We're probably all familiar with the criticism of trp that the constant deluge of bad news (field reports, af/bb, pussy pass, etc) serves to inspire misogyny. It's ambiguously called a "toxic environment".

It's not hard to understand for both sides. To help though, we can draw a parallel with some of the criticisms or apprehensions people have of feminism.

^(Random quote of the day: "I'm not a feminist because I love men." ~Woodley)

A few years ago a feminist acquaintance of mine somehow got to talking about poor unfortunate women in China (probably because I had just gotten back from a trip there). She brought up the fact that successful women are shunned there because men are too conservative and are intimidated by successful women. I provided additional context. I had actually talked to both sides about this "problem". There are plenty of men there who basically have lost all hope and wouldn't mind any women. Their supposedly high standards aren't what's keeping these upper-middle class women single. They're invisible to women above their class. I've talked to some of these women, and the responses were simply, "No, we have it harder because we need to find someone taller and wealthier." Why? They just need to. It's a self-imposed limitation.

Coincidentally, this exact same issue came up in a thread in tbp, and in my annoyance, I pointed out the same context. (To many bpers' credit, I was upvoted for doing that.) It was then brought up that there was a Chinese gov't agenda/conspiracy to keep women down. Supposedly, they'd do mean things like calling single women "shengnu" (leftover women). I had to again provide additional context. That term was actually popularized by the ACWF, the largest Chinese women's rights organization, many of whom are single women themselves and they do a lot in their own way to help these shengnu. Contrary to wikipedia, the original articles on this subject did not use the term as a pejorative.

Both of the above examples became less interesting (less sensationalist) after context was brought into the discussion.

These are just some examples of many where feminists would pick, choose, and appropriate negative issues/news from around the world to support a narrative. Is it truly out of concern for women in other countries outside one's own sphere of expertise or even familiarity? Genuine concern? Possibly. My pessimistic side also considers this: Due to the wide range of sources, it's extremely difficult for the average person to counter or even fact check on her own, as she'd need to be an expert of those foreign environments to understand the context before even calling out bullshit. Easier to get away with nonsensical or poorly thought-out complaints that support the narrative. (worldwide oppression or whatnot)

The sad thing is, we don't even need to go that far. Far from that, the average random schmuck on the street might not even be familiar with the context of domestic issues… such as the wage gap. I've known people who actually thought that the "70 cents on the dollar" stat (yeah, they often round down) literally means that there is either a nationwide conspiracy to keep women down or that men are naturally/biologically disposed to keep women's success undermined. They were given that stat without context or additional details, and came to conclusions aligned with the planned narrative. Let's not even get started on rape stats which often come without context or are grossly exaggerated (upper estimates, to say the least).

Parts of this flood of information (and misinformation and even disinformation) may have come from places of good intentions, it's not hard to see why some are apprehensive that constant exposure can be conducive to paranoia, conspiracy theory hysteria.

Admittedly, I'm often tempted and even resolve to simply be optimistic… avoid being too concerned with populist responses to these environments. After all, if you focus too much on the lowest-common denominator of any group, you're more vulnerable yourself to being manipulated by trolls or genuine psyops. Trust the best in individuals. Have faith in the individual that they'd be able to take what's best and filter out the rest.

But I do agree and am certain that lesser minds can be influenced in some of the worst ways by these "toxic environments". One notable example that's still stuck in my mind is that one rper who complained that he literally has a hard time masturbating because of how angry he was from the constant flood of bad news/info in trp.

I can definitely see both sides of this issue in some way or another.

How about you? Is the toxic environment theory a valid concern or criticism of trp or feminism for you?