Cards Against Misogyny

Introducing Cards Against Misogyny, a collaboration with our friends Beyond Equality, a free card game to tackle online misogyny through conversation, education, and action. 

A resource not only for young people - it's crafted for anyone who influences the lives of the younger generation: be it educators, parents, carers, or friends. Our deck is aimed at encouraging conversations on healthy masculinity, identifying things you can do to tackle misogyny, and to challenge misogynistic ideologies. Whether you're a young person yourself or someone with young people in your life, now is the perfect time to open up conversations about disrupting the pathway of these harmful ideas in a meaningful way. 

There is power in individual conversations. Join in by downloading your free Cards Against Misogyny pack here. 

We recognise that people need support in having these conversations. This resource aims to do just that, supporting people in understanding the ultra-online movement of misogynist extremism and knowing how to have this conversation themselves and with the young people in their lives - before someone else does. Misogyny and online misogynist extremism are pervasive social problems that need social solutions, and having conversations with the young people you are connected to is a direct way to stop misogyny in its tracks.

Cards Against Misogyny 

The cards cover five broad themes relating to tackling radical online misogyny: rethinking masculinity, fight back against the manosphere, misogyny online, tackling misogynist extremism in the classroom, and disrupt the logic. Each theme covers four categories of Talk, Learn, Act, and Watch/Read. Combined, these themes can be used to:

•  Encourage conversations about masculinity, the manosphere, misogyny on social media and public places such as schools and offices, and the ways in which misogyny pervades everyday life.
•  Learn about what to look out for as signs someone may have been exposed to radical online misogyny or content originating from the manosphere, ways in which the structures of social media allow misogynistic content to be shared, or key statistics about the real life impact of online misogyny on girls and women. 
•  Find articles, books, videos and more that can give you more information about the dangers of radical online misogyny - at Selfhood, we particularly recommend ‘Men Who Hate Women’ by Laura Bates (who went undercover online as a member of the manosphere) and offers a comprehensive background on various manosphere groups, and their impact offline.  
•  Identify ways in which you can act individually or as a group to tackle the impact of radical online misogyny. At Selfhood, we are massive believers in the power of both individual action and conversations as a starting point for genuine change, and in the powerful impact of collective action when tackling broad social issues such as the impact of online misogyny. 

There is nothing more powerful in this fight than you, and the importance of education and action cannot be understated. Because of the relatively recent development of the manosphere and high profile radical misogynistic influencers, it is somewhat absent from conversations about misogyny more generally. We are seeking to change that, and push for it to be recognised as a key area of concern within the movement for gender liberation, and with your help, we can do this.

Why this is so important now:

Online misogynistic extremism has become widespread in recent years, thanks to a combination of widespread use of social media channels, increasing prevalence of groups such as incels and Pick Up Artists that make up the manosphere and, more recently, due to a rise in the prominence of hyper-masculine figures and social media influencers who promulgate radical misogyny, such as Andrew Tate. This means that boys and young men are increasingly exposed to misogynistic ideas of violence against women as a form of biological entitlement, and sex as a biological right. 

Whilst the origins of this hatred and violence may begin online, they are not restricted to social media and the internet. Like many extremist ideologies, misogynist extremism targets individuals who may be vulnerable or susceptible to radicalisation. This means that members of online manosphere groups are typically portrayed as lonely, troubled individuals with little desire or ability to impact or influence the real world. 

However, this is not the case, and online misogynistic groups are breeding grounds for extremist ideas that manifest themselves in real life. Access to these forms of online material has been linked by teachers to increases in sexual assault and misogynistic behaviour, and a number of attacks, such as the Isla Vista Killings in 2014 and a shooting in Plymouth in 2021, have been linked to online manosphere groups and radical online misogyny. But still only very few are explicitly called-out as being part of a movement of violent misogynist extremism.

To fight the manosphere and the prevalence of radical online misogyny, we have to be both upfront and educated not only about its potential for genuine, real world impact, but also be prepared to have frank discussions about its risks, and educate ourselves and others about the real dangers it poses to everyone, especially young people. 

It can feel overwhelming, but there are things we can all do to take meaningful action against misogynist extremism:

1. 1. Download and share our Cards Against Misogyny. Our cards are free to download and use, and we would love you to share them far and wide! They can be used in schools, offices, or at home and are a great starting point for beginning a conversation about the dangers of radical online misogyny. 
2. 2. Use the cards to learn about it and start conversations. The language and ideas that formulate the manosphere can be hard to address, but to win this fight we need to know our enemy. Our cards give easy to understand steps and actions to address this issue with those you love. 
3. 3. Join Selfhood’s Before It’s Too Tate campaign: add your name and take action against online misogyny. We’re starting with individual conversations to challenge the misogynist extremism that’s playing out in real time in our homes and on our streets.
4. 4. We are a small but mighty team - operating on a shoestring budget. We show up to fight misogyny because we have no choice but to do so. We want to take this campaign to the next level in 2024, influencing government policy, challenging big tech companies, and developing more resources to tackle misogynist extremism. But a villain this big needs a well resourced opponent. If you can, please donate to Selfhood today so that we can end this nightmare - before it’s too Tate.

Let's unite to #EndOnlineMisogyny. Download Cards Against Misogyny now to stop misogyny in its track with the young people in your life now.