Hidden Toxic Masculinity in Public Life: How Hidden Anti-Women Views Are Set To Destroy Careers

Hi and welcome to this JK NEWS B'HAM Op-Ed Editorial for VPN: REGIONAL NETWORKS:

The harmful, deeply anti-social and anti-women ideology of toxic masculinity is more pervasive than many think, with some of those who have espoused its corrosive ideologies going on to become public figures and politicians, hoping to achieve public support.

In the UK, they may have either hidden their views from those around them, or relied being able to conceal the true nature of their beliefs, misrepresenting them as something aligned with traditional values. In the future, many will now be finding that this comes back to completely tarnish their public image and destroy their careers, political or otherwise?

THE TRUTH ABOUT TOXIC MASCULINITY

To understand the appeal of toxic masculinity we must recognise that it is - in part - a response to changing cultural and societal norms, a situation which is causing genuine difficulty. Over the decades there has undeniably been a decline in masculinity as something highlighted and, in its positive forms, celebrated. Alongside this there has been arise in the work agenda which more often focuses on critiques of negative male behaviour than celebrations of positive male behaviour.

Toxic masculinity does in some ways contrast to the woke agenda, leading some people to strive to defend the indefensible, falsely claim that toxic masculinity can be a way of defending traditional values.

However, toxic masculinity is the wrong response to any retreat of positive masculinity and is a movement with far darker roots, and ultimately no positive features.

Time and time again we see toxic masculinity ideas resulting in controlling and coercive behaviour which can have a tragic and devastating effect on its female victims. This creates an urgent societal need to root out those in public life or positions of responsibility, such as police officers or teachers, who may harbour these dangerous antisocial views unknown to those around them, and to combat the online influences who promote these corrosive messages to a younger generation.

But we will also see a reckoning as political figures see their pasts revealed, putting them on the wrong side of the debate when it comes to women’s rights, protection of women for from predators and generally being opposed to the positive role models and traditional family values needed for a positive society. We will see them brought down as their involvement in toxic masculinity comes back to haunt them.

THE NATURE OF TOXIC MASCULINITY

Toxic masculinity reaches beyond misogyny or mistreatment of women to form an entire ideology feeding on societal disenfranchisement, societal resentment and disempowerment bias.

It encourages behaviours that prioritise control, extreme competition and an unwillingness to show vulnerability by projecting a false image of confidence.

Rather than promoting integrity, it may encourage men to assert power over others, viewing relationships as hierarchies rather than partnerships. This can lead to patterns where anger is used to cope with emotions, boundaries are disregarded, and empathy is suppressed, which can hinder genuine human connection.

It embraces unlimited and unfettered dominance, aggression, emotional suppression and entitlement which separate it from traditional masculine ideals.

In other words, toxic masculinity appeals to men and boys feeling like they are left out and left behind and on the margins of society, with no chance of playing a high-status role or in any way becoming a ‘winner’ in life because they are not being allowed to ‘play the game’ in the first place. It tells them that therefore, they have a right to reject every value or standard, including morality, personal integrity, and values of treating other people well, so long as it allows them to achieve what they feel entitled to.

A NEW DANGER

While there has always been places where a negative and harmful excessive or ‘hyper’ masculinity could be found, this new version has little relation, more closely connected with the wider conspiracy theory culture and disempowerment bias of the online echo-chamber age.

Toxic masculinity is characterised by cynicism and rejection of moral values which society is based upon, and comes out of a malaise of our age of uncertainty and crisis.

As in the 1920s, which saw the stock market crash, we now see increasing numbers of people with the sense that life is unpredictable and unfair, the economy is unjust and corruption everywhere.

The parallel to the 1920’s is very revealing, as it was a this time that gangsters became folk heroes, their own ruthless immorality excused by the supposed nefarious nature of those in power, their own rejection of society’s rules excused by the supposed unfairness of social structures. With no one giving you a fair chance to earn money, those who took action, by going out and committing crime, sometimes, quite literally, stealing other people’s money from a bank, were seen as doing something positive by empowering themselves, while people’s cognitive biased perspective ignored the real harm that crime was doing to society at large.

