Jacqui Wakefield
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
To try and understand why young men in Mexico, like Julian, have turned to the manosphere and influences like El Tamach, I've come to one of the country's leading universities, the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Dr. Ali Seles is a researcher specializing in masculinity and gender.
Dr. Seles believes Altamatch's content came at the right time and he had the skills to deliver it.
Dr. Seles says Altamuch also feeds into this manosphere narrative that equality for women is getting all the attention while men are being overlooked.
But there is a section of men, he says, who feel left behind.
And Altamuch taps into that.
And the men who don't fit this alpha male stereotype, Altamach calls them simps.
Accusing someone of being a simp is a key trope of the manosphere.
It's part of this whole vocabulary.
Words like chad, beta, feminist agenda, red pill.
This is coded language, understood across cultures and continents, that spreads hate speech and toxic messages online.
But El Tamach's fans, Los Compas de Hierro, don't just chat online.
There are nearly 100 Los Compas groups across the world, and they meet in person.
I've come to an outdoor gym in Mexico City, where I've heard Los Compas de Hierro come to train.
Hey, could I ask you a question?
Do you speak English?
We were hoping that we could speak to the Los Compas guys.
Do you know them?