If I were tasked with capturing the average temperature of planet Earth; I would not take my readings from the top of Mount Everest, or from the middle of the Sahara Dessert. Such places – obviously – do not represent any kind of realistic insight into the state of our planet. And a person doing this; framing such extreme readings as ‘the norm’, from which to critique the planet, would be a very poor scientist, and, well… a liar. Yet this is what so-called ‘experts’ do when they use the very worst examples of men and boys, quite literally on the planet, as a bogus barometer of masculinity. And I’m done with it. I know, the popular response to such conversations is to nod thoughtfully, to bask virtuously in the ‘expertise’ of such people; as I scratch my chin, wring my hands, or gently weep a tear. But I am not Justin Baldoni, nor the equally naive co-hosts sat either side of him on this Man Enough clip. I am tired of being told what masculinity is, by a bunch of good looking, millionaire celebrity men, by tone deaf narcissists, and their dogmatic guests; all nodding along like lemmings, as if such caricatures of masculinity are even remotely useful. For they are not. I am bored of how the conversation of mens mental health has become centred on such voices; high profile, economically powerful individuals, who have no clue, whatsoever, about the life of a normal man, or boy, today. No. You do not get to point to school shooters, and claim ‘this is fundamentally about masculinity’; any more than I get to point at the extremely unwell women who k*ll their newborn babies, and say ‘this is fundamentally about femininity’. It is absurd. You don’t get to piggy back off such devastating issues, to make some bunkum political point. And you certainly don’t get to do these things, whilst simultaneously claiming to be an ‘expert’ on such matters. I know, the message of Man Enough is to encourage men to talk, but here’s my advice back to you; please shut up, and keep these hateful, scientifically bankrupt ideas, and the propagandists who espouse them, to yourself. Forefront the lived experience of normal, every day men and boys, or do nothing at all.

2024-08-02