Masculinity is increasingly coming under attack in America. The American Psychological Association has practically declared it a mental illness: “Traditional masculinity — marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance, and aggression — is, on the whole, harmful.”
Of course, UT-Austin did a “MasculinUT” campaign that essentially did the same thing with ads like this:
These sorts of attacks on men and attempts to redefine masculinity as something more feminine have gotten so ever-present that even a razor company like Gillette is crapping on men, noting that only “some” of them are good and warning us about toxic masculinity.
Have you ever asked yourself why this is happening? Well…
1. Feminism is now centered on getting special privileges and man-hating
“Feminists want the power of men, the privileges of women and the responsibilities of neither.” – Anu Mathur
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” – eric hoffer
Old-school feminism was about getting equality with men. However, when that battle was decisively won in American society, there were a lot of women who had gotten involved with the movement who still wanted the glory, pay, and prestige of fighting for women’s rights. So, feminism and its goals had to be redefined. Today, feminism features a lot of angry women railing against men, exaggerated or outright false claims of inequality like the endlessly debunked claims that there is a pay gap between men and women, and increasingly trivial complaints. Feminism used to be about things like making sure women had the right to vote while today, as often as not, the complaints are more akin to “sunglasses being tools of the patriarchy.”
2. Fewer men see themselves as capable of being masculine
“I understand why masculinity is under attack because I used to attack it. I once rejected all things masculine because I was bitter that I couldn’t be a protector or leader. I let my jealousy of strong men turn into hatred and resentment. It was a miserable way to live.” – Andy Ngo
“If anything ail a man, so that he does not perform his functions, if he have a pain in his bowels even — for that is the seat of sympathy — he forthwith sets about reforming the world.” – Henry David Thoreau
We live in an age where many men don’t grow up with a dad around, where they don’t regularly engage in traditionally masculine endeavors, and where they are obsessed with their cell phones and computer games. They can use porn, but they have trouble talking to girls. They can see themselves as a hero in a video game, but being heroic in real life seems outside of their reality. They want to be masculine, but when they look at people who fit the bill, it seems to be impossible for them.
So, they start looking to change what masculinity means. They endeavor to create a weaker, less demanding, more feminized version of masculinity that they can achieve. If “masculinity” is all about sharing your feelings, opening up, and avoiding doing anything that makes women uncomfortable, then the soy boys will finally be able to come out on top.