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This problem is far from a modern endemic. As far back as 1981, Joseph Pleck published a report called 'The Myth of Masculinity.' Here, Pleck laid out his ideas of the 'sex role strain paradigm', explaining the multi-faceted issues which arise when men attempt to live up to what is little more than a mirage of masculinity. He discusses the profound dysfunctionality of men who feel that to 'toughen up' is better than to share their problems, and links his ideas to financial and familial collapse, depression and, once again – suicide. What seems clear is that whilst men might not be an oppressed group, the background assumption that they're immune to social pressures combined with either a reluctance or an outright inability to discuss their issues is leading to an unignorable crisis of masculinity.'Men's Issues' seem like such a luxury problem that even conceding it's a real thing leaves you open to accusations of being a whiney meninist
Taken as a whole, there is a weight of research concluding that many men lack the tools needed to negotiate through a complex and anxiety-inducing world. The dominance of a restrictive ideology which equates vulnerability with weakness has left men without a road-map to navigate through their problems with anything more than a grunt and a shrug. Whereas it could be argued that feminism has enriched women with the ability to delineate, refine, discuss and sharpen their sense of identity and social position – men are often left with weak or unavailable role models, trapped in their own skin with no idea of how they should behave or what is expected of them. Beyond the frothing waves of dullard meninists on Twitter, there lies a genuine issue, and one that has been brewing for decades. So how does this festival aim to fix it?On NOISEY: Skeletons In The Closet – An Interview With Glenn Danzig
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These rigid stereotypes permeate through every layer of society, but the idea is perhaps best illustrated in the dingy world of gendered advertisements. Imagine, if you will, that you've been charged with the responsibility to corner the male-market with a new range of scented candles – how are you going to do it? Candles, as is well known, are the exclusive preserve of women and Nicky Clarke. You stride over to the front of the room and draw what looks like a crude vertical car exhaust on the flipboard. Soon, others start to join in. "It's a raging inferno-shaft" says Ian, loosening his tie and leaning across the conference table. "Cock? Wax cock?" says Linda, scribbling out her other ideas and drawing a firm circle the phrase. Then Rob bangs down his pencil and interrupts the whole thing. Rob, so close to being fired last week, knowing he's on his last leg, seizing the moment in a last-ditch effort to preserve himself, rises from his chair and points directly at the flipboard – "This isn't a candle," he says, confidence swelling over into an unprompted Jeremy Clarkson impression. "This" he says, "IS A MANDLE."
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A quick tour around the events going on over the weekend include documentaries such as Jennifer Newsom's acclaimed work 'The Mask You Live In' – a feature profiling young men's efforts to navigate society's narrow scope of masculinity; guest speakers with a width of expertise in the fields of journalism, psychotherapy, broadcasting, medicine, activism and beyond; and open forum discussions about topics as diverse as fatherhood, gangs, prison, ageing, extremism, education and body image. The most resounding message of these various events is the promotion of communication. Embedded in our language are ideas which implicitly suggest that part of 'manning up' (or, if you like, not 'acting like a girl') involves keeping a stiff upper lip, maintaining the illusion of dominance and strength, and taking life's setbacks on the chin – until the bitter end if needs be. With this in mind, it's not hard to picture an entire sea of blokes stewing in front of an endless loop of porn and video games, their inner emotions alien even to themselves, spewing forth the sort of maladaptive behaviours – the unsolicited dick pic bullies, the crying GamerGate infants, the rape-joke-apologist Archbishop of Banterburys who prop up Lad Bible's online store etc – that constitute seemingly 90% of your daily newsfeed. For men, the act of admitting they're not infallible and having the platform and opportunity to talk about it is half the battle.On VICE Sports: The Cult of Jonny Wilkinson
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The unfortunate fact remains that many men do not where to turn to advice. Whilst the media landscape is full of progressive and relevant female-centric offshoots – Broadly, The Pool, Women's Hour, The Hairpin, The Debrief etc – the men's market is stuck in the Triassic era of tits and imported lager. This contributes to what Jude Kelly describes as a 'caricature identity', evident throughout all kinds of male representations. For many marketers it's as though blokes are little more than Mr Men characters, defined by one or two adjectives that float above our heads like avatars from the SIMS. 'Lad Culture' thrives upon this pack identity paradigm – reducing the human condition to a real-world BuzzFeed quiz. Sure you can be a Ladbrokes Lad, but which variety do you choose? The Smooth Talker? The Wildcard? The Joker of The Pack? The Sensible One? Our culture serves to funnel men into an increasingly limited set of default expectations, which in turn creates a pressure valve of unvented emotions, these then spill over into shitty and inexcusable behaviours, then the admonishment winds men up even more and the grim cycle repeats itself. The sad result is exemplified by the roll-necked Dapper Laughs, sat like a naughty schoolchild under the reproachful glare of Emily Maitlis. This can't happen again.On MUNCHIES: A Food Hack Gone Wrong Nearly Burned This Woman's House Down
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