This is alive today, for example in the rhetoric of ‘matrix’ conspiracy theories representing the view that the system is rigged against you, and that your own ruthless exploitation of the vulnerable is justified, as it mirrors the behaviour of society’s leaders.

The 1920’s also saw the rise of numerous cult-like figures, whether on the extreme right or the extreme left, who all promised the masses that they had the radical solutions to their problems. While it seems to us that ordinary people should have recognised the unrealistic or sinister nature of the plans, cognitive disempowerment bias operated to blind them to the negatives. In a similar way we see cults of personality forming today around controversial political figures.

ORIGINS OF TOXIC MASCULINITY

Understanding how we got here reveals troubling truths about our current age and how we urgently need to respond with tired and tested traditional ideas, adapted to the modern age.

Toxic masculinity can be seen partially as a response to shifting social and cultural norms that left some men feeling alienated from traditional masculine roles.

A GOLDEN AGE OF MASCULINTY?

In the past, community life offered far more arenas, whether male-led, male-dominated or mixed male-and-female, where individual men could stand out and serve as role models to boys or to other men.

In that more cohesive and confident society, boys and girls grew up with a greater sense that  a doctor, policeman, businessman or politician had rightfully earned their role - and that for a child willing to put in the effort and stay on the right path, there may be a chance of following in their footsteps.

Reinforcing this, television and the media offered up a selection of action heroes, often male, who epitomised masculine virtues. Their superior strength and courage was used in the service of others, and society as a whole, as they were protective, inclusive, and selfless. While the hero had the superior skill, intelligence and strength needed to save the day, they also promoted teamwork, compassion, and responsibility for others.

SHIFTING CULTURE

People remark on the changes visible in media, on our TV and cinema screens : we still have male heroes to save the day, but they have greater complexity, inner battles, vulnerability. They may rely on others to save them from their own shortcomings, giving a message of us as all being interconnected and needing support.

For some, this is more relatable and liberating, removing unrealistic expectations. For others, the new male role models are less simple, less attractive and the message more confusing.

In other areas, the guidance boys and men receive is less clear, again with is greater emphasis on guilt and what men should not do.

FEMINISM AND DEMONISATION OF MEN BY MEDIA OR ACTIVISTS

Feminist writing with roots in intellectual, academic world has long contained theoretical abstractions and hypothetical comments that may have been taken with a large pinch of salt by its ivory towers audience, but such writing now has a different effect as it now reaches a wider audience, with far-out concepts being quoted by activists as if they were true facts.

For example, ‘mansplaining’, a modern term for the cognitive bias where women are assumed to be less knowledgeable than men, would in the past be seen as rude, unsophisticated and oafish behaviour. In current formulations however if you are explaining something a woman already knows, you aren’t just showing poor social skills, you are violating a woman in the same way that a rapist violates a woman, but less serious. In this way, many shocking and extreme polemical gets repeated by activists, appearing in media so often that they begin to go unquestioned, despite being highly dubious.

By demonising relatively trivial acts which may cause offence, this new rhetoric, where even accidentally being rude or clumsy can give a male a metaphorical or symbolic  connection to actual rapists, can undermine the attempt to teach boys about actual coercive, abusive or controlling behaviour.

The overall combined effect of unrealistic or unreasonable messages on how to and how not to behave lead to boys losing trust in and turning away from some of those put before them as guides, such as school teachers. They may become suspicious that what they are being taught is ideologically driven and experimental, and not actually what will help them in life.

THE REALITY OF RAPIDLY CHANGING MALE ROLES

And let’s remember that men are seeking their place in a rapidly changing society, Gender roles have evolved and male arenas have retreated.

In some ways it may be a positive that men are not in the pub playing darts, but at home cooking dinner and helping children with homework. But ordinary men are now both less visible in the community, and less active in the community - in the way that women once were. Men have less time to engage positively in community, take part in youth clubs and serve as role models to young men in need of guidance.

POSITIVE VERSUS NEGATIVE MASCULINITY

It is this sense of a “vacuum” gave rise to a reactive toxic masculinity, made up of all the worst elements.

