Lately, more extremist groups and online communities have been promoting racism, hate against women, and hate against gays. This shows there are big problems with how some men act and think. Michael Kimmel’s essay “Masculinity as Homophobia” says traditional ideas of manhood are tied to homophobia, sexism, and violence. We can see this connection in two recent documentaries we watched. Vice’s Charlottesville: Race and Terror is about the violent white nationalist rally in 2017. The CBC’s Inside Incel looks at the incel movement. Both documentaries show men acting in harmful ways because of bad ideas about manhood.
In both documentaries, young white men show a hyper masculine desire for dominance, aggression, and violence for status and identity. As educator James explained in his recent talk at Vanier College, boys and men often adopt toxic masculine behaviors like bullying and misogyny due to social pressures and online influences. The white nationalists in Charlottesville chant violent, racist slogans at counter protesters. Their actions stem from a sense of threatened masculinity and desire to assert dominance over women and other minority groups. Similarly, in the incel movement comes from men’s entitlement of being rejected romantically or sexually by women. This drives some incels like Alek Minassian to commit deadly violence against women, revealing the disturbing connection between toxic masculinity and extremism.
As Kimmel argues, homophobia is central to traditional norms of masculinity which require men to constantly prove their heterosexuality and distance themselves from any feminine qualities or behaviors. The white nationalists in Charlottesville show deep homophobia in their hyper masculine posturing and attacks on LGBTQ and other different individuals. Homophobia also pervades the incel movement, as incels frequently use homophobic slurs like faggot to belitter any man perceived as weak, over emotional, and/or feminine. This suggests homophobia remains a key component of toxic masculinity today.
Educators like Will James must actively counter these harmful norms by promoting inclusive, compassionate models of masculinity in schools and online spaces. As Kimmel emphasizes, we must challenge the idea that qualities like empathy and respect are inherently feminine and make clear that real men reject violence, racism, misogyny and homophobia. With persistence and courage, we can transform masculinity into a positive force advancing equality, nonviolence and social justice.
In conclusion, the documentaries Charlottesville and Inside Incel show that some men still follow harmful ideas about manhood. They think men must be tough, hate gays, and control women. This causes violence and hate. Teachers should show boys better ways to be men. They can teach that real men show kindness, stand up to bullies, and treat everyone equally. This will help stop extremist groups and make schools and society safer. We must guide boys to become good men who care about people. This will create a world with less hate and more peace.
Kimmel, Michael. Masculinity as Homophobia. 1994.
Charlottesville: Race and Terror. YouTube, Vice News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P54sP0Nlngg&t=5s.
Inside Incel, CBC, The Fifth Estate, 27 Jan. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqWjCHPg9gA.
James, Will, Online Influencers, Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom, Vanier College,
Fight Clubs/Night Clubs 
You have touched on the required readings and resources but could integrate them more thoroughly. Your introduction provides a general overview of the issue but lacks a clear, concise thesis statement. Consider revising to include a thesis that directly states the connection between the documentaries, Kimmel’s essay, and James’ talk. For example, you’ve mentioned specific examples from the documentaries, which is good, but you need to provide direct quotes or more detailed descriptions to strengthen your argument. When referencing Kimmel’s essay and James’ talk, aim to integrate direct quotes or specific concepts to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the materials. –
You’ve made an attempt to connect the documentaries to Kimmel’s and James’ ideas, but your analysis could be more nuanced. – Dive deeper into how the examples from the documentaries illustrate Kimmel’s concept of masculinity as homophobia and the points raised by James. – Explore the complexities and contradictions within the documentaries instead of only stating that they show “bad ideas about manhood.”
The overall structure of your blog post is clear, but some paragraphs could be better organized to flow logically from one point to the next. Watch for overly broad statements; strive for specificity to clarify your arguments.
There are minor grammar and spelling errors that need attention.
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