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What We Can Learn About Beta Males From Aqua Teen Hunger Force

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force is one of the original shows on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. It is highly absurd, surreal and has some red-pill lessons about self-absorbed beta males.

Overview Of The Show

The first three main characters—Frylock, Master Shake & Meatwad—all live in house together. The other main character is their neighbor, Carl. Initially, the show was about the Aqua Teens solving crimes, but it evolved into a sort-of Seinfeldian show about nothing.

Frylock

frylock

The leader of the three, if you could call him that. He is very smart and if often battling with Shake over Shake’s treatment of Meatwad. He is a father-figure to Meatwad. Despite his intelligence and general level-headedness, he often displays some simpy behavior towards women. His bizarre behavior usually involves dealing with women.

Master Shake

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A classic narcissist. He has little capacity for empathy and is often the funniest character on the show. Despite his incredible naiveté and cruel behavior, he often displays a modicum of intelligence and education. His insecurity is right below the surface, and is often exposed as it relates to his ability to be attractive to women. He spends most of his time watching TV in the living room, talking lots of shit about how awesome is he, playing cruel tricks on Meatwad and engaging in hare-brained schemes with Carl.

Meatwad

meatwad

A classic codependent. He lies a lot about his life, but he doesn’t boast like Shake does. He is very dumb, but flashes ability to manipulate people – most especially Shake. He spends much of time in his room, playing with dolls and a cardboard box named “Boxy Brown.” He isn’t very compassionate, but isn’t mean all that often.

Carl

carl b

The next door neighbor of Aqua Teens. He is fat, hairy, and a loser. He lives in house by himself, worships the New York Giants and drinks lots of beer. He has an above-ground pool that is often a point of contention between the characters. He gets manipulated and burned by Shake in some episodes. He is very lonely and often has conflict with the Aqua Teens. The only one he has a level of respect for is Frylock. He has a car he affectionately named “2Wycked.”

Analysis Of The Show

Consider the psychological profiles first. Shake is an obvious narcissist and Meatwad is a codependent. However, you see how these roles can flip. In the episode Super Model, Shake travels to Guatemala to get some plastic surgery to enhance his appearance. Meatwad picks up on his serious insecurity relating to his looks and exploits it ruthlessly, giving him a bit of approval but withholding most of it, always suggesting he needs more work done. He shows how the roles can flip depending on the insecurities flashed by either party. The episode ends with Shake eating soup, depressed on the floor of Meatwad’s room. With Meatwad out in the living room, it highlights the pure role inversion – Meatwad is in Shake’s normal place, while Shake is in Meatwad’s normal place.

Carl is a stereotypical omega. He’s poor with a criminal record and nothing going on for him except watching porn, drinking beer and spending what little scratch he has on strippers and hookers. He has an incredibly poor relationship with both of his parents – some scenes show how cruel his father was to him – we see why his self-esteem is so low. While he flashes occasions where he really wants to change, he seems content to be stroking his cock in one hand, while downing beer in the other.

As for Frylock, he tries to stay above the fray of the two, often checking Shake’s cruelty. Often, though, he just lets it go as he knows there can be no good ending to their interactions. One episode has Frylock dressed in a bad costume in order to bed a human female. His insecurity relating to his attractiveness is on full display. Both Meatwad and Shake are dismissive of his concerns – they seem to be thinking “Here we go again.” Shake doesn’t antagonize Frylock too much, though, as he isn’t a target he can feel superior to on a continuous basis. Notice the dynamic here – Frylock at least tries in real life to get with women, but Shake it only concerned with his attractiveness to women in theory. That is a classic narcissistic trait.

The red pill analysis here is  that these characters are varying archetypes of the “nice guy.” Frylock flashes the most potential – with his intelligence, social comportment and general ability to see the world for what it is. He is ham-strung because of his two friends, but I think he wants it that way. He sometimes tries to flee the situation – one episode he does – but he always comes back. On some level, he feels a paternal connection with all the other characters, as they need him. However he needs them, too. I get the feeling it is self-handicapping. Can’t change? Blame it on the fact you have a duty to Shake and Meatwad.

Shake is the quintessential narcissistic beta male. He is unattractive to women. Instead of self-handicapping or drinking himself to death, he lives in a world in his own mind. His outlandish shit talking is often hilarious, but speaks to a level of delusion. His incessant watching of TV reinforces this point. Such levels of media immersion are correlated to levels of narcissism, as you either identify or become envious of the characters. You start to live out lives you don’t get to in real life. With too much engagement in it, it can lead to blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.

