Podcast Summary:

Podcast: How Is This Better?
Host: Akilah Hughes (with interview contributions possibly by Erin Ryan or Alyssa Mastromonico)
Episode: Adam Mockler on Masculinity and the Right-Wing Pipeline (BONUS)
Date: January 16, 2026

Overview

This bonus episode presents an uncut conversation between host Akilah Hughes (and possibly the voices of Erin Ryan or Alyssa Mastromonico) and Adam Mockler, a 22-year-old left-leaning political content creator and commentator. The discussion delves into the phenomenon of "hyper-masculine optimization" in online culture, especially its intersections with right-wing content and pipeline dynamics that pull young men (and sometimes women) into reactionary politics. The conversation also critically examines why these spaces skew right, how left/progressive messaging often fails to compete, and which real-world strategies might be more effective in reaching across ideological divides.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Hyper-Masculine “Optimization” Trend on Social Media

• Viral Videos and First Impressions:

  • Discussion starts around the popularity of "morning routine" videos by figures like Ashton Hall. Mockler thought these routines were jokes or memes at first but noticed many took them seriously.
  • “There's this weird line that's blurred in the manosphere space where you can't tell when somebody's doing a bit or when someone is being genuine.” — Adam Mockler [02:00]

• Routines: Substance vs. Performance:

  • Routines aren't inherently harmful – “Maybe there’s a lesson you can take from that video about routine… But the idea that that’s the beacon of masculinity is, like, just a social media facade.”
  • Mockler distinguishes between genuine routine for self-improvement and performative displays designed to assert superiority or fit online masculine stereotypes.
  • “I know a lot of women that work way harder than I do… the idea that you have to be hyper masculine about it is pretty weird.” — Adam Mockler [04:03]

2. The Right-Wing Pipeline: Algorithmic Influence and Online Content

• How Pipelines Form:

  • Young men seeking advice (e.g., dating or fitness) can unwittingly fall into right-wing spaces (e.g., red-pill, manosphere, anti-vax content) because algorithms escalate content towards more provocative, conspiratorial topics.
  • “It starts off with young dudes who are looking up advice online… Inevitably, you get sucked down into this red pill pipeline.” — Adam Mockler [06:18]
  • Similar patterns happen with young mothers entering "wellness" or "natural parenting" spaces which then nudge towards anti-vax rhetoric.

• Algorithmic Targeting and Personal Agency:

  • The illusion of choice in online content consumption masks how algorithms nudge users deeper into these pipelines.
  • “The end goal of any app… is to keep you on their app for the longest amount of time.… It’s really potent.” — Adam Mockler [08:53]
  • “There is this, like, delusion that we have a real choice in what we’re doing online and that we’re, like, discovering things.”— Interviewer [08:34]

3. Masculinity, Community, and Political Coding of Spaces

• Bonding through Optimization:

  • Routine and supplementation videos can serve as "placeholders for intimacy" among men, giving the illusion of connection without vulnerability.
  • “You still don’t really get to know anything about me, but you know that I’m doing all of these things and that feels like something worth sharing.” — Adam Mockler [06:06]

• The Feedback Loop of Politicized Male Spaces:

  • Many male-dominated or interest-based spaces become “right-wing coded” regardless of actual participant beliefs, e.g., gaming, Barstool Sports, UFC.
  • “The game creators themselves were actually progressive… but I think that overall gaming spaces are right-wing coded and they shouldn’t be.” — Adam Mockler [15:05]
  • Such coding is often amplified by who claims ownership of these communities and by algorithms reinforcing their popularity.
  • “Sometimes my audience gets mad when I play a clip of Theo Von… or Joe Rogan… I can’t show a clip of him talking about politics?… We can’t be so reactionary.” — Adam Mockler [16:35]

• Comedy as a New Right-Coded Space:

  • Even comedy, traditionally a space for pushing boundaries, is now derided as right-coded by some progressives.

