Online Forum 'Manual' Advocates Distance from Women

The Social Distancing 'Manual' Spreading on Online Forums

There is a recurring scene in offices, elevators, and pharmacies across Spain. A man and a woman meet in an enclosed space. He does not greet her with two kisses. He extends his hand, grips firmly, says "hello," and looks away. If she gets too close, he steps back. This is not shyness. It is a deliberate strategy that, according to participants in a forum thread, is increasingly applied by men in their daily interactions with women, recently evolving into a full conduct manual: formal address, verbal distance, zero trust, and separation of spaces whenever possible.

This trend is not new. It has been brewing for years in male conversations beyond the workplace. But the phenomenon has crystallized into a decalogue circulating with surgical precision: no two kisses, even with colleagues; no sharing elevators if avoidable; no yielding passage or physical help; no sports in mixed spaces. And above all, do not laugh at unfunny jokes, because gallantry, they argue, is an outdated form of oppression.

The Elevator as a Battlefield

The elevator is the perfect example. An enclosed space without witnesses, where any gesture can be interpreted in a thousand ways. The circulating recommendation is clear: if you are inside and a woman approaches, you exit and wait for the next one. Better to lose a minute than spend days in jail, summarizes the argument. The logic is less about real antiestéticar of accusation than the certainty that the margin for error has dropped to zero.

The same applies to greetings. The custom of two kisses, imported from France decades ago, is being eradicated by choice. At work, a handshake. Outside work, also a handshake. If the other person leans in to kiss, the hand is extended firmly. Some have been applying this rule for years without hearing about the manual. "I've been with my partner for almost 20 years," says one participant, "but apart from having children, I couldn't stand any others." The distance is not misogyny, they say, but risk management.

Sens Segregation Returns to Gyms and Pools

The manual also extends to leisure. No exercising with women. No hiking, gym sessions, or sharing lanes in pools. The argument is that female presence in these spaces creates unnecessary tension that can only end badly. "Let them go exercise with Alexia Putellas," summarizes one of the most repeated slogans. Segregation, which seemed overcome, returns through the back door via unilateral decision.

Some go further, proposing absolute indifference toward women. "If a goddess passes me on the street, I don't even look," explains a participant. "What they expect is admiration." The recipe includes not yielding passage, not helping with luggage, not inviting anyone out. Monkey-like and subservient behavior, he calls it. Coldness as a shield, courtesy as weakness.

Economic Calculation: €1,500 a Month and a Firm Handshake

Not everything is ideology. There is an economic component running through the phenomenon. "Say you earn €1,500 a month," advises a participant. "Anything below €2,000 and they'll give you dirty looks." The appearance of low purchasing power works, according to this logic, as a repellent. Another confirms: "I say I'm poor and no one comes near me. Works like magic."

The calculation is not casual. In a context where the cost of living and housing have skyrocketed, economic status has become an explicit filter in personal relationships. Some men have decided to play this card defensively: if you cannot compete, withdraw. Distance, in this case, is not a sarracena choice but a calculated surrender.

The Fast Track: Paying for Sens Without Conversation

As expected, the conversation drifts toward the most pragmatic alternative. "Having sens is the easiest thing in the world," states a participant. "Currently, €70 is reasonable for a young woman under 30, attractive, good body." The figure is repeated and debated. For some, it's a bargain; for others, a legal time bomb. "You can still get reported," warns a voice. The case of the son of a high-ranking judicial official, investigated for alleged group rape, is cited as proof that paying doesn't guarantee safety.

Prostitution appears thus as the ultimate shortcut: you enter, pay, have sens, and leave. No kisses, no jokes, no shared elevators. Transaction replaces interaction. It is the logical conclusion of a manual that started as an etiquette guide and ended as a treatise on avoidance.

Is This War or Retreat?

There is no consensus. For some, the strategy is resistance against a legal and social framework perceived as hostile. "Because four seals from the ministry hate men, I won't change my way of thinking," protests a participant. For others, it is surrender: "You dance to the tune of the enemies of the West," another reproaches them. And some simply pass: "I am ugly, bald, and unemployed. I don't need all that."

What remains clear is that distance is no longer accidental. It is policy. And like all policies, it has costs. The most evident: conversation between sens has become a minefield where every word is measured and every gesture calculated. The manual does not say how to return. Only how to stay away.