We’ve come a long way from the days when the proverbial caveman would drag his woman back into the cave by her hair . . . . or have we? Male dominance has been prevalent throughout the ages. This dominance by males has been and continue to be largely due to testosterone. Males are typically bigger, stronger, and more reliant upon the testosterone innate in varying amounts to all human males. Fortunately, as the human species has evolved, so has decorum, respect, and a greater understanding of how each individual, regardless of gender, contributes to the collective being blessed with differing talents. Without this evolving wisdom through knowledge, we might still be back in the stone age. So, what is TOXIC MASCULINITY and how is this a problem in society today?
The current definition of TOXIC MASCULINITY as defined by Wikipedia is as follows: “Toxic masculinity is a set of certain male behaviors associated with harm to society and men themselves. Stereotypical aspects of traditional masculinity, such as social dominance, misogyny, and homophobia, can be considered “toxic” due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. Socialization of boys often normalizes violence, such as in the saying “boys will be boys” about bullying and aggression. Self-reliance and emotional repression are correlated with increased psychological problems in men such as depression, increased stress, and substance use disorders.” “Other traditionally masculine traits such as devotion to work, pride in excelling at sports, and providing for one’s family, are not considered to be “toxic”. Masculinity is not a bad thing. A taller, more masculine frame can ward off potential nighttime attackers. Strong hands can open a stuck jar lid and hold tightly to a lifesaving rope line. If something is toxic, that is not necessarily a bad thing. If you are killing bugs, harmful crop bacteria, or cancer, toxicity is the healer’s friend to make sure the destructive force is mitigated. TOXIC MASCULINITY is needed in kinetic warfare. Sometimes strength, aggression and a killer instinct is needed in order to obtain or maintain a nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
Old fashioned boxing use to be the primary form of entertainment pitting one strong, masculine, testosterone-filled man against another. The advent of venues such as the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), NXT (a brand of WWE), AEW (All Elite Wrestling), NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling; a result of Sumo Wrestling, we don’t know), TNA (Total Non-stop Action), and AEW (All Elite Wrestling), among probably a host of others, have given rise to the worship of testosterone-emanating fight-club warriors. In the last decade plus, cage fights have become the rage, where just about anything goes. Most of us thought it cute and non-threatening when The Village People released their song, “Macho Man” in 1979, but some took it to heart. Randy Savage, a WWE professional wrestler, used it as his ring name. Movies are filled with “macho-like” personalities, like Jason Borne or James Bond (007). Video games for kids have been replete with scenes whose characters exhibit non-human testosterone-saturated acts. TV has become inundated with characters distributing copious amounts of testosterone-like behaviors, both inside and outside the law. Has TOXIC MASCULINITY reached its peak?
It seems like TOXIC MASCULINITY (read that as TOXIC TESTOSTERONE) has been around for quite a while. We are reminded of the 1998 movie “Lost in Space”, a remake from the original 1965-1968 CBS TV series with the same name. In the more recent movie, the scientist and wife of one of the two men arguing (one being her husband) had this to say, “Not another word. Better. Now if you’ve finished hosing down the decks with testosterone, I suggest you come with me. I may have found a way to get us off this planet.” A strong woman who didn’t need to throw around what little testosterone she may have had in order to get things done.
Recently in politics, we have noticed a disturbing trend among some candidates. The current occupant of the White House declared during the runup to the last presidential election that “If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him”. (CNN; March 21, 2018; Veronica Stracqualursi.) First of all, we are not sure that “the hell” can be beaten out of anybody. Secondly, hell is a place reserved for those to occupy after passing from this life into the next who have acted outside of societal norms, and more importantly, outside of God’s reign. More recently, another presidential candidate is making similar claims, strangely enough about the same individual, the last President of the United States, who is also a current candidate for the same office held just a few short years ago. The man making these claims is the once governor of New Jersey (2010-2018), Chris Christie. He recently said, “I’ll fight . . . anywhere he wants, in any arena he wants – whether it’s on a debate stage or in the octagon.” “The former New Jersey governor told Fox News host Piers Morgan in a recent interview that he would no doubt emerge victorious in a head-to-head fight with the former president.” “Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie says he’s ready to beat GOP opponent . . . – including in the ring.” “Come on,” Mr. Christie said with a smile in response to the question. “Guy is 78 years old. I’d kick his ass.” (The Washington Times; July 14, 2023; Ramsey Touchberry.) Recently, Mark Zuckerburg (founder of Facebook/META) and Elon Musk (of SpaceX fame, and the richest man in the world) also have been touting a hypothetical cage fight.
We have already documented in our blog series titled, TRANSPHOBIA, published April 3, 2022, through June 5, 2022, that the average male testosterone level has been dropping for years. We suspect much of what we are currently witnessing is a simple case of certain men compensating for what they lack. If one cannot do it, watch it. If one cannot exhibit it, talk about it as though you have it. False bravado only accentuates true weakness. We are reminded of a saying by Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general and strategist who wrote the book, The Art of War. In his book he said, “Tactics before strategy is the noise before defeat.” When this saying is applied to politicians who throw around “testosterone-like hyperbole”, it’s akin to “counting your chickens before they hatch”. It is like throwing mud on a wall to see what will stick, not realizing that you will have to clean up the mess, and to what would be the ultimate purpose of the endeavor, or the “strategy” anyway.
We are all flawed humans. TOXIC MASCULINITY is not the cause, the symptom, or the solution. These are simple words thrown around in a world that has lost its way. Too often our actions and words are toxic, and this only erodes our humanity as created by our Creator. We become respected and show moral character when we do not elevate ourselves by demeaning others. We have given away much of our Nation’s character in the last several years, and in the process have seen our LIBERTY and FREEDOM diminished. We will end this blog quoting from a familiar passage in the Bible, found in the book written by Luke, in the 14th chapter. Jesus is speaking. We will begin in verse 8.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by hm, and he who invited you both shall come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”