Masculine Toxicity: The Evaluation of Toxic Masculinity
Toxic masculinity is a mindset that has plagued men, young and old, since the beginning of time. What if toxic masculinity was a learned behavior? Who teaches it? Why is it so prominent in the Deep South? Well, toxic masculinity is more prominent in the deep south because parents and legal guardians teach their sons “toxic” traits and morales by means of cultural narcissism.
One example of this cultural narcissism is religious superiority. Being that most of the Deep South makes up the “Bible Belt,” most southerners build their lives around the Christianity lifestyle. In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul says,”34Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (The Bible, King James Version). This shapes toxic masculinity by allowing men, and in some cases women, to blame this type of behavior on the Bible, and thus imposing these ideologies onto their children. These parents act as catalysts for what will happen in society later in life for their kids.
Another example of cultural narcissism is misogynistic media. With the President saying things like “Grab them by the p**sy” in his presidential campaign and with the #MeToo Movement getting so much backlash (predominantly from white men), young, naive boys may grow up to believe what the men say. That fact forces young boys and men to feel this pressure to be ostentatious and use “locker-room talk” when referring to women, which then becomes habit. That habit then seeps into their personality, making them the poster children for toxic masculinity. Although southern culture isn’t as sexist and gender specific as other cultures, i.e. Indian, that does not negate the underlying and surface issues. In “Men and Gender Justice”, Boopalan, an Indian man, says,” Indian men are conditioned to eat, not cook. In addition to this, among siblings, sons are often given more food on their plate so that they can get their “manly” strength. Daughters are shown around the kitchen, taught to cook and provide, and enculturated into patriarchy in several such subconscious and coded ways” (3) . That is almost synonymous to southern culture in America. This helps develop the illusion that The Man is above The Woman. Younger men then learn “their place in society” and young women learn “their place in the kitchen”, putting a halt to progression in a society where everyone feels they should be respected.
The third and final example of cultural narcissism is racism. The deep south, especially Mississippi and Alabama, is notorious for its extreme racism and colorism. From the Transatlantic Slave Trade to Jim Crow laws to present day wage gaps based on race. Statistically, women of color are more likely to be assaulted than white women. According to Communities of Color and the Impacts of Sexual Violence, it states,”Sexual violence has historically been used to perpetuate racism and colonialism. The colonizer’s gaze viewed the bodies of people of color as inherently “dirty” and unworthy of respect..Native American women and African American women have historically been viewed as ‘rapable.’” In America, there is a hierarchy of privilege; the white men are at the top and the women of color are at the bottom. The ones with the most privilege attack those at the lowest level, essentially asserting dominance, which feeds into their masculine ego. That then turns into toxic masculinity, which eggs on the man to continue to assert his dominance.
Toxic masculinity is a very detrimental to society, but southern society is completely built around it. It stems from the cultural narcissism embedded into every fiber of southern life. Things like religious superiority, misogyny, and racism all play into this vision of “A Man”.
The talented in this blog post! UGGHH The way you read men!!! As you should this was very much needed and appreciated.
Okay, wow- this was SO good. So proud of you!