| And though Bill Burr is primarily trying to be funny in his presentation, his social commentary on the way we perceive men’s emotions in our society is spot on.
When I heard his standup, it gave me a new perspective on toxic masculinity.
Here’s a new way to think about toxic masculinity:
When a guy says, “It doesn’t affect me emotionally” when going through hard stuff, the lack of the effect IS the negative effect.
Men can and should have visible and audible feelings. Men should be allowed and encouraged to show fear, sadness, uncertainty, or vulnerability. This is what it is to be healthy and well adjusted.
“I’m fine” (suppression) and/or anger do little justice to the full range of the emotional spectrum. Men deserve, and are capable of, more response flexibility than this.
As a society, we need to send a message to our boys, and to our men, that it’s OK to have emotions, and that showing and expressing those emotions is acceptable and encouraged.
This is how we build young boys into healthy men, and men into healthy adults. |
