In an interesting Twitter thread, Michael Ian black made a point that could very well be true – are men broken?
In light of the recent tragedy in Florida, people have taken to Twitter to unleash their thoughts on the situation. While most have been in support of gun control or more restrictions on current gun laws, Black had a different opinion.
He believes that men may be “broken.”
The revelation is quite interesting. It took me by surprise when I first read it, but I somehow agree with the points he is making. Over the years, the only way to become a “man” was to possess masculinity. Women have naturally been known as gentle, fragile, sentiment, etc. – but what about men? Men have had an image of superiority, authority, toughness, and even heroic qualities (just look at a majority of the superheroes). With all of these images being engrained in a boy’s mind during his entire childhood, it is no wonder why men feel as though they have to be “masculine” to be of any value as they get older.
Personally, I feel as though men should not have to feel terrified. You should be able to express your fears and emotional/psychological well-being and not be petrified of the consequences of confiding. It is sad that something so common or stigmatized could be the deep-rooted issue of many.
Is there a stigma surrounding masculinity? Is it something that we as a society do not want to face since it has become the norm? Are men truly broken from this preconceived notion of their being since the learning of their gender?
I don’t know if anyone has or will ever have the answers to the persona of masculinity and how this concept can affect a whole entire population. Black proposed an interesting thread on his initial statement, and it is definitely worth the read.