4. Progressive Challenges & Opportunities

• Purity Tests and Coalition-Building:

  • The left often falls into "purity test culture," shunning allies or large swaths of less rigidly aligned participants, to its detriment.
  • “You can’t lose your way into the future you want to have.” — Adam Mockler [18:08]

• Importance of Showing Up & Approaching with Empathy:

  • Need for the left to be physically present and to communicate in relatable, non-academic terms in real-world spaces.
  • “We act like normal human beings. We don’t shout people down or finger wag… We should explain things in a way where we’re not over-intellectualizing.” — Adam Mockler [19:00, 20:39]
  • Real-life engagement is often less hostile than online exchanges, and “out of the 70 million MAGA voters, it would be a mistake to say all of them are not worth talking to.” [20:39]

• Learning from Trump’s Emotional Messaging:

  • Over-intellectualizing or relying on factual argument can miss the emotional resonance that drives persuasion.
  • “Trump knows how to pander to emotion. Maybe learn that from Trump.” — Adam Mockler [21:24]

5. The Limits of Reverse Engineering Progressive Alternatives

• Challenges of Creating a ‘Barstool of the Left’:
  • Mockler argues it isn’t feasible to simply create left-wing analogues to already right-coded spaces, as these grew organically from shared apolitical interests now claimed by the right.
  • “You can’t reverse engineer barstool to be left leaning… Barstool was a ground up thing… now gotten labeled as right-wing coded because we kind of, honestly, open up space for that to happen.” — Adam Mockler [23:37]

6. Notable Critique of Right-Wing Influencers

• Direct Confrontation and Media Grift:
  • Mockler describes direct challenges to right-wing influencers (Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, Jack Posobiec), whom he accuses of being insincere propagandists with questionable motives and funding.
  • “They're all directly funded by Russia… I confronted [Jack Posobiec]… he had no answer. He’s like, ‘You need to shave your face, bro.’” — Adam Mockler [22:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Masculinity Videos:

  • “The idea that that's the beacon of masculinity is like just a social media facade.” — Adam Mockler [02:45]

• On Memes vs. Genuine Messaging:

  • "There's this weird line that's blurred in the manosphere space where you can't tell when somebody's doing a bit or when somebody is being genuine." — Adam Mockler [02:00]
  • "I'm not performative and weird about it. Like Ashton Hall and the right wingers… I'm usually making coffee and getting right to work." — Adam Mockler [04:03]

• On Pipelines:

  • “It starts off with young dudes who are looking up advice… you get sucked down into this red pill pipeline.” — Adam Mockler [06:16]
  • “It is hyper tailored to keep you on the app… create a feedback loop where you give them more content that will keep them on the app over and over.” — Adam Mockler [08:53]

• On Community:

  • “Sometimes the finger waggy gets a little bit too far… There should be a way we can punch back in an edgy way while we're punching up… rather than being obnoxious.” — Adam Mockler [18:00]

• On Engaging with MAGA Voters:

  • "Out of the 70 million MAGA voters, it would be a mistake to say that all of them are not worth talking to... That's a losing mindset." — Adam Mockler [20:39]

• On Progressive Messaging:

  • "We should just say that trans people should have the freedom to do what they want… rather than over-intellectualizing things." — Adam Mockler [21:10]

• On Failed Left-Wing Analogues:

  • “You can’t reverse engineer the Joe Rogan to the left… Barstool was a ground up thing… Like, if you went up to the barstool dudes… they’d probably be like, yeah, I don’t really care [about these issues].” — Adam Mockler [23:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 01:22 | Adam Mockler Introduction | | 01:54 | First reaction to viral “morning routine” videos | | 02:45 | Performative masculinity and routine | | 04:03 | Male role models: Galloway vs. Peterson | | 06:16 | The right-wing and wellness content pipeline | | 08:53 | The algorithmic manipulations of social feeds | | 10:22 | Optimization: doing vs. watching | | 13:30 | Right-coded male spaces: Barstool, gaming, UFC | | 16:05 | Progressive pushback in these spaces, comedy’s politics | | 17:41 | How the Left can compete, purity tests | | 19:00 | Importance of in-person conversation | | 20:39 | Talking, not lecturing, to MAGA voters | | 22:35 | Direct confrontation with right-wing influencers | | 23:37 | The impossibility of creating a “Barstool of the Left” |

Tone and Original Language

The conversation is candid, snarky at times, but deeply earnest about the challenges posed by internet culture and masculinity content. Mockler peppers his answers with humor and self-deprecation, acknowledging his youth and limitations as a role model, but insists on the need for more authentic engagement—both online and in real life—across ideological divides.

Conclusion

Adam Mockler offers a sharp-eyed look at how online male spaces become right-wing pipelines not only through intentional actors, but also the subtle influence of algorithms, community coding, and progressive disengagement. The answer, he contends, isn’t simply to compete with louder, more toxic voices, but to show up in-person, bring relatable messages, and avoid the purity traps that shrink progressive coalitions. As the left continues to grapple with digital culture, Mockler’s insights challenge listeners to rethink not just tactics, but how and where real connection—and persuasion—can happen.