I'm 78 years old, straight, and married. I had antiquated and outmoded "role models" as a youth. It took years of hard lessons to shed those influences and become a better person. I'm still working on it.
I see young men still falling for malignant bullshit from the likes of that Tate asshole, Joe Rogan, and ALL the other right-wing skidmarks. I tell them that the measure of man is not muscles, tats, and trucks with balls on the trailer hitch. it's how you treat other people. A REAL man isn't a loudmouthed bully; he defends others from such lowlife pieces of shit. Strength is kindness, generosity, and the ability to respect people's choices, as long as those choices don't harm others.
A young fellow I've known since he was a toddler expressed disdain for trans people. I said, do you know why men have nipples? Because ALL humans, indeed, all mammals, are FEMALE at conception. The "Y" chromosome doesn't manifest itself until later in the gestation period. ALL of the fetal developments occur at infinitely variable intervals, and that includes mental orientations as well. People are literally born gay every day, and that includes all of the possible orientations in between the the rigidly imposed – and false – notions of exclusively binary genders.
Adherence to those deliberately restrictive pigeonholes are the result of weakness, not strength. Toxic masculinity developed from the indoctrination imposed to breed war-like attributes at the expense of basic human decency. All so malicious, power-mad men could impose their will on others by sending the sons of those they dominate to die in battle that only serve to protect their greed. We have come to a point where that horseshit has to end, or the human race will be extinguished from the evolutionary timeline. A REAL man lends his power and strength to raise up those less fortunate, and in so doing, raises all of us to a higher plane.
Do not mistake all I've said for passivity. When necessary, I am a fighter. The shit we are presently witnessing is pure, indefensible evil, and it will be the end of all of us if we don't fight to stop it.
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