Hava Mendelle

Never did I expect to see the cultural consensus of our time enforced so completely until I watched even members of the Liberal Party – the party that claims to stand for free speech, robust debate, and freedom of thought – join the cacophony against Pauline Hanson’s call for a recognisable Australian ‘monoculture’.

The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion formally opened last week. Over recent days, I’ve sat watching the lived experience testimonies and they are harrowing and resonate deeply. For more than two years, Jewish Australians have carried the grief of October 7 while watching tens of thousands of Australians march in the streets celebrating it. Public figures championed it, defended it, all while branding Jews with the slur of genocide.

There has been renewed interest from researchers and commentators on the so-called manosphere which includes a particular brand of male influencer – dating coaches, fitness gurus etc – figures who pride themselves on being hypermasculine ‘alpha’ males selling dating and fitness advice with a side of social outrage to millions of followers. We have seen various figures interviewed, probing how extreme and often misogynistic views on gender bleed into broader conspiracism on women and elites.