Boys Like Me

Episode 5: Welcome to the Manosphere

Incels are only part of the threat. Ellen speaks with a woman who spent years undercover among a vast network of online communities — among them so-called mens’ rights activists and pickup artists — all united in their desire for total male supremacy. They orchestrate harassment campaigns, glorify violence against women and actively recruit vulnerable young men. Few people are talking about it. And no one knows how to stop it.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/boys-like-me-transcripts-listen-1.6732152

Why are some lonely, young men a growing threat to our safety? In 2018, a Toronto man drove a van down a busy sidewalk, killing 11 people and injuring many more. He was linked to the "incel" movement, a dark online world fueled by violent misogyny, extreme isolation and perceived rejection. 

In the wake of the attack, Evan Mead discovers a disturbing connection to the perpetrator. They were former high school classmates; both outcasts, existing together on the fringes of social acceptance. 

How did two young men who started in similar circumstances, end up on such drastically different paths?

This five-part series examines how socially-isolated young men can vanish into an online world of nihilism and despair that radicalizes them into angry — potentially deadly — misogynists. Hosted by Ellen Chloë Bateman and produced by Daemon Fairless (Hunting Warhead).

For the best in true crime from CBC, ad-free, visit apple.co/cbctruecrime.