct the prejudice that men and boys are not the problem.
43:47Alex has decided what is important to him as a man.
43:50I need to get closer to the traditional image of masculinity than perhaps what is being tried to be presented these days as what men should be like.
44:00But he says he wants to remain open to other positions and opinions.
44:05I don't see anyone as an enemy or anything like that, but I'm always willing to talk to anyone and talk about anything.
44:10I've also changed in the last two years, I'd say. And I'll continue to do so.
44:15I've also changed in the last two years, I would say.