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Shake displays this greatly, as he is able to cough up all sorts of information on movies and TV shows – all fictional characters. As for Carl, he engages in a form of narcissism as he watches porn constantly and is a drunk. Alcoholism is a form of narcissism, as is constant viewing of porn – as you are fantasizing about fucking those women instead of learning to fuck them in real life.

This is the reality of the beta male in modern society. Unable to come to terms with the sexual revolution, hypergamy and social decline, they check out and live lives in their own heads. When women talk about guys far overplaying their hand, such as on dating sites, they are right sometimes. Sometimes it is self-handicapping (intentionally picking women that far outstrip your SMV) or just plain thirstiness.

The thirst of a beta male isn’t just sexual – it reflects the desire for female approval. Unable to get that positive attention as a child, they act it out through their sexuality. They may white-knight for female friends, but the thirst gets most palpable when presented with a sexually attractive female. They are acting out failed relationships with their mother – “I should just able to offer myself and that should be good enough.” It reflects the stupid prevailing advice given to men, but it also has a level of immaturity to it. That line above is something a kid should be able to say to his mother and get unconditional love in return.

The show displays the lives of some low-status males. Often the show is surreal and has lots of blood, death and general debauchery. However, when presented with women, their hierarchies are flipped upside down. Suddenly the ball-busting Carl is a huge pussy. Think about it – if he just used some of that bluster and take-no-shit attitude (although he does put up with a lot shit from the Aqua Teens) with women, he would able to get some female attention.

However, none the characters have the ability to change. The Aqua Teens supposedly moved to Seattle from the Jersey shore, but in the same house with Carl next door. Doesn’t matter what they do, they are trapped in their lives. They have the same recurring antagonists, the same recurring issues. It shows how stagnant our society is, reflected through the machinations of a fry box, milkshake and a wad of meat. Its’ a great show that is often hilarious (watch it high if you want a good ab workout), with some interesting social commentary that epitomizes the beta males of America.

Read Next: The Psychological Devolution Of The Modern Man

43 thoughts on “What We Can Learn About Beta Males From Aqua Teen Hunger Force”

  1. Interesting fast food allegory. American diet consists mainly of “meatwad sandwiches”.

  4. Okay, so to what extent do these shows reflect reality, and to what extent do they shape it?

  5. Someone at ROK needs to do an article on another famous cartoon:
    Beavis and Butthead.
    That show is hilarious social commentary, just like Mike Judge’s other famous work, “Office Space.”

    1. I’m not sure that’s necessary…..as soon as you realize that you knew people in high school who were actually like Bevis and Butthead, then all the pieces fall into place.
      I did like the episode where they glue pubes on their face because they think a beard will make them look more “manly”.

      1. The phone sex episode is one of the funniest ones ever. They thought it was a sexy woman talking to them but it wa a fat old hairy hag with hairy legs and a busted up face eating fried chicken in a trailer!

  7. love the show. and its a good analysis. sounds like im similar to shakes traits with a lil carl nperhaps meatwad though tryin to enter the frylock stage. of course alpha is the goal.
    but how is carl poor?he has a house so he must have a job.

  8. I absolutely love Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and I love this analysis. FryLock seems to be a great example of the idea that your level of success is often tied to that of the four or five people you interact with the most.

    2. There might be some truth to that old saying but there are exceptions. In financial terms, I’m significantly more successful than anyone I hang with but I’m one of those ones who remembers their roots. Instead of hanging with my type and being one of many, I prefer to hang with people who are more like myself at the core. Fancy pants, money bags, the taunting is endless but I wouldn’t trade my buddies in for a posh crowd in a million years. Rich, serious people don’t laugh enough for KY tastes.

  9. I love the show, but this kind of analysis vaguely reminds me of the Maoist Movie Review stuff and how feminists overanalyze everything.

    1. I can agree with that sentiment. The thing is, ATHF doesn’t lend itself to any serious analysis. It’s humor works mostly by subverting or exagerrating existing character archetypes…..like the one episode where the “monster” has a very beta personality….and at the end of the episode his casualness about drinking people’s blood is far more disturbing than your usual hyper-aggressive monster.

    2. Talking about examples from pop culture and real life gives the theory something to “hang on”, makes it easier to remember and internalize.

    1. Half their shows are developed for burn-outs.
      The other half, for kids.
      Don’t care about nor do I have a lot to learn from either group.

      1. True but China, IL, Rick and Morty, and Fat Guy Stuck in Internet are/were outstanding. Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show was mostly awful but had occasional flashes of genius.

