Conspirituality Podcast: Episode 303 – "When Men Gather"

Original Air Date: April 9, 2026

Hosts: Derek Barris, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Episode Overview

This episode dissects the state and evolution of men's groups and masculine retreats, especially as they intertwine with contemporary conspirituality, wellness grifting, and the broader right-wing culture wars. Sparked by New Yorker writer Charles Bethea’s investigative piece on the modern “men’s movement,” the hosts explore how the quest for masculine identity has morphed—from poetic mythmaking to militarized, conspiratorial bootcamps—and the dangers and ironies involved. They trace the roots of the "alpha male" myth, examine how spiritual masculinity efforts were co-opted by authoritarian and commercial interests, and cross-examine how today’s anxieties about gender feed into conspirituality’s grift economy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charles Bethea’s “Alpha Male” Journalism

(02:00–04:00)

• Bethea infiltrated a range of modern men's retreats, documenting first-hand their intense, sometimes bizarre rituals and the psychology behind them.
• Raises questions: What are these retreats offering? Who do they serve? And, crucially, what do they get “horribly wrong”?

2. The Alpha Male Parody & Influence

(04:00–08:09)

• Nick Adams, a self-proclaimed "alpha male," is lampooned for his over-the-top, often parodic tweets—yet he amasses huge social media clout and even a role invented for him by Donald Trump.

• The hosts debate the sincerity and effect of such extremism in “alpha male” posturing.

  "Being a straight white alpha male is the toughest job in America." – Nick Adams (04:58)
  "Alpha males watch football at Hooters and play 36 holes of golf... Beta males play nine holes with their wives and go to Chili’s..." – Nick Adams (04:30)

• Julian points out the cultural out-of-touchness:

  "There’s a lot of golf ones… but also Chili’s black bean burger, back when I was a vegetarian. Excellent. So fuck him." – Julian Walker (04:48)

3. The Alpha Male Myth: Science vs. Mythos

(08:09–13:38)

• Explores the history and misuse of “alpha male” via wolf/primatology studies—particularly how real animal behavior (and human society) is misrepresented by conservatives and online “manosphere” figures.

• Franz de Waal’s nuanced primate science underscores real leadership as built on empathy, collaboration, and social protection—not brute domination.

  "An alpha male is usually also admired. They protect the underdog, they break up fights. They have a high level of empathy." – Franz de Waal (12:03)

• The group reflects on their own childhood social hierarchies (Julian’s Lego truck memories, etc.), noting that real-life leadership is rarely about bullying.

4. From Boys to Men: How the Narrative Gets Flattened

(13:38–18:44)

• Discusses how complexities of masculinity (as described by evolutionary biology) get bulldozed in men’s camps and pop culture.

• The “Rise” retreat is given as a prime example:

  "Each had paid $3,000 to take part in a three-day program called Rise… to crawl through mud, carry heavy objects, and... change your story to unfuck your life." – Bethea (18:44)

• Bootcamps and retreats feed participants a high-volume mashup of Peterson lectures, military drills, and tough-guy branding—intended as both challenge and identity formation, but often straying into parody and emotional manipulation.

• Notable programs: “Rise,” “Men of War Crucible,” “Warrior Week,”—each sprouting variations of toxic militarized masculinity.

  "Their tagline is: Where greatness is hunted." – Julian Walker (19:33)

  "They just beat the shit out of you for days on end. It's alpha as fuck." (22:54)

Notable Quote — Bootcamp Philosophy:

“Are you one of those men who dreams of living at a standard of excellence within yourself, or are you just a man that wants to sit on the sidelines?” – Brendan King, Rise Founder (20:08)

5. Rites of Passage and the Dangers of Male Anxieties

(24:21–29:43)

• “Squire” program targets teenage boys, selling “rite of passage” weekends to fathers—blending pseudo-chivalric mythos, gym culture, and social conservatism.

• Some testimonials reveal the tension: sons sound hostage to their dads’ anxieties, and there’s little sign of coherent mentorship or lasting transformation.

  "We’re just here to literally be intentional about getting him his manhood." – a dad at Squire retreat (25:33)
  “Some sons looked stoked, others looked like hostages.” – Bethea reporting at Squire (27:44)

• Host critique: These are fleeting “encounter” experiences, unlikely to create meaningful change beyond a momentary high.

6. Historical Roots: Men’s Liberation to Men’s Rights

(31:01–36:12)

• Traces how the men’s movement split:

  • Early 1970s: Progressives sought to break down rigid gender roles and embrace feminism.
  • Schism: Men’s Rights advocates turned to grievance politics (alleging anti-male societal bias), fueling today’s “manosphere.”

• The mythopoetic men’s movement (Robert Bly, Michael Mead) took a poetic, Jungian detour—emphasizing myth, ritual, emotional processing, collaborative male bonds—but was ultimately vulnerable to parody and cultural drift.

  "All meaningful change requires a genuine surrender… we fall to the bottom of our arguments and seek to touch the origin of our lives again." – Michael Mead (43:14)

• Noted: Even mythopoetic approaches risk essentialism—the search for a lost “true” masculinity is itself a kind of romanticized myth that can be co-opted for retrograde purposes.

