The Sigma Frame Controversey

The SSH shakes up the manosphere

The manosphere or androsphere is a collection of blogs and assorted websites dedicated to discussing topics related to male wellness, rights, and intersexual relations. You may not be familiar with the term, as the scene has been shrinking and splintering in recent years. My generation is accostomed to the redpill as presented by the likes of Andrew and Tristan Tate, so I am also pretty unfamiliar with the scene’s overall landscape myself. One particular blog, Sigma Frame, did catch my attention though. Despite the name, the readers and authors of Sigma Frame are actually quite skeptical of the SSH. We had been discussing it in depth last week, and some of my comments were featured. This article will serve as a response to Jack’s recent Sigma Frame article about the SSH and how the manosphere seriously needs some leadership.

First though we need to start earlier in the discussion…

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The SSH is Innocent

A while ago, the preeminent Sigma Frame author who goes by the name of Jack, had been questioning the usefulness of the SSH. In his article titled Provoking a Perfunctory Parapet of Puppets, Jack underlined four main problems he sees arising if a man places an over emphasis on and/or misinterprets the SSH. I will paraphrase them as follows:

1. Wanting to be like or placing too much value on the lives SIGMAS and ALPHAS

2. Seeing only the SSH profile instead of the person’s entire personality

3. Defining sexual success as being an objective good

4. Empowering and enhancing ostracization against low status men

I encourage the reader to review Jack’s qualms for themselves. Whether or not the underlined problems are real, they have nothing whatsoever to do with the SSH proper, and that needed to be clarified. In response to this article I wrote:

“…there is however a problem with your overall analysis. A lot of the listed problems are not inherent or otherwise necessitated by the SSH itself. We can be critical of the SSH as a tool but the main question should always be “Is it accurately and usefully describing reality?” and nothing else. Every other question is a matter of how people interpret the model. It is meant for social strategy and tactics. The fact that people misconstrue or import meaning onto the SSH is a problem of cultural lenses, personal baggage, and how the SSH is explained in biased or loaded terms by others. If you approach the SSH like Vox would, in a dispassionate and Machiavellian way, all of these problems cease to exist.

All of that is to say that the real problem is people’s inability to properly utilize the SSH in a constructive way. Most people are not socially strategic and are quite literally not capable of just picking it up and using it as intended without lots of practice. Like any skill, using the SSH takes time and effort. It is possible the manosphere at large simply is not yet ready to use it without abusing it.”

The SSH did nothing wrong

I may have exaggerated the difficulty that some people encounter when encountering and trying to use the SSH though the problem still stands.

It is debatable whether or not some of Jack’s listed problems are actually problems, such as number four, but it is important to note that there is indeed a lot of misunderstanding and controversey surrounding the SSH and its application.

Lead Us, SIGMA

Onto the main contention. In his article titled Free Speech – The Need for Leadership, Jack responds to my critique and states that the true problem is a lack of leadership in the manosphere. In particular, Jack accuses Vox of failing to lead and not taking responsibility for his creation:

“No matter how much Vox may want to emphasize that his ideas are greater than himself, or strive to avoid creating a “cult of personality” (a term that is disrespectful when used to refer to a true authority and his followers, which Vox is and has, respectively), Vox cannot deny his role of being a leader of men.  The fact is that he is teaching ideas and setting an example that many other men are following, whether he likes this or wants this or not.  Vox cannot escape The Law of Sowing and Reaping and The Law of Responsibility.”

Jack explains what he means by leadership here:

“While the Bible warns against getting entangled in futile arguments, it also encourages us to share the hope that lies within us with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).  Many verses in the Bible instruct us to always be prepared to give a defense for what we believe and why.  It also says to deal with unbelievers with patience and grace (Colossians 4:5-6), and I think that also includes apologetics, debate, polemics, discussions on blogs, etc.”

“[Through our interactions] the stumbling stone may be transformed into a whetstone — and bear much fruit for the glory of God.”

