Blog 2 : Changing old values

For a long time, everyone had expectations of each other no matter what or who they were. Nowadays, in more modern times, these expectations are resurfacing as a more prevalent issue and controversial topic. The expectations on men to act and think a certain way is shown to be toxic in more ways than one causing lots of pressure physically and mentally on men.

Many people demonstrate and try to explain this way of thinking in their works, some being Michael S. Kimmel’s article Masculinity as Homophobia as well as a bit of the documentary Charlottesville: Race and Terror, and Will James’ talk Online Influencers, Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom.

In Masculinity as Homophobia, it is explained that very often, masculinity is shown to walk hand in hand with homophobia. For example, it is written as an observation in Michael S. Kimmel’s article that a simple call-out to one’s masculinity within a group of male youths causes them to enter a physical altercation, getting humiliated when they lose, and even if they just accept the comment and leave, they would get called a bigger “sissy.” This situation easily proves how masculinity, or rather “toxic” masculinity, influences the minds of men. They would go through anything to defend their honor or prove to the rest that they are not “gay” as they don’t want to be seen as unmanly, because being seen as one is very humiliating in the standpoint of someone influenced by masculinity. This point is further proven by Michael S. Kimmel as he points out in his article “Our fear is the fear of humiliation.” Furthermore, a man’s actions also defines their image. For example, Kimmel explains in his article that a man must walk, talk, dress and more, all in a certain way to not be perceived as “gay” and behaving in a manner not expected of the norm then they are branded with the term mentioned beforehand. So, not only do guys have to do something to defend themselves when being called-out, they also must do something to prevent them from even being perceived as “gay” in the first place. Another case from a completely different source that proves that masculinity is often hand in hand with homophobia is in the documentary, there was a clear separation between alt-righters and neo-nazis in which neo-nazis seem to be racist and homophobic and the alt-righters are the complete opposite. The neo-nazis, are shown to be comprised of only men hence bringing up the fact that masculinity is most likely in play here. Therefore, men will do practically anything and everything to avoid being seen as unmanly.

In Online Influencers, Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom, men are influenced, practically pressured into “toxic masculinity.” For example, through social media, many influencers have soared in popularity for their toxic behaviors and “tips and tricks” for younger men. A notable one, that Will James touched upon, is Andrew Tate, who believes boys should learn about traditional masculine values, which are now believed to be unhealthy and if they don’t learn about it then they’re this or that. This belief teaches boys to be strong, detached from their emotions, competitive and dominant. Another topic that the influencer touches on is power from riches. He has a course which teaches how to make more money, and although a small percentage become successful, a bigger percentage gets left in the dust and sometimes ruin their lives because of it, losing tons of money from buying the course and following through with the content of the course. This goes to show how much influence these big-name people have on younger generations and why it’s important to keep an eye on what they consume. Furthermore, to protect other people and themselves, “toxic masculinity” and more importantly its traits, should be taught in school as well as how to avoid or manage those traits. To conclude, our youths should be taught to be self-aware of what they consume as well as their behavior to avoid hurting others.

To conclude, both Michael S. Kimmel and Will James’ touch toxic masculinity within their works. Toxic masculinity has affected the way men think as well as the way they behave, so much so that it ends up harming themselves and even those around them. To prevent this from happening, schools as well as parents should teach their children, not just boys, about positive masculinity and create a safe space for them.