Men are wired to be leaders and providers, yet reside in a society of obedient consumers. There’s nothing to overcome, and no one to overcome for. There is little left to explore, and rarely is the perseverance and strength of the modern male put to the test. As recognition of the old gender roles wanes, what it means to be a man seems to grow more ambiguous, fuelling the fire of confusion and angst among contemporary adolescents. It is undesirable, yet undeniable that today’s men face a different fight to the men of the past, and one that we are not equipped to win; the fight for the right to be manly.
There are a number of nefarious contributors to the feminisation of men, but the most blatant are: contemporary employment, politically charged LGBT and feminist groups and the industry responsible for countless societal hitches; the media. As delineated in Maggie Hamilton’s 2010 parenthood manual; “What’s happening to our boys?”, such emasculation can also be correlated to a rise in mental illness among male adolescents. Then, due to the old gender stereotypes, young men are urged to conceal their emotional turmoil, creating further distress which can only be expressed through self-harm and suicide. It is a clash of two extremes, and presents men with an impasse: express their anguish and risk being labelled a girl, sissy or pussy, or to suppress their distress and suffer in silence. Men tend to choose the latter, as male nobility and image are seen as more significant than physical or mental pain. And thus, a relentless gridlock of mixed gender roles, confusion, mental illness and increased suicidality has been developed.
Education and qualification, rather than ability is the basis upon which people are employed, and thus many men find themselves in situations of inferiority which resultantly promotes confusion and mental illness. Additionally, large corporations including Apple, as stated in the ‘Apple Diversity Reports’, actively aim to employ a diverse workforce – ‘diverse’ meaning anything other than a cisgender white male, as employing society’s ‘victims’ arouses a sense of moral goodness. As a result, if given the chance to choose between an equally capable male or female candidate, the male is very often overlooked by employers. The swelling ranks of male office workers are a testimony to such a claim. Men who would naturally be gathering food, constructing shelter, exploring the earth and hunting have been restricted to monotonous white boxes and sat in front of computer screens on a daily basis. The male spirit should not be caged in. Modern job roles have also seen to the reversal of the male hierarchy – the physically fit and level-headed male leader of the past has been replaced by sickly, obese middle-aged men who own big businesses and employ yesterday’s alpha male as their workhorses. Though unintentional, the contemporary business world has undoubtedly contributed to the perversion of the male figure and the feminisation of the modern man.
In addition to unplanned emasculation, there are now extremist groups who actively aim to demolish male power, and destroy the existence of genders altogether. Modern, or “third wave” feminism and violent leftist groups such as Antifa paint the male, unless totally submissive to their ideals, as society’s most wicked enemy and the stem of all women’s problems. And for those to whom it may seem far-fetched, the renowned musician Madonna herself disgustingly stated; “Straight men need to be emasculated. I’m sorry, they all need to be slapped around… every straight guy should have a man’s tongue in his mouth at least once”. Of course, such lunacy is appalling and rejected by most, but it is certainly a cry of the canary in a coal mine as to what the future may hold for men. Perhaps the most destructive effect of such groups is the degradation of the family unit. As the education system, and certain disturbed parents, begin to force upon their children the idea that they are born gender neutral, and are able to form intimate relationships with whichever sex they please, the male role as a father and provider is pushed aside. Furthermore, there is a direct link between emasculation and male suicidality. The push to mix or reverse gender roles is not only detrimental to the family unit and society’s functionality, but also a murderous agenda. What was once a noble cause (the fight for women’s rights) is now a maladjusted, deplorable and reprehensible ideology that can only be counteracted with action that is bound to be labelled misogynistic. Disagree with them, you’re a misogynist. Bow down and kiss their feet, and you’re contradicting the very principles of manliness. It’s a catch-22 for modern men.
Additionally, the cesspool known as modern media has driven masculinity far further down the rabbit hole. Most comedies, reality television shows and family movies feature a male lead actor who is portrayed as childish, unintelligent and lustful. Shows such as “Modern Family” and “Big Bang Theory” in particular, are guilty of such depictions. When all media outlets are blaring this agenda, it inevitably works its way into the minds of young men, who begin to subconsciously believe that male leadership equates to female oppression. Furthermore, the wayward internet media has unleashed a new coordinated attack on the male identity. With far less advertisement restrictions online, the real man has been portrayed as wealthy, young, physically toned, well-groomed and mentally stable. The problem however, is that less than 1% of men in society would fit such a criteria. Therefore, the media has achieved no less than the isolation and belittlement of men who do not fit the ideal portrayal.
As male confusion runs rampant in the name of gender equality, unchecked media portrayals and employment, the west has seen a rapid rise in mental illness among young men. Although many modern men seem to have united in a silent accord which rejects those restrictions of freedom and manliness, it seems as if the battle against emasculation is unwinnable. The men of today are not given the opportunity to express their masculinity. Instead, we have retreated to offices where we will work until our dying days. And if we dare disobey the stereotype by complaining about the inevitable mental distress, bullying and false labelling are sure to hit us like a train with no brakes. So, as society incessantly strays further from normality, and deeper down the rabbit hole, the masculine man of yesterday is replaced with the weaker “Modern Man Mark #2” – and we’ll forever be told that it’s for the better.
The original version of this piece can be found here: https://www.thealexandrianpost.com/single-post/2018/01/10/Suffocation-through-Emasculation