Misogyny

There's been a lot of talk about incels and 'nice guys' over the past few years, and for good reason. There really are dudes out there who fervently believe they're entitled to the affection of women just because they treat them with a modicum of kindness. Sadly, they don't realize that being benevolent in order to get what they want isn't actually "nice." It's manipulative. And when the manipulation doesn't work? They go off the rails and reveal their toxic and entitled truth. These specimens from r/niceguys truly encapsulate this mysoginistic and cringey mindset. We hope they get the help they so clearly need. Or at least a really good talking to.

Recently released New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears has sparked a conversation around what really happened to the pop legend in the early aughts and who is to blame. We all remember watching voyeuristically as Britney Spears suffered a harrowing public breakdown in 2008. While the rest of us usually have the benefit of privacy when we face life challenges that threaten our mental health, someone like Britney grew up in front of the camera, and in 2008 the paparazzi were more vicious than ever. The infamous images of Britney shaving her head, attacking a paparazzo's car with an umbrella, and being shipped off to a hospital are what many remember before she started to disappear from the public eye, and Framing Britney Spears gives important context to these events. From the moment Britney became famous as a teenager, her image was aggressively scrutinized by the media, whose self-proclaimed arbiters of morality acted as if a sixteen-year-old girl ought to bear the responsibility of being a perfect role model to an entire generation. 

Britney fans are particularly enraged by an interview excerpt that was included in the documentary. In 2003, at the height of Britney's career, Diane Sawyer interviewed the pop star on ABC's Primetime Thursday. One could hardly call it an interview—it feels more like an attack. In the scene, which is difficult to watch without cringing, we see a visibly uncomfortable 21-year-old Britney endure sexist questions from Sawyer about Britney's virginity and her responsibility as a role model to young girls. At one point Sawyer brings up tabloid rumors that Britney had cheated on Justin Timberlake. 'He has gone on television and pretty much said you broke his heart. You did something that caused him so much pain, so much suffering. What did you do?' Asks Sawyer. Can you imagine an interviewer today asking a young woman this same question? 'What did you do to him?' The cringe is severe and the resurfacing of this interview has many millennials questioning their own complicity at the time. It's sad to be reminded that not long ago, treating women this way was completely normal.

The Diane Sawyer interview was just one example of how the media publicly ripped Britney apart when she was most vulnerable, and not only contributed to the decline in her mental health, but profited from it. Sadly, Britney is still experiencing the fallout of those years—she is locked in a court-ordered conservatorship that has stripped her of control and agency over her own life. Those who have watched the documentary are now dragging Sawyer on Twitter and demanding that she apologize to Britney Spears for the wanton misogyny of that 2003 interview. We've collected some Twitter reactions from some of the people who have revisited the brutal and inappropriate media coverage of Britney's life from that time. We appreciate biographical profiles like Framing Britney Spears and HBO's Tiger because they remind us that even the most iconic and god-like public figures are still just human beings.

Everyone loves genuinely nice guys who respect boundaries and show compassion towards others. But Nice Guys™ are a whole other breed of dude. Cringey Nice Guys will become friends with a woman with the assumption that the friendship will lead to sex. Nice Guys think that performing basic social expectations means they are entitled to sex. Nice Guys are anything but nice. We've got a handful of cringey Nice Guy moments that were immortalized in screenshots forever.

If you needed proof that chivalry is dead, we've got it right here for you. These fedora-tipping neckbeards may think their use of "m'lady" makes them gentlemen, but at the first sign of rejection they lash out in a Mountain Dew-fueled rage. This incel-esque behavior can be witnessed on nearly any website with a comment or messaging feature. The overwhelming prevalence has made neckbeards and "nice guys" excellent meme fodder. There are entire subreddits dedicated to these misogynists who hide behind a screen - and for good reason. Their sad antics are an absolute goldmine for people who live to consume cringe. There are a quite a few solid gems in this gallery, but if you crave more of this amusing filth there's way more where these came from.

We're gonna go ahead and say it: "Not all neckbeards." But even though we know that not all fedora tipping gentlemen are misogynistic creeps, there's evidence on r/justneckbeardthings, @neckbeardfancy, and pretty much any comment section that aggressive desperation is definitely a trend. These posts and memes make for some serious proof. 

We know that all women are different, but there are certain things that most of us understand universally. So whether you're a woman or femme person, we think you'll relate to the following memes we curated just for you. And check out some more feminine memes here if you're so inclined!

These nice guys really need to get a grip!

You don't need to be a feminist to understand that these dating standards for women from the 1930s were incredibly harsh and sexist. Women were clearly held to much higher standards than men were! My how the times have changed...

Check out some super sexist vintage ads here!

Ladies, do you get horrible period cramps? That sucks, but think about how your poor husband feels when you're not there to cook and clean for him because you're "in too much pain." He's waiting for his dinner and he doesn't know how to boil his own water for pasta, dammit.

In all seriousness, clearly this narrative wouldn't fly today, but the mid-twentieth century and before was a completely different story. Scroll down and see for yourself.

An angry outburst at a Bay Shore, Long Island bagel store has gone viral after a teenage girl recorded 5' Chris Morgan ranting about women, and the way women treat men of his short stature. Morgan behaves aggressively in the video, eventually challenging a bystander to "step outside" with him. The bystander, towering over Morgan, ends up tackling the angry dude, and the video ends. Later, on Instagram Live, the girls behind the viral video explain that Morgan believed the women behind that counter of the bagel store had been smirking at him, and that this impression had caused his unhinged explosion. 

People on Twitter and Instagram have been eating this content up, responding with memes and a whole lot of short jokes. It's clear that Morgan has a chip on his vertically challenged shoulder, but his contempt for humanity seems to go beyond women. As seen on Ebaum's World, his Youtube Channel is exactly you'd expect. In now-deleted videos (they violated Youtube's terms of service) he uploads anti-semitic content. In other videos, which you can view below, he refers to women as gold-digging b*tches and gleefully leaves a date without a ride after she says she doesn't want to go home with him.

Jokes and memes aside, people like Chris Morgan need help. But he doesn't see it that way. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he touts himself as Martin Luther King of short people. 'I have a mission. The girls hate me, they don't like me, that's fine,' he added. 'I'm not stopping and the world is going to hear me. I want equality for everybody. ' Good luck, bro.

When nice guys refer to themselves as "nice guys" they're usually the opposite. In this Facebook Messenger exchange, our gallant hero wastes no time revealing himself to be a creepy incel with serious rage issues. We hope this young lady was able to sell her phone to someone who respects boundaries and isn't a terrible woman-hater.