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The 500-Pound Gorilla in the Masculinity Room

What seems like internet absurdity might be the most revealing conversation men are having today.

6 min readMay 3, 2025

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The 500-Pound Gorilla in the Masculinity Room
Artwork: © Carlyn Beccia | www.CarlynBeccia.com

There comes a time in every collapsing democracy when citizens must choose their coping strategy: fight, flight, or…argue online about whether 100 men could defeat a 500-pound silverback gorilla in hand-to-paw combat.

And folks, America has chosen a gorilla fight.

This extremely important hypothetical began humbly in 2020 on Reddit's r/whowouldwin — basically Fight Club for guys who own nunchucks and a crypto wallet but not a fitted sheet.

The premise? Set 100 unarmed men loose on one silverback gorilla.

Who wins?

And because the internet is a cursed eternal return of the same three debates (Are hot dogs sandwiches? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Should women smile more?), the gorilla question recently roared back on the same Reddit thread.

However, this time the debate grew hairy ape legs, thanks to bored influencers. MrBeast tweeted an open call for "100 volunteers." Because nothing says "late-stage masculinity crisis" like organizing a flash mob to fight King Kong.

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Carlyn Beccia
Carlyn Beccia

Written by Carlyn Beccia

Award-winning author of 13 books. My latest: 10 AT 10: The Surprising Childhoods of 10 Remarkable People, MONSTROUS: The Lore, Gore, & Science. CarlynBeccia.com

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