The Crisis of Masculinity

Manosphere, toxic masculinity, incel, red pill, niceguy, mansplaining, soyboy, testosterone poisoning, white knight - these colourful words keep boiling up into our popular culture, reflecting an underlying struggle to define masculine ideals and they send mixed messages to young men who are trying to find their identity and their place in society.

"Toxic masculinity" suggests that some traditional "manly qualities" are harmful or outdated. But men who reduce their meat consumption out of care for animals or the environment are weak, effeminate "soyboys".

"Niceguy" is a sarcastic term for a man who pretends to respect women in the hopes of sleeping with them. But "Incel" refers to men who believe that they are involuntarily (and unfairly) celibate because women choose the wrong men.

"Mansplaining" implies that men invent reasons to excuse their unacceptable mannish behavior. But "red pillers" believe that men are oppressed by these expectations that are placed upon them by women and feminism.

As if these ideological collisions were not enough, the world is changing in ways that men are struggling to adapt to. Technology has eliminated jobs that men relied upon in the past. Traditional gender roles are outdated, but there is no clear and simple explanation to replace them. This has lead many psychologists and sociologists to conclude that we are facing a crisis of masculinity. But others argue that men have always struggled to find their identity and this "crisis" is nothing new.

Is there a crisis of masculinity? What advice can we give to young men who are struggling to find themselves? How should we define gender roles today?

Excerpt

Manosphere, toxic masculinity, incel, red pill, niceguy, mansplaining, soyboy, testosterone poisoning, white knight - these colourful words keep boiling up into our popular culture, reflecting an underlying struggle to define masculine ideals and they send mixed messages to young men who are trying to find their identity and their place in society. Is there a crisis of masculinity? What advice can we give to young men who are struggling to find themselves? How should we define gender roles today?

Suggested Reading

• Wikipedia: Masculinity
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masculinity
• The Crisis of Masculinity: A Brief Overview
  http://socialscienceworks.org/2018/05/the-crisis-of-masculinities-a-brief-overview/
• The Bogus Crisis of Masculinity
  http://theconversation.com/the-bogus-crisis-of-masculinity-96558

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