Toxic masculinity: A collection of obsolete behavioral norms

 

Transcribed image contents, a tweet by @JoshuaACNewman:

I don't know why this is hard to understand.

Toxic toads are toads that are toxic. Most toads are not toxic. But the ones that are, are a real doozy.

Toxic masculinity is masculinity that is toxic. Most masculinities are not toxic. But the ones that are, are a real doozy.

I think I know why it's hard for some to understand.

Masculinity is like one's religion or one's political affiliation: it's part of one's identity. Attacks on those ideas are difficult to consider in a detached, rational way. They become personal attacks; they feel like an attack on the person. They inspire a fight-or-flight response. The person feels they must win at all costs, and out come the flimsy counter-arguments, the slanted evidence.

If someone believes being a "Real Man" is crucial to their perceived worth, and that this necessitates treating women like objects to be dominated, well, they're going to freak out when you tell them to start treating women like equals.

The concept of masculinity has to evolve, guys. If you can't or won't wake up to that fact, you risk being perceived as something possibly worse than "not a Real Man". You risk being discounted as a relic of a bygone era.

Original Facebook post

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