Vera Papisova: One Year Undercover Dating Alt-Right Men in NYC
Source: Walter Masterson YouTube Interview
Date: 2025-07-17
Subject: Investigative journalist Vera Papisova's year-long undercover investigation for Cosmopolitan magazine
Investigation Overview
The Genesis
"as a journalist and I couldn't find any Republican in New York to talk to me So I was like 'I'll just start dating Republicans.' And then I like accidentally found all these far-right guys"
"This was like not a planned premeditated anything I was really like trying to do personal research and I just like am methods So I was like 'Okay I don't know what Republicans are thinking cuz they won't talk to any journalist so I'm just going to talk to them in a dating setting.'"
The Platform and Safety Protocols
Papisova used an unnamed conservative dating app but maintained strict safety measures:
"I would tell like two or three people that I was going on a date at a location if I didn't get back to them by a certain time to call the police"
"If I decided that I like wanted to meet someone in person like on a date in person yes I would run a background check"
"My security consultant is a former Navy Seal Black Ops guy and he told me that the dates could only be in public settings"
Key Findings and Revelations
The Roman Empire Theory
One of the most revealing screening questions Papisova developed:
"I would ask a guy how he thinks the Roman Empire fell... This one guy told me the Roman Empire fell because of women and the gays"
"The Roman Empire according to these guys it fell because women started taking on roles like outside of the home Like basically like the way that we were organizing families like the nuclear family was evolving"
"if you want to date one of these guys the best way to find them is to ask them how the Roman Empire fell and see what women had to do with it because they there is some source out there that's reaching all of them"
Explicit White Supremacy
The Swastika Tattoo Incident:
"I went to a macas with this guy who ended up having a swastika tattoo that he just got like it was like fresh... It was a fucking stick and poke and anyone at the restaurant could see this"
"And I was like 'what is it' And he was like 'Well what do you think it is?' And I was like 'It looks like a swastika.' He was like 'Yeah.' And I was like 'To be clear is this Adolf Hitler's swastika?'"
Anti-White Genocide Rhetoric:
"His dating profile said anti-white genocide... He basically was explaining to me that us as a as a society apparently we don't celebrate white couples and white family units while every other every other race just gets a parade"
The "Political" Meetings
What Actually Happened:
"One of these guys brought me to a political meeting... They talked about it was a bunch of men complaining about girlfriends and wives regurgitating Andrew Tate type of advice about how to train your girlfriend how to train your wife to be submissive"
"As a journalist I can't say that it's a neo-Nazi meeting unless they called it that in my presence"
Abuse Tactics as Relationship Advice:
"this one guy started off... saying like he's been telling his girlfriend that he doesn't like when she goes out in co-ed groups without him and she's still doing it Then these three other guys in this group at this meeting started giving him advice on how to make her obey you have to train them talking about her like she's a dog"
"They basically were describing like an abusive relationship and they were like 'Okay start withholding money Don't give her any uh acknowledgement for 48 hours I know it's really hard Do not acknowledge her.' They started talking about a punishment and reward system"
Demographic and Psychological Profiles
Professional Background
"A lot of the guys were like finance bros Like a lot of them worked in finance and they made money and they had really good educations which is not what people would expect"
Core Insecurity Patterns
"They were so insecure because they don't really know who they are and they don't know how to figure that out"
"you're not enough to love so you need to make them obey you for them to do loving things is what I got out of that"
Manipulation Tactics:
"this one guy when I sat down with him first date he looks at me like up and down and he's like 'Wow you're so much more beautiful in real life than in your photos.'... he was basically saying 'I thought you were ugly.'"
Relationship Expectations
Traditional Gender Roles:
"their attitude was well you shouldn't be working and having your own money... You shouldn't even you shouldn't even have a bank account"
"they don't even think women should be voting The Democrats they cheat You know they say they stole the election If we didn't have the 19th Amendment the Democrats would have lost every election since FDR"
Life Vision:
"We need to leave the city move to a homestead You'll take care of the chickens Then you're going to take care of our three to four kids"
"we all pay a teacher who's connected to a church And that way there's biblical values in the curriculum... And I said 'Isn't that a cult?' And they were like each time this was the conversation No... Intentional community"
Most Disturbing Encounters
The Death Threat Connection
"Through background check I before I met with him I actually matched the email on his background check with an email that had sent me death threats like years ago"
"My name was just on like this 4chan list in like 2017 because you were writing about abortion"
Brain-Injured Former Athlete
"he was a former D1 athlete... contact sports So brain injury a lot of concussions a really significant brain injury and it showed"
"every time I asked him like about politics he would grab the edge of the table and he his legs would start shaking He's like a 6'4 guy"
"He literally said 'Lists about what lies liberal white women tell about Donald Trump.'"
Cultural and Aesthetic Observations
The Women on the App
"They these girls looked Steppford worse Steppford would imply that they had good taste They look like sority girls from 2009 who never stopped dressing that way"
"When you don't have the gays in your life you need the alphabet mafia... Like you need that whole thing for your fits"
The "Savior" Complex
"They thought they were my hero They were like 'I'm so happy that you were able to find me I'm going to protect you I'm You know what I'm uh gonna uh you don't even have to have your own bank account'"
"They definitely wanted to commiserate and they definitely thought that I was in need of a hero They couldn't believe that I have been dating liberal men as long as I have"
Key Insights
Honesty vs. Deception
"I never thought I would say this but honestly more guys need to take a page out of Nick Fuentes's book of honesty about how he really feels because then we would at least know what we were dealing with"
The Psychology of Violence and Masculinity
"it's funny that it's a new like these guys had to feel hyper masculine and identif identify with this side of the political spectrum because it's so violent That's what makes them feel like a man"
Screening Advice for Women
"if you're a guy who openly says he's looking for a submissive wife and he doesn't think women should vote yes I'm going to run a background check to make sure he didn't go to jail for beating the fuck out of a woman"
Conclusion
Papisova's investigation reveals a concerning subculture of educated, financially successful men who have adopted white supremacist ideologies and abusive relationship tactics while maintaining professional facades. Her work exposes the intersection of misogyny, white supremacy, and traditional gender role advocacy within contemporary conservative dating culture in major metropolitan areas.
"You don't need to be a neo-Nazi You need therapy"