As part of the firestorm that resulted in the cancellation of the Return of Kings meet-ups, there were a lot of attacks not only on Roosh, but on the readers and writers of ROK.
Some of it was obviously wrong. Calling ROK a group of men who are “pro rape” is a complete lie. But there were also some allegations that did have a grain of truth. For example, ROK does teach skills on how men can find a girlfriend so it is somewhat accurate to call ROK a “PUA site,” but it is only a partial truth.
ROK is so much more than a PUA site. At one level, ROK is a men’s magazine that has something for everyone: humor, dating advice, workout tips, wisdom, spirituality, and even a bit of parenting. But ROK is much more than a men’s magazine—it is also a community, a movement. Not even the New York Times can match that. I am proud and honored to be a small part of it.
My article on ROK this week attempts to set the record straight:
Why Do People Hate Return Of Kings?
As you are all aware by now, the cancellation of the Return of Kings meet-ups was caused by a deliberate misrepresentation of our message. ROK readers were described as being pro-rape. I’ve also seen ROK readers described as a bunch of pick up artists whose only priority in life is to corrupt young virgins.
But it is not just the self-professed enemies of ROK that don’t understand the site. I’ve chatted with some men who tried reading the site but were turned off by certain articles. For these reasons, I thought it would be helpful to provide an overview of what ROK is all about. My intention is that this article will serve as a good way of introducing a friend to ROK.
Here are some things to be aware of when reading ROK:
ROK is about things that are interesting to men
If you’ve ever been part of a unit of men, whether it was a military unit or a high school football team, the content and comments that you find on ROK will not be offensive to you.
That’s because when men get together, they talk about what interests them. That might be sports, politics, weightlifting tips, or women. There’s also a lot of joking, and it’s almost always a little off-color.
In our day, men no longer have places in the real world where they can get together with other men to “shoot the shit.” The military, fire departments, and police forces used to be male bastions, but all of those institutions now include women as part of our push for equality.
Men’s clubs, country clubs, and sporting events also served as places where men could get together with other men. But the men’s clubs are gone because they were sexist. And following the dictates of “you go girl-ism” women have made sure that they attended sporting events to demonstrate that they could appreciate sports, too.
Thanks to the big push to normalize and celebrate homosexuality, straight men sometimes even feel odd going out to dinner with a group of other straight men—outsiders now just assume that it is a gaggle of gay men. That is why ROK is so popular. It is the one place where men can talk like men and not be censored by some pious ninny. The articles reflect the things that men are universally interested in.
ROK is entertaining but the ideas are often serious
The ROK writers always try to write articles in such a way that you will find them entertaining to read. We don’t write in a stodgy academic style, but don’t let the style deceive you. The articles often deal with weighty subject matter.
If you read ROK on a regular basis, you can find great advice on everything from becoming financially independent to getting in shape for a fight. But ROK is a lot more than self-improvement. ROK goes beyond the narrative that you hear in the popular media to reveal how big money is used to compromise politicians and subvert democracy.
Finally, ROK represents more than a website. It has become a movement. The attempt of the worldwide media to stop the meet-ups has had the unintended effect of making us stronger.
I am a woman and I have read Return of Kings. I wasn’t the least bit offended by it and I think I know why: because none of it applies to me. I believe people are offended by its content because it applies to THEM. Maybe these “offended” readers are sluts, liberals, fat girls, etc… I am proudly none of that.
I hope that the movement continues to grow.
Mr. Sebastian, as you are a man of faith, a traditionalist, and a married man, I would like to ask you a simple question about ROK, off the ROK site, as I grow weary of the name calling and diatribe I get from slugging it out with the miscreatants and cretins that seem to dominate that site. You strike me as an articulate and reasonable man, so I ask only for civil discourse. I know you, and many other writers on ROK, say that it’s more than just a PUA site. Yet, I have seen article after article on how to pickup promiscuous women and have sex with them. Here in lies my question. A continual theme in ROK articles is admonishing young men to seek out and marry nice girls who are virgins (a noble thing), yet in the same article, or the next article, the same specific writer (Kyle Trouble, Roosh V, William Adams, etc.) will admonish young men to seek out bar sluts, and fornicate with them like Feral animals. ??? And why is it that when a writer submits, say a historical article, the forum, which often includes said above writers, will go off on T&A and trim?? Say one writes an article about the battle of Stalingrad. The forum, including opinions from the editor and many other writers, goes off on tangencies about trim. I really don’t get it. Nothing even remotely to do with the battle of Stalingrad. One’s existence is defined only by hedonism and the self, nothing greater or nobler outside of self. This is the prevailing mantra and world view I saw on ROK. Asking this question really enrages the readers, and writers, I know, because I’ve asked it, and received the vitriol and malice from them. Also, the deep seething hatred for older men(I’m 60). I realize it mostly caters to a younger reader, but how is it that older traditionalist men of faith are unwelcome and treated with such contempt in this manosphere touted on the ROK site? These are reasonable and introspective questions. You appear to be a man of principles, as evidenced in the articles you submit, and I commend you on your articles. I made the decision to stay far away from ROK. It leaves me with little value to obtain, and reminds me how bad our culture has become. Thank You