When I was growing up in the 1970s, society was definitely beginning to change, but there were still plenty of men that knew how to be men. In those days, if men wanted to be masculine that was okay. And if women wanted to be feminine, that was okay too. But now everything has completely changed. Any effort to promote traditional gender roles is frowned upon, and masculinity in particular is under attack. In our society, “male” has become a label with highly negative connotations, and if you exhibit masculine traits you are considered to be part of the problem. Sadly, these negative messages about masculinity are constantly reinforced by the countless hours that Americans spend watching television and movies each year.
Whether they consciously realize it or not, men are continuously being told that they must change in order to be acceptable to society.
Masculinity has not been abolished, but it is being twisted, reshaped and redefined. The term “toxic masculinity” is code for how men used to behave in the old days, and those that embrace the old values are portrayed as villains. For an example of what I am taking about, just watch the Gillette television commercial entitled “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be”. They don’t even try to hide what they are attempting to do, because there is no need to do so. Our society has rejected traditional masculinity to such an extent that it can now be assaulted freely and openly.
Yes, a small percentage of old timers might get upset, but those that dominate our culture understand that young people are our future.
Speaking of young people, our system of education overwhelmingly favors female traits. Boys are designed to be warriors and adventurers, and so sitting still at their desks and discussing their feelings all day does not come naturally to them.
Only 11 percent of our elementary school teachers are male, and that certainly doesn’t help either. Throughout their school years, boys are constantly encouraged to behave more like girls, and traditional male behavior is steadily drummed out of them.
This system is not working for young males, and the numbers tell us this very clearly.
Just check out these statistics. For every 100 girls in the same category, there are…
- 145 boys who repeat kindergarten
- 168 boys with communication disorders
- 180 boys who abuse drugs and alcohol
- 207 boys classified as having a learning disability
- 318 boys who die by overdose
- 237 boys diagnosed with ADHD
- 240 boys suspended from school
- 291 boys expelled from school
- 355 boys in public schools classified with emotional disturbance
- Boys over 14 are 4x more likely to die by suicide
Those numbers are absolutely staggering.
But the corporate media will never talk about them, because it isn’t politically correct to talk about a “crisis of masculinity” in the United States.
Not too long ago, the Brookings Institution conducted a study that found that more U.S. parents are concerned about their sons than they are about their daughters…
Americans are more worried about boys in general. Forty-one percent agree or strongly agree with the statement “I am worried about boys in the United States becoming successful adults,” compared to 33% saying the same for girls.
Read full article at: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com
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