Yes. We’re really doing a disservice to young men by not showing this video, or something similar, or just even talking about the stuff in this video, in Health/Life Skills/Family Life education.
There is this horrible, horrible emphasis on masculinity and a terrible trend of type-casting in the media that has bled into the behaviors of men today. It’s incredibly frustrating for women, who have to constantly emphasize that they don’t like the macho, harsh image that is put on, and also seriously dangerous. For men, I can only imagine that incredible duality that they must feel with such a pressure on the idea of a dichotomy of either being macho or being weak. There’s serious, serious strength in what we today call “weakness”.
I find men who are able to portray their emotions honestly and not put up a front incredibly, incredibly sexy. The kind of sexy the media thinks men should be when they’re macho. And it’s basically a dealbreaker for me if a man can’t cry in front of me, talk out his feelings, and mediate peacefully, even when he is angry.
While I mention a lot on my blog about spanking, smacking, domination, etc, this is a purely consensual thing and once the scene ends, the behavior ends. And if I’m uncomfortable with the behavior, it gets dismissed without question. BDSM is a safe, sane, and consensual process, not a form of abuse. By the same token, abuse cannot be mistaken for something “sexy” or “fun” or something she “actually wants”.
Thanks for sharing the video. I’m all pumped and now I want to write my Congressman or something.
Okay boys and girls and everything in between. Homework time. This is ‘Tough Guise’ by Jackson Katz. When I think of him the word ‘progressive’ comes to mind.
This documentary was a real eye opener for me. I think it should be mandatory viewing in high school. It’s only 7 minutes long, and I’d love to hear what you thought about it. Click here to tell me.