The Narrative of Destructive Masculinity
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Caution: I am going to touch the third rail - masculinity. It's time that men talk about the destructive ways we define and pass along masculinity in our culture. We must change our narrative. We tell our boys from an early age . . . "Get up." "Don't cry." "Don't let anyone see your weakness." "Be tough." "Stop acting like a girl." "Don't be a wimp." "Be a man." This narrative is destructive. As a result of it, our young boys grow up with stunted abilities to identify their feelings and admit their weaknesses. They internalize this vision of manhood, and it produces a toxicity that has the potential to destroy much of everything in its wake. Within this worldview, anything that challenges this perspective of what it means to be a man must be subdued, dominated, or eliminated. Its impact can be seen and felt in businesses, politics, churches, and relationships. What if instead we helped our children u