The Mask You Live In

“The three most destructive words that every man receives when he’s a boy is when he’s told to, ‘be a man.'” – Joe Ehrmann, coach and former NFL player

#truth

I am a feminist.

I believe and support feminism when its intent is to define, establish, and defend EQUALITY FOR ALL SEXES AND GENDER in terms of political, economical, and social rights.

I do not believe in women outshining men and making more money than men and trumping men and leaving them in their dust. As a feminist, it is not my goal to silence men and combat them and rid Earth of them. I love men (one, especially, in particular), and I admire them, and I learn from them.

And because of my celebration of and respect for men, I cried when I watched this video:

I cried because I have told EVERY SINGLE MAN I know to

• be a man

• man up

• stop being a pussy

• grow some balls

• stop being a bitch

It’s pathetic how we treat our men. When they’re young, we tell them not to cry and not to play with anything girly and how to throw a baseball and how to be cool. When they’re older, we tell them women love tough guys and men with money and that they shouldn’t show emotion and that they need to be strong. We tell them all this while we tell our daughters and female coworkers and mothers and sisters that men are scum and not to be trusted and that they’re emotionless and players and cheaters and liars and are “only out for one thing”.

What chance are we giving our boys? Sure, we teach them that they can be firefighters and doctors and businessmen and presidents, but at what cost? What kind of firefighters and doctors and businessmen and presidents are they going to be? What kind of lives are they going to lead when they’re punished for showing emotion and heckled for not being good at sports? What kind of coworkers are they going to be when they like to start fights and bully the weak? What kind of fathers will they become when their idols disrespect women and they’re raised to harbor fear?

I

’m not saying all men grow up with the mentality to be better and stronger and faster and smarter than the next one OR ELSE, but I am acknowledging the fact that the same way we are undercutting our girls and our daughters, we, too, are failing our boys and sons.

Sick of the muck and the mire? Me, too.

#Boys #Gender