The perfect time to talk about the Crisis Of Masculinity is now and onwards. This has been the case ever since Internet commentator Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania on the charges of sex trafficking, whether it is on Vice or anywhere else. He was for a moment among the most prominent voices in the manosphere, where men\’s issues are almost exclusively concentrated towards. However, this poses a problem, since Tate\’s explosive rhetoric has caused men to act out the ways Tate thinks is what attracts women when there is no definitive way to prove it. The fact that Tate was able to capture the alienation and disenfranchisement of so many modern men reveals how the Crisis Of Masculinity has festered.
What Is The Crisis Of Masculinity
That phrase gets bandied about, but what is the Crisis Of Masculinity? Well, it can be boiled down to specifically an identity crisis of men, since the traditional archetype of men is to work in a never-ending grind to sustain your family and to sacrifice yourself for them if you can. However, with the advent of feminism claiming that they shifted the monopoly of men being the breadwinners, and the fact that there hasn\’t been a dangerous, world-threatening foe since World War II, and barely any progress in masculine identity while feminine identity has experienced progress; this creates a problem for modern masculinity.
It is further expounded by the statistical realities of men. Men encompass:
- Most homeless population
- Most federal inmate population (in a country with among the highest incarceration rates in the world)
- Most victims of homicide, suicide, and general violent crime
- Most high school and university drop-outs
What\’s more, men cannot express these types of grievances without the fear of being called misogynists or being lectured about their male privilege.
Considering how even left-wing commentators like Vaush and Conure are talking about the plight of masculinity, it is as important a time as any to discuss the generations of lost boys and forgotten men.
How do you discuss the crisis of masculinity without being mistaken for a misogynist?
I hope that I can get to how to discuss such a topic in a reconciliatory way. I hope that my literature could get to that point.
Remove The Tone-Deaf Condescension
If men must work with modernity, then modernity must work with men. What do I mean by that? I mean that it should not assume to know what is best for men. This is as true of any other group. If you give a demographic their own room to speak, then you will come to some reconciliatory conclusion. It does not involve putting words in people\’s mouths, rather it is about letting people speak out of their own mouths. When men are afraid of false accusations, don\’t browbeat them with telling them that they are a minority of cases. Instead, let them explain how this is more of an issue of impact rather than quantity before you put your own spin on it.
If you let men speak on their own behalf, then you will find that they will enculturate themselves with their own masculine literature. This is where I start talking about the proposal for what a new masculine literature would look like. It may be less about Tucker Max\’s smug, cynical \”fratire\” which even his older version is embarrassed of, rather more along the lines of Robert Heinlein\’s Space Boy Scouts series and the wrestling House of Shamrock.
Avoid Victim Mentality
The victim mentality has got to be one of the most dangerous parts of the mind. If you can convince yourself that an entire demographic of people is at least complacent with your suffering, then you can justify any maltreatment against them, whether it is a genocide or a mass shooting. This is true with every other group as it is with men. In fact, it is particularly relevant to young men, since they are more likely to engage in such violence. Warren Farrell, a former feminist himself, noted how there are many societal factors that go into a young man going down such a path. They include fatherlessness and neglect. These factors are also compounded by former extremists like Christian Piccholini and Majid Naawaz; and by Aaron Stark, who plotted a mass shooting but didn\’t go through with it. The path towards extremism and violence ultimately boil down to alienation either within or outside the home.
No More Contradictions
How can you be strong and independent and don\’t need a man to protect or provide for you; while at the same time demand that men speak in support of women? Explain that to me. Unfortunately, I see this sentiment on both the left and the right. My approach to this is simple: I should not speak for you if you don\’t need me–end of proposal.
I will propose a masculine archetype that does not concern himself with a woman to \”complete\” him, rather he is trying to complete himself. He sees women as his actual equal–in other words, as a human being with flaws and imperfections. He does not view them as either over-empowered wamen, nor as overgrown children.
Focus On Masculinity Independent On Femininity
The reality is that everyone is an incel at some point in their own life. What does a man live for if he cannot live for a woman he cannot even attract? We need to come to the realization that we are all alone on some level in spite of being social creatures. Perhaps, masculine literature should focus more on a man\’s goal towards self-actualization and fulfillment, of feeling that he no longer has to rely on anyone for anything no matter how begrudging it is.
This is especially the case when girl-bosses claim they don\’t need a man for anything. The thing is that a man could just as easily say the same thing. Unfortunately, you don\’t hear that sentiment from men, because of the misconceptions. Society probably thinks there is something wrong with the man if he cannot attract a woman, or he\’s gay. Keep in mind that being called a creep is a death knell on a man\’s potential dating life, and being called gay is damaging in various parts of the United States where there is still anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
That is why I propose a masculine archetype that is able to adapt to societal changes more than society itself can, despite society\’s judgment of him. Let society talk. If it was truly competent, the man would not be in this predicament in the first place.
Masculine Identity
Whitebeard has been argued by YouTuber Marshall D. Preach as one of the most masculine forces in fiction. He encapsulated the phrase \”I fathered you\” by taking in many lost, young men into his crew. Each of the crew members base their identity off Whitebeard by having his insignia tattooed upon their backs.
It is not just One Piece, but many fictional works need to have a masculine figure who declares \”You\’re my son! You\’re my son! You\’re my son!\” The masculine archetype could either represent the fatherly figure or the sonly figure. The closest Whitebeard in real-life would be Bob Shamrock, who took in at-risk young men and trained them. Out of the 600 people whose lives were changed by Bob Shamrock, two of them would become UFC fighters, Ken and Frank Shamrock.
Crisis Of Masculinity In Fiction
I hope that the discussion of masculinity continues, since it was long overdue. If it enters the realm of fiction, then I hope to see more literary works tackle the crisis of masculinity. With what I have discussed, I hope that more will continue to be discussed.
Sources
- The Aspen Institute. \”Radical: My Journey Out Of Islamist Extremism (Full Session).\” YouTube. 2015.
- Cooper, Alexia and Erica L. Smith. \”Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008.\” United States Department of Justice. 2010.
- DiPrete, T. A., Buchmann, C. (2013). The rise of women: the growing gender gap in education and what it means for American schools. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Extra History. \”Robert Heinlein – Rise – Extra Sci Fi – #1.\” YouTube. 2018.
- Farrell, Warren. “The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It.” BenBella Books. 2018.
- Goalcast. \”UFC Champion Frank Shamrock Was Hiding A Humiliating Secret | Goalcast.\” YouTube. 2021.
- HUD Exchange. \”The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress DECEMBER 2017.\” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Community Planning and Development. https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2017-AHAR-Part-1.pdf Archived December 9, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. page 9.
- Marshall D. Preach. \”A Look Back At Whitebeard: The Most Masculine Force In Fiction.\” YouTube. 2022.
- Mustard, David B. \”Racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in sentencing: Evidence from the U.S. Federal Courts\”. The Journal of Law, Economics & Policy. 285.
- Nassar, Sam. \”Bob Shamrock- Transforming Troubled Men Into Champions.\” Bleacher Report. 2010.
- TEDx Talks. \”I Was Almost A School Schooter | Aaron Stark | TEDxBoulder.\” YouTube. 2018.
- \”My Descent into America\’s Neo-Nazi Movement — and How I Got Out | Christian Picchiolini.\” YouTube. 2018.
- \”Save Our Children: Ken Shamrock at TEDxSalford.\” YouTube. 2012.
- VICE. \”The Dangerous Rise Of Andrew Tate.\” YouTube. 2023.