The Root of Toxic Masculinity

News

22/02/2019

“This is how toxic it had become — it was in my blood. My muscle memory. My daily habits had all revolved around one thing…getting what I wanted, confirmation of me as a man through those old, toxic ways. It’s work that I must keep doing, every day, to find my worth and confirmation in new ways.” Psychology Today 

What is Toxic Masculinity and what causes it? Toxic Masculinity has nothing to do with biology, but is instead a term used to describe the negative ways in which our societies think about masculinity. It is a form of gendered behaviour, which tells us that men should be powerful, wealthy and have status. It tells us that men are more powerful than women, and that other men who do not conform to these masculine ‘ideals’ are ‘weak’.

It is this belief in male entitlement and dominance that can cause toxic behaviours to seep into a man’s life. He might become violent, manipulative, misogynistic; and those close to a toxic man can be reduced to his commodities. Women, in particular, are often the victims of toxic masculinity.

The toxic male’s belief in male superiority manifests in a feeling of entitlement to a women’s body, and causes him to exert physical control over women. In South Africa, intimate partner violence is the most common form of Gender-Based Violence, and 56% of all women murdered were killed by an intimate male partner.

Toxic masculinity often finds its roots in the home. Take a look at Sol’s character in MTV Shuga: Down South 2. Sol’s Dad, Mthunzi, displays the traits of toxic masculinity. He has wealth and power, but shows no affection to his family and is cruel to his wife, Amahle, taking out his frustrations on her. Growing up, Sol has learnt the same toxic behaviours from his Dad, causing him to feel entitled to rape Tsholo in Series 1, and threaten Khensani in Series 2.

But women are not the only victims of toxic masculinity. Toxic Masculinity tells us that only one form of masculinity is acceptable and that other ways of living are ‘weak’. It tells us that men can’t cry or show emotions. Men can’t be told what to do by a woman. Men can’t wear pink, or wear expressive clothes and jewellery. Men who do not conform to these ideals suffer bullying, abuse, and are made to feel emasculated.

Sol is a bad person, and the crimes that he has committed are wrong and must be punished, but is he also the victim of a toxic masculinity which forces him to hide his emotions and act in certain ways? The crimes committed by toxic men need to be punished, but it is only by understanding the roots of toxic masculinity that we can attempt to prevent it.

Conversation on this issue is important. Join the discussion using #MTVShugaDS.

 

 

 


comments (3)

or to comment

nicole morris

I ordered a job spell on a Friday night and on Monday the place I applied for a job called for me to come by their office. They gave me the job I applied for and made me an offer of more per hour than I have ever made in my life! I am so happy! Government jobs sometimes are a slow process. You somehow managed to speed up that process, and I start in just a few days! DR EMU I will be forever grateful thanks once again. You can call on him for help on his email address emutemple@gmail.com or add him up on his WhatsApp +2347012841542. DR EMU also lent a helping hand to the following } 1. GETTING YOUR EX LOVER BACK. 2. WINNING LOTTERIES. 3. CHILD BEARING. 4. BREAKING OF GENERATION COURSE. 5. GETTING OF JOB. 6. JOB PROMOTION. 7. HERBAL CARE. 8. SPIRITUAL PROTECTION. 9. HERBAL CARE. 10. SPIRITUAL PRAYER. E.T.C.

or to comment

jamesbenson8095

Why struggle with bad credits when you can actually get them fixed within a couple of days with HACK VANISH CREDIT SPECIALIST, a professional hacker who has aided me in various ways, he fixed and increased my FICO credit score to a whopping 786 across all three bureaus, tracked my cheating wife calls, and also gave me access to all her social media accounts. HACK VANISH also specializes in recovering lost cryptocurrencies for victims of binary scams. Reach out to him today for help on WhatsApp: +1(747) 293-8514 or Email: HACKVANISH @ GMAIL. COM

Thank me later.

or to comment

billz

Do you need a hacker? Do you need to keep an eye on your spouse by gaining access to their mails, calls and text messages? As a parent, would you want to know what your kids do on a daily basis on social networks which includes, (facebook, twitter, instagram, whatsapp, WeChat and others to make sure they're not getting into trouble)? Whatever it is, Ranging from Bank Jobs, Flipping cash, Criminal records, DMV, Taxes, Name it all and it's done. A professional hacker with Years of experience.

Contact at: Sean_recovery@cyber-wizard.com

or to comment