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Fathering Is Important -II
As promised in my last blog I will attempt to answer the questions raised about fathering. The first question, “What is the connection between fathering and positive masculinity?” has a straight forward answer. Being a good, responsible father is an indicator of positive masculinity. I do not want to suggest that a man who is…
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Fathering Is Important
An examination of the election results indicates that a substantial number of men feel abandoned by mainstream politicians. In addition, multiple data sources indicate that women and girls are outperforming men and boys both academically and professionally. The result is a sense that masculinity is not valued, and toxic masculinity is often the antidote. One…
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Gender In Politics – II
The discussion about the gender gap has intensified. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had the following headline “Gender Gap Is Defining Feature of Deadlocked Trump-Harris Race Split between male and female voters cuts across racial and economic lines.” The good news is that defining masculinity has become a talking point for both liberal and conservative pundits…
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Gender In Politics
I try to be non-political in this blog but gender is everywhere in the current presidential election. “Masculinity is front and center in a way that’s perhaps unprecedented,” said Jackson Katz, a scholar on gender and masculinity who this month released a new film, “The Man Card: 50 Years of Gender, Power and the American Presidency.” According…
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Laundry Men
I accept the fact that many men either single or part of a family do laundry. However, what I find rather ridiculous are the numerous TV commercials showing ecstatic men smelling and rubbing their newly washed clothes. I appreciate the fact that there is an attempt by advertisers to show men participating in chores that…
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Emotional Restraint
An issue that often comes up about men is how do they handle their emotions. A recent story on MSN about the characteristics of manliness mentions emotional restraint as an example. However, in their explanation they equate restraint with stuffing or t denial of an emotional life. This is an outdated stereotype about men in…
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Aspirational Masculinity
A new way of talking to boys about being boys is being promoted as aspirational masculinity. The idea is that we need to talk to boys about their gender without focusing on the negative qualities that men have been associated with – toxic masculinity and the rigid man code. According to former professional football player Don…
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Fantasy Sports
The author of the article on the attraction of a fantasy sports league answered his own question, “Why was I there? The straightforward answer is because my friends were, and I wanted to be with them. The actual draft was secondary to the event’s social function — an excuse to stay in touch, which has…
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Incidental Masculinity
I came across the phrase “incidental masculinity” in a true story about the attraction to a man from a gay women. She was breaking up with a girlfriend and simultaneously developing a platonic love for a man she met while performing in a college play. What intrigued me was that despite her sexual attraction to…
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Gender Neutrality Run Amok
Featured on Sunday’s front page of the New York Times is an article describing the gender neutral policies being followed by pre-schools in Sweden. Even though we don’t live in Sweden the extreme practices mandated reflect the growing ideology that equates gender equality with gender neutrality. The logic seems to be that the only…