Then the invasion started. A s soon as Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine , Gonzalo Lira started sharing his thoughts and observations on the conflict in a run of YouTube videos and posts on Telegram and Twitter.
Many people seem to view him as a valuable source, and have taken to signal-boosting his content. He has decried stories about Ukrainian resistance as obvious Western propaganda. And he has accused people who contradict his assessments of being idiots or paid shills. In fact, Lira has been in such striking lockstep with Russian narratives on the conflictβsometimes even posting official government statements as definitive truths about itβthat Russian propaganda outlets have used clips of him as a supposed source of external, on-the-ground support for its stories.
Lira is not fake. Most of those who dwell in this world believe that men are the true oppressed gender, despite clear evidence that women still face undeniable and rampant, systemic discrimination across the globe. Under the name Coach Red Pill, Lira made videos and hosted digital seminars in which he offered dating, life, and relationship advice. These are usually tired stereotypes about how all women supposedly think, and reactionary ideas about the glory of traditional gender roles and relations and how their erosion screws over men.
Men age like wine. Women who are⦠the most easily manipulated, the most easily taken in by flattery and deference.
But according to experts on both the manosphere and Russian misinformation, such a pivot makes sense. It speaks to long-simmering trends in both worlds, which kicked into high gear when the Ukraine conflict started. Lira declined to respond to questions The Daily Beast sent him about his decision to shift away from his manosphere-centric content and towards dedicated Ukraine conflict commentary. Or about the information he chooses to share, where he finds it, and how he assesses and frames it.
