Please chime in with the type of content and discussion you would like to see hear.
I’ve left up all the old posts instead of doing a thorough pruning (apparently it closed due to a lack of moderation letting too much slip through the cracks). If you’re interested in helping out without posting or moderating please report actively, while there is value in calling out in the comments and trying to teach leaving anything egregious up for too long could promote people blocking the comm even if they might otherwise want to see the “good” posts and/or milder learning opportunities.
Should probably do a poll on whether to be local only as well once it’s active again. So Sopranos emotes if you have an opinion on that.
Cheers
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ey good to see!! as some of ya’ll probably know i’d been more informally megathread posting about how patriarchy and conventional masculinity hurt us men and men-adjacents, good to have a dedicated space to discuss (among many, many other things) how it emotionally warps us and how we can show up in our lives as more caring and sweet people. Also could be a good avenue for venting about things like the ways in which modern dating norms hurt mascs (which while not as bad as femmes, are distinctly different and soul crushing in their own ways) without clogging up other feeds. Idk just my two cents, not at all comprehensive!
Yeah, I think it’s important to acknowledge that toxic masculinity was not a term that emerged from women but rather it came from men as a way to describe the corrosive effects that masculinity demands of them
I feel, a community like this is necessary for the project and movement of dismantling the paternal hierarchy we all are subject too. Feminism viewed through the lens of masculinity is a form of introspection, and without a space to discuss that introspection, both personal and collective, I imagine it difficult to build the kind of consciousness required for dismantling that hierarchy. A space like this helps further expose the systemic nature of patriarchy, the way in which it impacts all of us, it’s demands of us tailored to our “role” in its design. To build a clear image of the scope and pervasiveness of patriarchy, we need to be able to see it through both Masculine and Feminine lenses, which is why trans and non-binary folk are some of the most critical members of this struggle.
I do think, however, “Mens” communities are some of the hardest ones to maintain. Their history shows us how easily these communities can devolve into male supremacist and male separatist movements. A lack of theory, ideological focus, and external practice leaves it vulnerable to sophistry and eventually chauvinism. While the feminist movement primarily deals with the external force of patriarchy imposed on the feminine population, the masculine struggle against patriarchy is, again, one of internal conflict. Masculine communities seeking to expose male struggles under patriarchy will inevitably have to confront the maintainers of those struggles within their membership. Ultimately, this internal contradiction, if maintained with conviction, can weaken this schism.
Maybe I’m being over analytical here. However, I do feel the lion’s share of dismantling the patriarchy rests on the shoulders of masculine people, by rejecting patriarchies masculine norms we deny it the maintainers it needs to thrive and survive. Feminism brought to us the mirror, we mustn’t look away from our refection, we need to confront it.