    2. No its not.Watch the Eric And Andrea show now that’s some funny shit!Most of the late night stuff is just funny as hell

    3. Look, as long as I’ve got something caffeinates to one side of me, something alcoholic to the other and a woman kneeling between my legs, I don’t give a shit what’s on TV. Context, brah, context.

    4. The people who write the show are obviously nerds. That said, I used to enjoy some of their older shows. Squidbillies is hilarious because I used to live a few miles away from where that show is set….and it’s a more or less accurate portrayal of the people that we’d call “nuggets”(hillbilly natives of the gold mining area). Venture Brothers I liked because some of the characters amused me (esp. Brock). ATHF is dumb and surreal. I honestly don’t know why it made me laugh…..except I know that Carl makes me laugh.

    5. Let me expand on this comment. Most content on all of TV is very beta-esque and promotes betaism as the way men should behave. It is also an outlet for isolation which all men should avoid like the plague. Growth is not possible while sitting in front of the TV smoking weed (an entirely different subject I know).
      The only show on TV right now that I would consider watching or recommend is Game of Thrones. A lot of red-pill truth. Oh, and Louie on FX.

  11. It tells you how fucked up things are when men’s desires, their hopes and dreams, can only be discussed on television by a giant talking milkshake.

  13. I hate the term “nice guy” and I mean the one with the quotation marks.
    There are plenty of bonafide nice guys that still don’t get laid.
    Also, what is up with turning everything into an analysis on how NARCISSISM is to blame? Wasn’t that part of the dark triad, i.e. attractive to women?

    1. Narcissism isn’t attractive to women. They’re attracted to people who have something going on in their lives or, for at least for a brief moment, people who do not but project the image that they do, i.e. narcissism. In either case, narcissism is bad and narcissists mostly lead unhappy and stagnant lives. They expend enormous energy cultivating a fantasy life rather than living their actual real life.

  15. Haha. Brilliant. Though I’d add that its a sort of ‘pity porn’ as well. The betas who watch these shows (including American Dad, Family Guy and South Park) tend to latch onto weaker beta character to convince themselves they ‘aren’t so bad after all’. Kind of lite fatties watching supersize v superskinny or 600lb life to feel better because ‘at least they’re not that fat’.

  16. Seems pretty beta to me to be 1) Watching some fucked up cartoon like this in the first place, and then, 2) Analyzing it in an article.

  17. I’m going to go on a limb…no, I didn’t read this fully, I skimmed it. And so what? Never mind analyzing a beta male cartoon, perhaps, we should harp on the continued portrayal of men in media as inferior? Hmmm? Perhaps we should analyze the phenomenon of how media/art is now dictating “reality” to many people, ahem, sheeple? Perhaps we should connect the dots from this sick and pathetic cartoon to its roots, such as, jack black’s consistently weak anti-man roles that influenced scores of unsuspecting boys. I.e. act weak and pathetic and you’ll be…cool? How about we see this cartoon as societies view of men today? Although its not the only one, the media is a very big reason why we have feminism today. Understanding how it is used IS critical to the manosphere, because, frankly take-out all the pro-women and anti-men content in media and things would be vastly different AND better for all men.

  19. This whole article is hilarious to me. Their concepts of “alphas, betas, and omegas” are fundamentally flawed. This model of wolf behavior has not been used by professionals due to its innate bias and distortion of truth. It was proven to be false via many observational studies. The true model unearthed by professionals, enthusiasts, and experts is much more complex. The truth is, even an omega female can hand the alpha male his ass in a wild wolf pack. The betas are the “aggressive” members, the alphas are the brains of the family, and the omegas are not lowlifes, but peacekeepers. Saying you’re an “alpha male” only proves you’re a beta. If you’re a true alpha; you don’t have to say it. How do I know this? I run with wolves.

    1. “The truth is, even an omega female can hand the alpha male his ass in a wild wolf pack.”
      Bullshit.

    2. And yes, omegas ARE the lowlifes, in both wolf packs and human societies.
      But thanks for proving it by praising omegas and women, you mangina pussy.

    3. If an Omega female wolf can beat an Alpha wolf, then the wolf was not truly Alpha but an Beta bitch. True Alpha male wolves have no problem kicking the shit out of any bitch who goes out of the line.
      Females -whether they are human or wolf- have only one purpose: to do as they are told.

  20. What I learnt from OP:
    1. There are only two kinds of people in the world: narcissists and codependents, and everyone is a loser, while women are goddesses
    2. Reading too much manosphere makes you retarded

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