I started watching MGTOW vidoes after seeing it mentioned on a forum somewhere. With spare time on my hands I looked it up and the philosophy was pretty eye opening in terms of troubles I'd had with women and understanding situations in the past. I was very nice to women and treated them in a respectful friendly manner, but was subject to getting walked over and at times being used. I was watching a lot of Sandman, Sunrise Hoodie and Howard Dare. I found myself looking at women and relationships differently, it filled me with as much anger as there was a sense of relief and freedom. This was about 6 months ago and for 3 - 4 months I was watching them non-stop daily. At the time I really agreed with the notion of the majority of women taking advantage of men, abusing them and men being raised with this caretaker sensibility catering to every woman's whim. However, I did still believe not all women were like that and in relationships. I lived in CA at the time and a month later moved to WA. Here is where things take a turn.

3 months into watching the videos daily I began to notice a trend, both in comments and video content. Women are the problem, Men should not have kids or marry because it's male slavery, Women only talk to me because they want something from me, I had (insert 1 - 5 relationships in a short time span) so now I decide all women are bad (does not specify area or any information), The only relationship is pump and dump, Any man who desires a relationship or children is a (Simp, cuck, etc.) yet contradictory when men having surrogate children is mentioned, Women have "Never" contributed anything or are good in ____,

The list continues, but from what I saw all centered around a central theme, subjective information toted as fact. The notion of cutting all contact with half the population existing on earth because of few bad eggs or relationships is ludicrous. Let me clarify, I come from a family of PSY majors and if I learned anything from them, it's that everyone is different and needs to be taken in a case by case basis; their actions and habits thus displaying who they really are. I tested this mentality out in real life having moved to WA where people are generally nicer and more down to earth compared to the aggressive shallow environment of CA (LA mostly, SF to a lesser extent). I reduced talking to women to a minimum, preferring interaction or services of men. What I found was it not only made it harder to do basic tasks (shopping, bank visits, calls for inquiry), but made absolute no sense. Why am I acting this way to this nice lady who I know nothing about because a few women in my past from a completely different state? Why would I think of men who try to get with women as ___ (insert the usual insults) or prevent myself from meeting potentially lifelong and mutually beneficial relationships be romantic or not? I continued to listen, but slowly tapered it off and began deep thought on what made sense and what didn't. I came down to a new understanding that is neither Red Pill or Blue Pill from what I can gather.

From MGTOW/Red Pill I adopted the idea of focusing on better health, career and not stressing over the idea of being single; to be happy being single and be the best person you can. Next is understanding how to spot red flags when talking to women, red flags that present themselves rather than assumptions. However, just about everything else they promote, (misogyny, prejudice, abandon of female contact or relationships sometimes in place of sex dolls due to the pump and dump concept, discredit of any achievements by women in history) I either don't agree with or think it's ludicrous. Most of the negatives can be applied to both genders and I think the way people act towards each other is deeper than X or Y chromosomes. Factors such as mental health, stress from economy or overcrowded areas, background and social norms to name a few. With that said and some MGTOW/Red Pill concepts internalized I have come to an understanding that I will not treat women badly or discredit their achievements without first knowing them, yet I will stand my ground and not be manipulated/treated badly by any person who so chooses to. If a relationship forms with someone I feel comfortable with I will pursue it, but by no means will I play games or go through shit tests to prove otherwise; the test is establishing trust, communication and commitment in stressful times. I want to have children, and reading Ian Mucklejohn's story is pretty inspiring if it ever comes to that having been raised by my father. I think some of the concepts revolving around self-reliance and being the best you can be without your life revolving around relationships is beneficial to young men, especially today. However, just about everything else is counter productive to anyone who wants to make a living or just live happily in most environments.