Mark DaCosta-Guyanese will recognise that the problem of toxic masculinity arises as a result of social and cultural pressures on males to exhibit stereotypical masculine attributes such as assertiveness, toughness, strength, independence, and dominance. Unfortunately, when such pressures result in the elevation of those traits to unnatural heights and extremes, the results become harmful. Experts say that an affected man could become trapped – in his mind – in the “Man Box.” The consequences of this unhealthy situation may include violence against women perpetrated by the afflicted man, as well as psychological and physical self-inflicted harm to the affected male.
At this point, the following must be emphasised: a critique of the abnormal condition of toxic masculinity is not an attack against men or the traditional attributes of masculinity, instead, it is an articulation of an unhealthy, unnatural, harmful, and dangerous extreme. As such, Guyanese (men) should not be at all uncomfortable with a discussion of the matter. In fact, such open conversations should be welcomed as an attempt to highlight and address a serious issue that exists in our country.
The origin and history of the term “toxic masculinity” reveals that it arose from men recognising a problem in themselves. It should be noted that women did not come up with the idea. That fact is important because it underscores the fact that it was men who first observed the problem.
Researcher Michael Flood of Queensland University notes the following historical facts:
The term first emerged within the New Age men’s movement of the 1980s.
The movement focused on men’s healing, using male-only workshops, wilderness retreats and rites of passage to rescue what it saw as essentially masculine qualities and archetypes (the king, the warrior, the wildman, and so on) from what it dubbed “toxic” masculinity.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the term spread to other self-help circles and into academic work (for example, on men’s mental health). Some US conservatives began applying the term to low-income, under-employed, marginalised men, prescribing solutions like restoring male-dominated families and family values.
The term “Toxic masculinity” was virtually non-existent in academic writing – including feminist scholarship – up until 2015 or so, other than in a handful of texts on men’s health and wellbeing.
But as it spread in popular culture, female scholars and commentators adopted the term, typically as a shorthand for misogynist, anti-female talk and actions. Though the term is now associated with a feminist critique of the sexist norms of manhood, that’s not where it started.
It is virtually absent from the scholarship on men and masculinities that developed rapidly from the mid-1970s, though its use in that area has increased in the last decade. This scholarship has, however, long made the claim that culturally influential constructions of manhood exist, and that they are tied to men’s domination of women.
With regard to the term, “Man Box,” the major international studies and surveys mentioned in the previous part of this series of articles found the following serious issues:
The respondents in the studies who supported and agreed with the existence of the “Man Box” stereotypes experienced and reported a variety of negative physical, mental and social health outcomes in their lives, including:
64% had suicidal thoughts in the last two weeks
55% had been involved in a road traffic accident in the last year
71% had physically bullied someone else in the last month.
The issues highlighted here may be summarised as follows:
The idea that a problem called toxic masculinity exists originated in the male community. It is the recognition of a problem, not an attack against men or masculine attributes. Experts found evidence that men who exhibit such toxic traits say that they feel trapped in a “Man Box.” And those who feel trapped experienced symptoms of mental health issues, and engaged in self-harming and violent behavior.
In closing, this publication urges that Guyanese think carefully about this matter. It is hoped that adult males introspect and think about their own mental states. Additionally, parents (teachers, caregivers, and other influencers) should consider the negative impacts of pressuring their young sons to be hyper-masculine because such pressures bring about harmful outcomes.
In the final part of this series, the question of how to escape from the “Man Box,” and develop a healthy mindset will be examined.
