No Mercy / No Malice: The Manosphere & Robert Mueller

Scott Galloway critiques modern notions of masculinity, contrasting the grifters of the "manosphere" with the life of Robert Mueller, whose career exemplified service over self-promotion. Drawing from a Netflix documentary on male influencers and Mueller's recent death, Galloway argues that true manhood means adding surplus value—giving more than taking—rather than chasing attention through aggression or performative dominance.

The Manosphere's Grift

Galloway describes the manosphere, as depicted in Louis Theroux's documentary Inside the Manosphere, as a collection of influencers who pose as alpha males by flaunting fitness and wealth while spewing misogyny. These figures escalate to slurs, conspiracies, filmed sex acts, and street fights to retain audiences, but they offer no virtuous path. Instead, they shill supplements, crypto courses, and trading platforms, exploiting young men's need for community. Donald Trump embodies this at scale, peddling a crass version of masculinity for personal gain. The left, Galloway notes, neglects young men, who have fallen furthest socioeconomically, leaving them vulnerable to these attention-driven grifts.