Von Fitness zu Faschismus: Gefahren extremer Männlichkeit

Book Presentation & Conversation with Julia Ebner, University of Oxford | As part of the event series "On the Ropes: Midterms in America"

A boy plagued by self-doubt, a weight bench, a TikTok feed: What starts with a protein shake and a workout plan can easily spiral into Andrew Tate’s toxic worldview these days after an overdose of fitness Reels. From there, as this current bestseller argues, it’s not far at all to fascism. Julia Ebner, a radicalization expert at Oxford and a familiar face on many TV talk shows, goes undercover to the places where our young men are going astray: the muscle gyms and online abysses of the “manosphere,” to Nick Fuentes and the promise that “Looksmaxxing = Success = Dominance.” Ebner shows how violent masculinity is turning into a global business and a political project—from nationalist “Active Clubs” to AI-generated sexualized violence. The “Austrian Woman of the Year” dissects this in a gripping and frighteningly perceptive way: a wake-up call for all of us. Because what’s hanging by a thread here is, ultimately, democracy.

Host: Dr. René Freudenthal, Carl-Schurz-Haus