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"women are drawn to toxic abusers" is very, very wrong. It indicates a wish/desire/need to be abused. No, they are not drawn to that. Many abusers know how to look nice and perfect and are great at manipulation. Also, there may just be a lot of bad men in your social peer group.

Don't make it sound like it's the womens fault.

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> "women are drawn to toxic abusers" is very, very wrong. It indicates a wish/desire/need to be abused.

It doesn't have to indicate that. I think it's more likely that those traits that those women find attractive are the same traits that toxic abusers have.

> Don't make it sound like it's the womens fault.

I don't think he was doing that - people can't help what traits they find attractive.


It’s called “Hybristophilia” and it’s a well-known phenomenon.

Yes, but it's the overgeneralization to "women have hybristophilia" that is the problem.

Some people are often drawn to toxic abusers.

It's pretty well established at this point that victims of childhood abuse are much more likely to enter into relationships that involve violence from their intimate partners.

One of the best predictors for someone entering a abusive relationship is whether ot not that person has previously been in one and whether they have processed it therapeutically.

I understand your instinct to defend people who have been hurt but this isn't a matter of assigning blame to them. It's about identifying patterns and finding ways to break them.


It's not very wrong unfortunately. Do you remember back in school that the nice, timid guys were friendzoned but the assholes always had girls after them ?

There must be some evolutionary justification, but we have to live with that unfortunate reality..


A different explanation that rings true to my experience is that people are drawn to confidence rather than a desire to be abused.

Toxic abusers and high school garbage are good at signalling strength despite their poor character and choices.


Confidence and power.

And all too often they don't recognize until too late that that power will be turned on them.


Sure, that also must be a factor.

But then again remember the incredible amounts of fan mail serial killers and serial rapists get while in prison. (this is taking it to the extreme of course)

It is the same like guys finding toxic sociopaths attractive, against our better judgement.


No, I do not remember that because I've seen different things. There is a lot of different things going on, like perceived confidence. This is just myth. There is no woman out there who wants to live in fear.

"[ Indirectly ] drawn to X [ due to trait Y ]" is not the same as "directly desires X". You are strawmanning the other party.

The OnlyFans example can be twisted in a similar manner.


It’s not a myth. What convinced you that there is a myth?? Almost everyone seems to agree it’s a real thing from what I see online. I recommend you watch this video by YouTube channel @Elephantintheroom https://youtu.be/Gvj8hG2UvbA?si=qz_7aC4jYq2CBfJl

Apparently it’s much worse than what we see around us. Women literally fall in love with monsters.


Please don't treat half of the people on this planet as if they were some alien species. Treat people like people.

People are weird. Men are probably even worse if you really dig deep down what we are interested in on a woman. The kind of thing we prefer not to even think about. What we evolved to like is not always “appropriate “ in a modern society.

No one said there were.

> nice, timid guys were friendzoned

There's a reason why "nice guy" is a stereotype. The people who describe themselves like this aren't nice or timid, but insecure, angry and judgmental. They tell stories like "women like assholes" to avoid coming to terms with the idea that they're unlikable.


Note that "insecure" is not incompatible with "nice" and "timid". Doesn't make them unlikable.

And it's not that women like assholes. Rather, people (not just women) like the traits that let an asshole get away with being an asshole.


1,000,000% this

The non-wifebeating, non-drug-abusing, non-raping men and boring and unlikeable. It's actually their fault that women fall for the motorcycle riding drug dealers. Got it.

Just take off those glasses and everyone will realize you're secretly hot

Oh this is not a spiteful view of the world, I've been quite lucky with my love life, thanks.

I think it was a quip on movie tropes



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