Whereas, in past times men could distinguish themselves through positive contributions to the community or success in neutral areas such as sports, the community was always aware or those who stood out negatively and achieved a type of domination through threat and violence. Today, such figures are far less likely to be taking on family duties which remove them from public view, leaving these antisocial elements standing out to young men.

‘REBEL’ MASCULINITY AND DADS FOR LADS

A vision has emerged, rejecting extreme feminist or woke agendas  and fully embracing traditional ideals, but with a modern edge.

The American version, associated with figures such as Bedros Keuillian and Jocko Wilkins, typically promotes working out and bodybuilding, and entrepreneurship and making money. But it also calls out toxic behaviour, acknowledges psychological and mental health problems and advocates honestly and balance in these and all areas, tackling them head on using conventional, professional help where necessary.

They also join Jordan Peterson in acknowledging suppressed truths: much as some people want a society where everyone can be themselves and we don’t make negative assumptions on anyone based on their appearance, the truth is, for certain people, losing weight and gaining muscle isn’t just a way of changing how you feel about yourself, it could be a way of changing how others feel about you and improve your chances in the dating arena, possibly the work arena and generally helping you socially.

This can have great appeal to men and boys anxious to improve their place in the world, willing to put in the work but lacking encouragement and vision, which online figures and communities can help them with.

One thing each of these figures say is that while they will do what they can spreading good advice in videos and podcasts online the prime thing they advocate for is for young men in need of guidance to go out into the community and find actual real role models who were ordinary people living ordinary positive lives.

While society or media may celebrates the bravery of someone who is trans and breaking down barriers by entering a professional field not typically associated with trans people, you can celebrate the bravery of a hard working traditional man running a business which contributes to giving his family a comfortable living, while supporting his wife in her career, and take them as a role model, offering far more than the false and illusionary version of success portrayed in gangster rap culture.

Just because they aren’t being celebrated by mainstream, or aren’t culturally fashionable, it doesn’t mean you celebrate them.

DADS FOR LADS

This is one such scheme in the UK which pairs up vulnerable young men in need of role models with mentors from the community, ordinary men living ordinary lives. It recognises the current crisis and the unique role which positive male role models can play in teaching young men the realities of life and how to succeed in a balanced way and paves a way forwards.

In all its forms, positive masculinity represents the need to save people from two types of failure: either depression, giving up, failing before you’ve even started because you feel there’s no point, and the seductive, dark message of toxic masculinity, with its vision of domination and ruthless exploitation and its rejection of integrity in favour of a meticulously constructed false image.

CONCLUSION

The societal dangers of toxic masculinity are multifaceted. It perpetuates harmful stereotypes that restrict emotional expression, leading to mental health issues for men who feel unable to seek help or be open about their struggles. It also reinforces the idea that masculinity must be proven through dominance, often spilling over into aggression, domestic violence, and homophobia. In the workplace, it can foster hostile environments where empathy and collaboration are undervalued, impacting team dynamics and productivity. Socially, it can cultivate an atmosphere where relationships are transactional rather than meaningful, further isolating individuals and discouraging healthy connections. At a larger scale, it affects how men relate to societal change, sometimes fueling resentment, prejudice, and resistance to inclusivity.

It can never be convincingly argued that toxic masculinity is a good response to the problems of our age. Any desperate attempt to save a political figure who my otherwise seem like a good figure, head for a political movement, but who has deep associations with toxic masculinity will result in any men who back that movement coming into conflict with the women who back the movement, and the movement being discredited.

There has been a positive response,

traditional positive masculinity, which values traits like resilience, protectiveness, responsibility, and integrity. This positive response highlights that toxic masculinity iis not a turn back to tradition, but is something totally aberrant which thrives in online echo chambers isolation from the real world, not in real world communities, at least not outside of criminal gangs. It is a symptom of complex problems but all focus must be on solutions, including removing toxic masculinity itself.

Well, that’s all for now. But until our next article, please stay tuned, stay informed, but most of all stay safe, and I’ll see you then.

Jason King

Birmingham City-Desk

Twitter (X) @JasonKingNews

Jasonkingnews@gmail.com