7. Jordan Peterson and the Right-Wing Masculinity Pipeline

(45:03–46:38)

• Peterson’s blend of social anxiety, transphobia, and faux-spiritual Jungian philosophy injected new energy (and YouTube virality) into anti-feminist, “alpha” narratives.

• His framing makes men’s victimhood central—a template for many of the analyzed retreats and influencers.

  “It’s Peterson who writes the banal 2018 bestseller for young men called 12 Rules for Life and who then cries on TV about the plight of incels.” – Derek Barris (46:22)

8. Men’s Work—Missed Opportunities Versus Domestic Realities

(46:38–50:46)

• Corinne Low’s social science research is highlighted: real “men’s work” might look less like bootcamp and more like doing household labor, co-parenting, and sharing responsibility. This crucial work rarely surfaces in alpha-male mythmaking.

• Galloway’s “don’t keep score” mantra is challenged; Low urges transparency and sharing of domestic work, using actual spreadsheets.

  "We started splitting labor because we had a sheet to track it… really honestly a very helpful thing to our relationship." – Julian Walker (50:46)

9. Material Reality vs. Mystical Masculinity

(50:46–55:11)

• The conversation pivots to the real, material factors affecting men: deindustrialization, economic insecurity, substance abuse, and mental health crises—but notes that these are often ignored in favor of tautological, mystical explanations for men’s malaise.
• Richard Reeves’s book is critiqued for exaggerating the educational “crisis” for boys; hosts call for a more nuanced, materialist account.

10. Masculinity Grievance to MAGA/Fascist Street Fighting

(55:11–62:31)

• Hosts draw troubling connections to the rise of paramilitary “active clubs” and fascist grooming via MMA, fitness, and “warrior” brotherhood—a literal militarization of alienated, aggrieved men.

• ICE recruitment and echoes of Nazi Freikorps history are examined as a warning about where this grievance culture can end up if wedded to state power and organized violence.

  "The misogyny for them was like a foundational element of fascist identity. They divided the world into their own hardness and then the liquid mass of women..." – Matthew Remski, quoting from Male Fantasies (63:32)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Alpha Male Bootcamps:

  "They just beat the shit out of you for days on end. It's alpha as fuck." (22:54)

• On Essentialist Masculinity Myth:

  "All meaningful change requires a genuine surrender... we fall to the bottom of our arguments and seek to touch the origin of our lives again." – Michael Mead (43:14)

• On Domestic Labor for Men:

  "Spreadsheets. Keep a spreadsheet of duties and finances... It really changed my relationship to the work around the house." – Julian Walker (50:46)
  "Men should read Corinne Low’s book, even though it’s written for women." – Julian Walker (50:46)

• On Peterson and the Victimhood Machine:

  "It’s Peterson who goes viral on YouTube for objecting to transgender people being added to Canadian human rights law." – Derek Barris (46:22)

• On the Grievance Turn:

  "Men are suffering in unique ways that are essentially about the problem of being men. And it’s very mysterious, right?" – Matthew Remski (50:46–55:11)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:00] – Introduction to Bethea’s men’s retreat investigation
• [04:00] – Alpha male Twitter parody and Nick Adams
• [11:34] – Franz de Waal’s take on real “alpha” social leadership
• [18:44] – Bootcamp “Rise” and militarized masculinity culture
• [24:21] – Squire teen “rite of passage” and father-son anxieties
• [31:01] – The men’s movement history: liberation to rights to mythopoetic
• [43:14] – Michael Mead’s poetic approach to men’s work
• [46:22] – Jordan Peterson and the reactionary “men’s work” turn
• [50:46] – Corinne Low’s practical intervention: spreadsheets and shared labor
• [55:11] – The active clubs, paramilitary ties, and fascist masculinity pipeline
• [63:32] – Freikorps history as a warning

Tone and Takeaways

• Engaged, critical, and at times humorous (especially when dissecting the absurdities of macho posturing).
• Deep dives alternate with banter, but the hosts remain skeptical of easy answers or bootcamp bravado.
• The episode ends on an ominous note about the overlap between men’s grievance tribes and authoritarian, even fascist organizing.

Conclusion

Far from being a harmless or goofy trend, the current landscape of men’s empowerment retreats and conspirituality-influenced “men’s work” is riddled with ideological landmines—entrenching grievance, misrepresenting science, and often fostering toxic forms of masculinity ripe for exploitation by political extremists. The hosts call for a more compassionate, materialist understanding of what men (and society) actually need: connection, shared labor, and a truth-based reckoning with our cultural pasts and presents—not a performative, militarized quest for mythic manhood.

Recommended Further Reading/Listening:

• Charles Bethea, “Who Wants to Be an Alpha Male?” (The New Yorker, link in show notes)
• Corinne Low, “Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives…”
• Michael Mead, “Fate and Destiny”
• Clark Klaus Tevilite, “Male Fantasies”

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