Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
I personally don't feel any shame in being a man or feel like I have had my rights reduced or feel emotionally suppressed or anything, but I was also raised in an emotionally open family and allowed be sensitive and in touch with myself. I did feel picked on about that as a kid by my peers and I saw a lot of boys I knew become quite repressed, they probably didn't have the same situation I had at home. Interestingly, I live in one of the LGBT capitals of the country, and I feel fully accepted as a straight white man. I literally have no problems with that whatsoever. I've got a good friend who is MTF trans who I am going to hang out with today (she's my friend's roommate and we're going to celebrate my birthday today over there with the whole crew), no judgment towards me at all, she's great, even when I call her "he" (which happens by accident sometimes, but she understands as she looks like a man still). This same friend did have 2 female roommates recently who were horrible to him and he kicked them out eventually because they were terrible bigots towards him (and me and any other white male who came over) because he's a white male. And they invented a narrative about the situation that he oppressed them, that they were scared of him, etc, when he bent over backwards to try to make them feel welcome in his home. It was bullshit, but I don't take those people as a representation of the entire thing. Those were two angry individuals, who, like many people from any group, take out their life's frustrations on innocent people. But by and large I have no problems.
However, like I said, I do think our culture breeds toxicity into males in general, for sure. But it is not inevitable that you feel that toxicity. It's up to the individual. I have done a lot of work on myself as an adult and I am happy with who I am. I recognize I have privilege but it doesn't shame me and I do my best to be equitable to everyone. The majority of people see this and appreciate me for it, and if they don't, oh well, some people never will and that's their own battle, not mine.
I think our culture breeds toxicity into pretty much all people, or at least it tries to. I think we all feel a frustrating sense of powerlessness in the face of policy and politics. I do, it's something I have to actively work to ignore/dispel. And I agree it's probably worst, emotionally, for men. I say probably because I'm not a woman so I can't say that with surety.
However, like I said, I do think our culture breeds toxicity into males in general, for sure. But it is not inevitable that you feel that toxicity. It's up to the individual. I have done a lot of work on myself as an adult and I am happy with who I am. I recognize I have privilege but it doesn't shame me and I do my best to be equitable to everyone. The majority of people see this and appreciate me for it, and if they don't, oh well, some people never will and that's their own battle, not mine.
I think our culture breeds toxicity into pretty much all people, or at least it tries to. I think we all feel a frustrating sense of powerlessness in the face of policy and politics. I do, it's something I have to actively work to ignore/dispel. And I agree it's probably worst, emotionally, for men. I say probably because I'm not a woman so I can't say that with surety.