The Myth of "Toxic Masculinity"

I must say I was surprised when Gillette put out their "Toxic Masculinity" ad. I guess they just wanted to jump on the bandwagon that's going around now. Some people - and businesses - will sell their souls in search of profit. And if the people behind this foolishness actually believe in it, I pity them.

Here is the truth, for those with enough sanity left to want to understand it. First, let's look at what masculinity is, and why it even exists:

In nature, there are two genders, and each has specific functions. Females are the only ones who can give birth, and they obviously are tasked by nature to be the nurturers - after all, it would be tough for a man to breast feed. To insure the survival of the race, the male is made physically stronger (usually) and is tasked with protecting the birth-givers and the defenseless children. People of lesser intellect and understanding might object to that, but the simple truth is that it is the way of nature.

For purposes of nurturing, women tend to be more "feminine" - more tuned to the emotions, and men tend to be more "masculine" - strong enough to be protectors.

Certainly, social norms are being usurped and twisted lately by people who live to be offended, or see everyone as victims. Such people see masculinity as the reason behind bullying, fighting, wars and bad behavior in general. They seem to overlook, conveniently, that many women are also progenitors of bad behavior. Bad behavior knows no sexual orientation. Masculinity is not the cause of bad behavior any more than food is the cause of obesity. The cause is the misuse and abuse of them.

It is not masculinity that is toxic - the toxicity is a product of bad behavior, whether from men or women. Masculinity gets blamed simply because men ARE the protectors, which often requires violence, as there will always be evil in the world. The problem arises when boys are not properly raised to understand the role of masculinity, and are not taught how to use it properly. Children need to be guided, to insure they become the kind of adults that will insure our survival. Boys need to be taught from a very young age that their strength is to be used to protect women, children, the disabled and the mentally challenged, and only use their strength accordingly. They need to be taught the truth of the words of the great Khalil Gibran - Only the strong can afford to be kind, gentle.

Masculinity is no more toxic than femininity. It is the misuse of it that causes the problems. The "feminist movement" is just as toxic, turning the battle of the sexes into a take-no-prisoners war that is causing men to avoid the interactions that are necessary for the human race to survive. Intelligent people understand that children, like anything else that grows, grow best when properly cultivated. If we want better behavior from anyone, we need to teach them, and raise them well. Civilization does not come naturally - it takes diligence in raising the next generation to know their role, and to be good at it.

In nature - whether a human, a wolf or a bumblebee - males and females all have specific roles, and no role is more important than any other. But they are different. If we allow "social bullies" to bully us into making men more feminine, or women more masculine, we are dooming our own existence.

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