303: When Men Gather

303: When Men Gather

From Conspirituality by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

April 9, 2026 · 1h 9m

About this episode

The episode discusses Charles Bethea's exploration of men's retreats and the modern men's movement, including its historical roots and contemporary implications.

New Yorker writer Charles Bethea recently decided to attend men’s retreats—well, at least those who would admit him. His expose on the modern men’s movement got us thinking about what’s happening over those very expensive three-day weekends, as well as the inspiration behind these groups dating back to the seventies. And even how a movement tracing back to the work of Robert Bly was co-opted by the right-wing “alpha male” crowd. Today we discuss Bethea’s article in the context of modern men’s groups: where they come from, what function they serve, and what they might get wrong…and horribly wrong. Show Notes The Camps Promising to Turn You—or Your Son—Into an Alpha Male The ‘alpha male’ myth, debunked Inside the high-priced retreats promising to help men reclaim their masculinity Brief: Galloway and the Mooch — The Lost Boys of Capitalism (Pt 1) Scott Galloway and Anthony Scaramucci, Lost Boys podcast Of Boys and Men A Statistical Book Review for 'Of Boys and Men' How a White Nationalist Club Thought It Found Safe Haven in a Montreal Gym The Fallout from Reporting on White Nationalism in Canada Active Clubs Are White Supremacy's New, Dangerous Frontier White Nationalist 'Active…

People in this episode

Hosts: Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Guest: Charles Bethea

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Yorker, Proud Boys, ICE

Books & works: Of Boys and Men, Lost Boys

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