The Twitter Mob Went After Me For Saying Men Should be Manly

On a normal morning, I woke up to find thousands of notifications on my Twitter account after a tweet I posted went viral. It garnered nearly 13,000 likes and 2,000 responses. Many users supported my stance, but a subsection called for a groveling apology for stating a simple opinion.

The tweet was simple and was hardly controversial. I spoke about my admiration for healthy masculine men, who, in the context of a relationship, protect their partners and are assertive and confident.

These are masculine traits that for millennia have been ingrained into the very biology of men, as reported by countless psychologists. Male characteristics do have a biological foundation as they have higher levels of testosterone, which is a hormone associated with aggression, assertiveness, and strength. However, pointing this very basic fact out is now “offensive” in our post-modern society.

As a young girl with socially conservative values, this opinion comes naturally to me and those alike. As someone who believes in free speech, I felt entitled to express this opinion, especially in a society that now demonizes masculinity as "toxic.” To the snowflakes of Twitter, this sentiment was apparently controversial enough to cause a stir. Some users on Twitter sent me death threats, others tweeted vile slurs, and many accused me of promoting "toxic masculinity.”  

The hateful wrath of the politically correct online mob would leave any person startled; however, this was just another day in the war against manhood. 

Not All Masculinity Is Toxic

People have been talking about a “crisis of masculinity” for decades. The idea is that evolved traits found in men are simply social constructs rather than the natural order of males as noted by evolutionary psychology. However, in the last several decades, there has been a concerted effort to blame classically male behavior on “toxic masculinity.” Rather than being the result of inherent differences between men and women, aggression and strength result from harmful societal norms and abusive parenting.

On top of this, we constantly demonize positive traits found in men. These are the virtues of masculinity, such as strength, courage, independence, leadership, and assertiveness. All of which are now vilified under the blanket of “toxic masculine behavior.”

The very goal suggests that male patterns of behavior are undesirable while female patterns are “healthier” and therefore superior.

Of course, it should be acknowledged that there's nothing wrong with expressing vulnerability and emotions. In fact, it's very important for them to do so. But men will not magically become more like women with how they express their emotions and frustrations. In fact, the very goal suggests that male patterns of behavior are undesirable while female patterns are “healthier” and therefore superior. When all forms of masculinity are dubbed as harmful, men are left with no guidance on how to deal with their innate desires and nature. Instead, they're caught in a storm of emotions, feelings, and effeminate gender roles.

Demonizing Men Has Consequences Too

Could this be why there's a rise in "incel culture"? Incels, also known as "involuntary celibates,” are men who are unable to get romantic or sexual partners. Incels blame women for their sexual troubles, demeaning them as shallow and heartless. This phenomenon has been the center of conversation in England for the last few weeks as a self-proclaimed incel, Jake Davison, left six people dead in Plymouth after he could not find a sexual partner.

Since then, experts like Tim Wilson, director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews, have warned that the dangerous online subculture of incels is gaining in popularity and is a real and possible threat. However, none of the experts seem to have considered the possibility that men who turn out to be the most abusive are often the most unstable. They’re not helped by a society where their masculinity is regularly demonized.

Closing Thoughts

In a society where healthy masculinity is constantly encouraged to be condemned, as some of the abuse from my tweet proves so, it's important, more than ever, to celebrate the virtues of manhood. Healthy masculinity isn’t toxic, but a lack of it is. I personally believe that strong, masculine men are protective and loving, and a society that turns on its men will eventually turn on its women.

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