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Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

nytimes.com

121–130 of 402 posts

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#121
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What were the men's spaces before? Legitimate question as I may be too young to have known them.

Gentlemen clubs, country clubs, bars (although I don't think it should have been single gender), other than this.. I can't name many of the other ones. They were mostly gone by the time I became an adult. Anyways, I have heard of discrimination that men have faced when trying to create "safe"/support groups that were men only.

The workplace used to be a male space.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#122
post #23

I think we're starting to hit a critical moment with this. As men we have an unbelievable amount of expectation on our reactions, communication, behavior, past behavior, and others behavior. (Their friends and their partners) On top of all of this: Men spaces have been mostly eliminated.

That's not really surprising, is it? Any minimally functional group eventually lead to opportunities. The outgroup (women in this case) want to access those opportunities. Any push back against that will be labeled as misogynistic or ridiculed. Men have no other choices than to open up the group and let it become just another open space for everyone. What is surprising is how some groups: 1) just lay down and accept…

I understand the feeling but I think this is too zero-sum. You know who has the most positive reactions by far to men doing healing work in men-only circles? Their wives/girlfriends. Not because the men somehow become more 'feminine' or lose power, but usually because they get something that they badly needed and were stuck about for a long time.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#123
post #3

I participated in men's work, not specifically the ManKind Project but a closely related organization. I personally found it helpful doing weekly check-ins and having people holding me accountable to my goals. Unfortunately, the stigma regarding men sharing feelings is prevalent in western society, and it's not only the men causing it. When I told several female friends about the work they did, their response was: "A…

I’m not sure this is only western society. Is there an indigenous culture that values male emotions without stigma? As I think about Asia and Africa, I’m drawing a blank on this. But I’d be happy to be shown wrong.

You can have emotionless warriors or you can have emotional pacifists. You might even have emotional warriors, but emotionless pacifists is a hard sell.

If the State monopolizes violence to the point that we can’t hash things out with our fists, and there’s no room in our society to emotionally vent, then what’s left? It’s not like violence disappeared from society, it just takes different forms when suppressed.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Men spaces have been mostly eliminated." An organization that was once called "Boy Scouts" is no longer catered only to young boys. And yet the Girl Scouts remain female only.

The Boy Scouts still are mostly single gender dens. I hope you are merely misinformed and not intentionally deceiving people with misleading comments. https://www.scouting.org/about/membership-policy/

That second sentence breaks the HN guidelines badly. Would you please stop doing that and follow them instead? I don't want to have to ban you.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#125
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've participated in some of this work and agree that having feeling-sharing be the top line item is misleading. Feelings are involved, but the core of it is to face what one has been avoiding, in order to become stronger and grow. There's plenty of room for stoicism in that. The way to overcome pain is to acknowledge and include it instead of denying it. The difference is huge, and most of us need help to get there—…

Ironizing?

Sure! https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ironize

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the book was one of the better ones I've read on the topic, so I recommended it. It is not a spiritual book. I likewise would recommend reading "Islamic Patterns: An analytical and cosmological approach" when approaching geometry. Either the book is good or not in getting you to understand something you don't currently understand. I trust the reader to be able to make their own judgements, especially in thi…

I don't necessarily disagree, but: >This article seem to be written by an ideologically inclined woman. If you are calling out someone as being ideological and then recommending books that are based in a religious ideology, it seems relevant to make note of it.

That is a euphemism I used because I think anyone reading the article can infer what I meant and I wanted the focus to be on productive resources for people to learn how to think adaptively instead of what to think about these issues.

In my opinion learning how to be adaptive in personal relationships and not pushing narratives onto the other is the most productive approach.

This is why I don’t think the two are similar in nature, although I think it’s great you brought it up so that everyone can judge for themselves with as much info as possible upfront.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#127
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not sure this is only western society. Is there an indigenous culture that values male emotions without stigma? As I think about Asia and Africa, I’m drawing a blank on this. But I’d be happy to be shown wrong.

You can have emotionless warriors or you can have emotional pacifists. You might even have emotional warriors, but emotionless pacifists is a hard sell. If the State monopolizes violence to the point that we can’t hash things out with our fists, and there’s no room in our society to emotionally vent, then what’s left? It’s not like violence disappeared from society, it just takes different forms when suppressed.

[deleted]

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#128
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not sure this is only western society. Is there an indigenous culture that values male emotions without stigma? As I think about Asia and Africa, I’m drawing a blank on this. But I’d be happy to be shown wrong.

You can have emotionless warriors or you can have emotional pacifists. You might even have emotional warriors, but emotionless pacifists is a hard sell. If the State monopolizes violence to the point that we can’t hash things out with our fists, and there’s no room in our society to emotionally vent, then what’s left? It’s not like violence disappeared from society, it just takes different forms when suppressed.

There's a lot of room in our society to emotionally vent; it just happens in private relationships and on internet forums. The challenge is that the emotions are often uncontained, and uncontained emotion is closely related to violence, as you say.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#129
post #99

There is much beauty and wonder in the interplay between as well as within the genders. However, men are not imperfect women that would be improved if we adopted the other genders mannerisms. We both need to be open to listening to each other when providing the loving support that we want and need. This article seem to be written by an ideologically inclined woman. A woman trying to understand the men in her life bet…

> men are not imperfect women that would be improved if we adopted the other genders mannerisms. Divulging one's emotional state is not a "[female] mannerism". It is a basic, androgynous function of all social beings. It's endlessly frustrating to have my faculties gendered away from me.

I am not saying so either, because only a fool would claim men don’t have emotions and don’t need to be seen. What I am saying is that seeing and learning how to be seen is hard, and approaching others and oneself as a narrative is directly unhelpful towards that goal.

I suggest reading the book if you are interested in the topic because it’s not saying what you think it says and will help you utilize your faculties more adaptively.

In the worst case you think it’s bull.

Re: Men Are Waiting to Share Some Feelings (2018)

#130
post #3

I participated in men's work, not specifically the ManKind Project but a closely related organization. I personally found it helpful doing weekly check-ins and having people holding me accountable to my goals. Unfortunately, the stigma regarding men sharing feelings is prevalent in western society, and it's not only the men causing it. When I told several female friends about the work they did, their response was: "A…

Our society will always value men who are confident, this is so much deeper to me than being scared to share your feelings because “it’s gay”. Women are attracted to confidence, employers reward confidence, hiring managers are impressed by confidence. Vulnerability and weakness are just not rewarded for men or women, but especially for men.
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