We've been talking a lot over this last year about problems like misogyny and violence in football, rape on college campuses, mass shootings, and increasing rates of suicide and addiction. What we don't say is that men are the victims of these behaviors as much as women, albeit in different ways.
We often look for explanations in mental health, failed policy, or lax laws. But men overwhelmingly engage in these behaviors. Why are we reluctant to discuss what society expects from men, and whether those expectations are realistic?
Four in nine men say it's harder to be a man today than in their fathers' generation, according to the Shriver Report.
Just as women's studies in the '70s helped women better understand how gender affects experience, some think men's studies may be the key to helping men better understand themselves.
GUESTS:
- Michael Kimmel - Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University, and author of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men and Angry White Men
- Steve Almond - Author of God Bless America: Stories and Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto , and co-host of Dear Sugar Radio
- Sandra Newman - Author of How Not To Write A Novel and The Country of Ice Cream Star. She also wrote the essay, “Is There Anything Wrong With Men Who Cry?” for Aeon Magazine
MUSIC:
- "Epic Rap Battle of Manliness" by Rhett & Link
- "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" by the Beach Boys
- "Real Men Cry" by Lust Control
You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
