24/10/2020
Nicole Karlis, writing in Salon and the progressive aggregate newswire AlterNet discusses how in her words “Toxic Masculinity Became so Lethal”. Karlis first of all reports on how the psychological term “toxic masculinity” was first defined, dating from around fifteen years ago, in psychiatric evaluations of hyper-male prison inmates who were misogynistic, homophobic and deeply obedient to authoritarian males, even to the point of self-harming behaviours. Karlis goes on to examine how the toxic trait of stoicism has led the country to a point where hundreds of thousands of Americans have passed away due to coronavirus and where the rates of anxiety and depression have shot skywards. She notes that, perhaps paradoxically, it is men who have most to lose from the continued toxic control of the state. She says “As a society, many of us — particularly men — haven't been authorized to express sadness publicly, and these studies reflect that. With over 200,000 Americans dead of coronavirus, their loved ones are grieving. Seven months later, we've yet to have a moment of national reflection to mourn.”. Visit AlterNet for her full essay and analysis.
https://www.alternet.org/2020/10/how-toxic-masculinity-became-a-threat-t...
