Masculinity, or manhood, as it is most commonly understood in Western culture, is determined by a set of criteria placed always just out of reach of the striving man. The result is not only constant attempts at proving one’s manhood, but the perpetual failure to succeed in all realms: financial, physical, sexual. Dr. Nerdlove (not… Keep reading...
In a speech in 1983, titled, “I want a 24-hour truce in which there is no rape,” radical feminist Andrea Dworkin hit the nail on the head of rape culture, “And the problem is that you think it’s out there: and it’s not out there. It’s in you.” 33 years later, the entire length of… Keep reading...
Beginning in 1938, Harvard researchers spent 75 years studying men to determine what traits, behaviors, lifestyle choices, environment factors, etc. lead to a happy life. Spoiler alert: the single most important factor to a happy life is love. But love is impacted by many elements. This exhaustive study provides interesting insight into what makes or… Keep reading...
Former NFL defensive lineman turned motivational speaker and life-skills coach, Joe Ehrmann, provides a succinct, powerful, and informative presentation on hegemonic (or toxic) masculinity. Ehrmann explains that the phrase “be a man” makes up the three most harmful words every man/boy hears throughout their lifetime. He outlines the traditional view of masculinity as harmful, by requiring… Keep reading...
Men’s violence against women has become such an ingrained dynamic of our culture, we often fail to see the ways in which it has become normalized and invisiblized. Everything from pop culture to the way language is constructed about domestic violence and sexual assault serves to hide men as perpetrators, placing the onus of responsibility… Keep reading...
In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, Soraya Chemaly works to connect the dots between white male socialization–entitlement, power, control–and mass shootings that occur as a result of “aggrieved entitlement” when reality does not meet expectation. Elements of sexual and domestic violence can be seen in the histories of mass shooters. Without… Keep reading...
In the United States, power-based interpersonal violence, including domestic and sexual violence, occurs in every community, among every demographic of people. However, there are unique manifestations of violence perpetrated by white men. While it often begins intimately–targeting a partner or family member–it may carry over into the public sphere. With few notable exceptions, acts of… Keep reading...
Having become so normalized that we fail to see it, fail to recognize the ways we are complicit in its perpetuation, fail to acknowledge the ways–both subtle and overt–that we uphold it, rape culture requires direct and explicit naming. Shakesville provides an essential, and brutally direct, explanation defining rape culture. – Brett Goldberg Read the… Keep reading...