The following article by Kali Halloway was posted on the AlterNet website August 14, 2017:
Toxic masculinity hurts men and women alike.
It is impossible to talk about Donald Trump—his election victory, his personal brand, his public persona—without also discussing toxic masculinity. This is a man who brought up the size of his penis during a political debate, who bragged aboutusing his fame in the service of sexual assault, who recently interrupted a callwith another world leader to hit on a nearby female reporter. Trump rode toxic masculinity and racial demagoguery to the White House, and he continues to embody and inflame both as a key strategy of his presidency.
But Trump is more than just a case study in male posturing and fragility; he’s a reflection of the culture that elevated and embraced him. As a society, how are we planting the roots of toxic masculinity, and how can we root it out? How do we force boys and men to perform manliness, and what are the consequences? What does the denigration of femininity—a genuine emotional component of every human being—do to men? Now, more than ever, is the time to grapple with these questions. Continue reading “The Damage We Do to Boys and Men That Explains the Trump Presidency”