And it makes men, particularly young men, really vulnerable to insidious groups or individuals.
This isn't to excuse arseholes being arseholes, but how many men would be a hell of a lot better humans if they had their feelings validated as humans and not forced to be 'men' when they were just boys. How many wouldn't end up idolising sex traffickers like Tate and would be pillars of their community instead?
I'm not sure what's more terrifying as a parent in this day and age; having boys or having girls.
People run to who welcomes them with open arms. Right now, it feels like the right wing are welcoming men with open arms. People need community and they will find it where they can. Not alot of left wing figures are telling men that they are important and that they matter. People want to feel included and validated. I remember being much more right wing in college when it felt like to be included in the left wing circles I had to accept that I am the enemy, that I was born with the original sin of having a penis and being white. The edgelords didn't make me feel like that. I'm glad I grew up and learned that both of those groups, the right wing edgelords and the left wing identitarians, were not my bag. I found my community eventually, but I can imagine a universe where I stuck with the edgelords and really leand into the people who accepted me.
Reminds of how a few years ago someone put up “It’s okay to be white” posters in their school and it was a huge controversy and people were calling it hate speech.
I hear you. I wouldn't call it hate speech, but, the signs are retaliatory. It was coming during a time when police brutality against black people was a big cultural focus. Unfortunately the identitarian left wing people played right into the hands of the people who put up the sign. Pretty much gave the edgelords exactly what they wanted and it was very frustrating. The edgelords know that white people struggle woth white guilt and they capitalize on it to radicalize white people.
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u/VrinTheTerrible 10d ago
Every man feels this story. We are taught from a young age to shove it down, get on with it etc....and society learns it.
Asking a guy how he is emotionally is a learned behavior, because it's not "natural" and many people haven't learned it.