“Let your words be helpful for the edification of other Christian Men (Ephesians 4:29).”

In my review of Vox’s Socio-Sexual Hierarchy, one of my chief criticisms was that Vox is NOT this way towards many of his commenters whom he calls ‘Gammas’.

And lastly, Jack sums up his final qualms with Vox as being someone who cannot lead men:

Vox Day may very well be the most brilliant thinker in the Christian Manosphere, but he is unwilling or unable to take responsibility for how his SSH is received and interpreted by men who are seeking community, leaders / examples of leadership, fellowship, and ‘meaning’. He’ll never go ‘meta’, and this is his greatest incompetency in the eyes of God.

We can never escape ‘meaning’, as troublesome as it may be, and ‘meaning’ is only found through fellowship and purpose.  IMPO, I think Vox won’t step up to that calling because he is unable to do so.  He’s good with ideas, but NOT with shepherding men (and I’m being generous in this assessment of him). I’ve written this post in the hope that this might change.

I think it is quite clear that Jack and the readership of Sigma Frame are not so much concerned with the SSH as they are with its creator.

Anyways, let’s go through each issue and see how they hold up:

Issue #1: Lack of Resposibility

This one is pretty simple to debunk as regular readers of Vox’s Sigma Game will remember that the blog exists to clear up some of the misconceptions that had generated around the SSH. Moreover, Vox has stated he is writing an entire book to make sure people understand the model thoroughly and can always look back to a clear and concise reference. While I cannot speak for the man, to say that Vox has failed to take responsibility for his creation is simply untrue.

Issue #2: Lack of Leadership

Everyone has their own innate gifts and talents. If I remember correctly, Vox once said if he had to be an ALPHA for an extended period of time it would literally kill him. Ironically, referencing the model that started this whole controversey to begin with holds the key to understanding leadership. People with the SIGMA profile such as Vox, generally do not lead for extended periods of time, and they certainly do not lead like ALPHAS. And as Vox has stated in regards to SIGMAS in leadership:

“…the Sigma is never going to successfully grow into a situational role as an Alpha. It’s just not going to happen.”

Vox may not be the conventional and charismatic leader the manosphere needs but he is clearly a thought leader who has given us all a very powerful tool to use. It is inevitable the lower status men will desire leadership from SIGMAS but it is important to remember that this is almost always folly.

Issue #3: Ostracization

I think this is the real problem that Jack and the Sigma Frame readers would do well to address further in depth. Many Sigma Frame readers expressed some unease at the ostracization that GAMMAS receive, likening it to the emasculating insults women hurl at men like “incel”, “creep”, etc…

Jack did confirm that GAMMAS were indeed a problem for the manosphere but he also admonished Vox for the ill treatment of GAMMAS on his blogs citing it as essentially un-Christian. I cannot speak too much on this issue but GAMMAS have shown themselves to be the kind of people who only really respond to extreme force due to their lack of self-awareness and obliviousness. A review of the SSH shows this to be true.

Finally something interesting is happening in the manosphere

Heart of the Problem

As we have seen, the issue that Sigma Frame readers have is not with the SSH itself but with how it is interpreted and used. I do believe that Vox’s high status combined with his disdain of GAMMAS is at the heart of all of this. The only issue that really remains unresolved is the issue of ostracization. I hope Jack, myself, and the community we have here can have a productive conversation about that problem in the future.

In general, I think the readership of Sigma Frame would do well to:

1. Read about the SSH

2. Discuss its proper application

3. Prepare to assimilate the SSH fully into the manosphere

These things are necessary because the SSH is not going anywhere. It is going to reveal a lot of unsavory facts. It is going to show that a good portion of the manosphere are GAMMAS and there will much discontent following these revelations. Those who learn to use the SSH will have the potential to drastically improve their social lives while those who continue to ignore it will probably stay lost in a haze of denial and ignorance.