I said I was gonna make a thread on this topic yesterday.
Alright, where do I begin?
So first and foremost, masculinity as a concept is some parts biological and some parts social conditioning. For the biological parts, modern diets have somewhat effected men, but for the most part, guys are still guys. I'll be deconstructing the idea of masculinity in the social aspect.
So what is masculinity in the social sense? A connection to being male in some form of role or position within society.
Being a worker
Being a father
Being a son
Being a friend
Being a brother
You get the idea. Well, for the most part, we are generally brainwashed into falling into the constructs of these roles. Now this has seemed to work for many generations, and yet society (particularly in the West) says we have a masculinity crisis. What is the crisis? The crisis is men not feeling like they have structured and expected roles anymore.
Now we can take the cheap and easy route and blame feminism, but in a way, if such an ideology was able to significantly break the concept of the idea of social masculinity, it was a rather weak concept in the first place, no?
That's when it dawned on me: society didn't care enough to formulate a sensible substitute for updated roles for men. As a result, the advice men are given is inadequate as a result. What's the point of caring about being a father and husband, if marriage longevity is on the decline and you'll most likely lose custody of your kids? What's the point in caring about work, if one of the most potent motivators was being a provider and that 50% of the population suddenly joined the labor force? What does it mean to be a son, when you're not brought up by your father? What can a father teach, if his ways are outdated?
This made me realize that I needed to contemplate for myself what I should value as a man. Then another revelation dawned on me: these roles are meant for a society that's become increasingly individualistic. Gone are the days of being neighbors and having large families and communities. So what kind of life can I live that can provide me with motivation, fulfillment and passion on an individualistic scale? Or should I perhaps leave this place to go to an area where I can live out my expected male role? For now, I have found peace of mind through philosophy, particularly Epicureanism. I may try to learn more about Romanticism to get a handle on my lack of passion.
For the men here, have you ever pondered about these things? What are your thoughts?
Alright, where do I begin?
So first and foremost, masculinity as a concept is some parts biological and some parts social conditioning. For the biological parts, modern diets have somewhat effected men, but for the most part, guys are still guys. I'll be deconstructing the idea of masculinity in the social aspect.
So what is masculinity in the social sense? A connection to being male in some form of role or position within society.
Being a worker
Being a father
Being a son
Being a friend
Being a brother
You get the idea. Well, for the most part, we are generally brainwashed into falling into the constructs of these roles. Now this has seemed to work for many generations, and yet society (particularly in the West) says we have a masculinity crisis. What is the crisis? The crisis is men not feeling like they have structured and expected roles anymore.
Now we can take the cheap and easy route and blame feminism, but in a way, if such an ideology was able to significantly break the concept of the idea of social masculinity, it was a rather weak concept in the first place, no?
That's when it dawned on me: society didn't care enough to formulate a sensible substitute for updated roles for men. As a result, the advice men are given is inadequate as a result. What's the point of caring about being a father and husband, if marriage longevity is on the decline and you'll most likely lose custody of your kids? What's the point in caring about work, if one of the most potent motivators was being a provider and that 50% of the population suddenly joined the labor force? What does it mean to be a son, when you're not brought up by your father? What can a father teach, if his ways are outdated?
This made me realize that I needed to contemplate for myself what I should value as a man. Then another revelation dawned on me: these roles are meant for a society that's become increasingly individualistic. Gone are the days of being neighbors and having large families and communities. So what kind of life can I live that can provide me with motivation, fulfillment and passion on an individualistic scale? Or should I perhaps leave this place to go to an area where I can live out my expected male role? For now, I have found peace of mind through philosophy, particularly Epicureanism. I may try to learn more about Romanticism to get a handle on my lack of passion.
For the men here, have you ever pondered about these things? What are your thoughts?
