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osewalrusThis is an extremely informative and depressing 45 minutes.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594719471/guys-we-have-a-problem-how-american-masculinity-creates-lonely-men
Frankly, I don't think it is masculinity that is toxic. It is the mass media that is toxic. Srsly. The invention of "mass media" 100 years ago -- defined as the ability to instantly speak to millions -- even tens of millions or hundreds of millions -- of people simultaneously never existed previously in human history. It made it possible to define cultural expectations via visual and audio example in the most powerful way possible -- without people even being aware of it consciously. The fact that this design is arrived at via a feedback loop rather than deliberate design does not make it less toxic.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/19/594719471/guys-we-have-a-problem-how-american-masculinity-creates-lonely-men
Frankly, I don't think it is masculinity that is toxic. It is the mass media that is toxic. Srsly. The invention of "mass media" 100 years ago -- defined as the ability to instantly speak to millions -- even tens of millions or hundreds of millions -- of people simultaneously never existed previously in human history. It made it possible to define cultural expectations via visual and audio example in the most powerful way possible -- without people even being aware of it consciously. The fact that this design is arrived at via a feedback loop rather than deliberate design does not make it less toxic.
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Date: 2018-03-21 02:34 pm (UTC)Correct. That's why the term toxic masculinity exists, to contrast problematic cultural baggage from the rest of the picture.