Mainstream "traditional" masculinity is at the root of nearly all of the violence in our culture, the sexual predation, the high rates of male suicide, isolation, and substance abuse, etc. Naming that as toxic has become a flashpoint to where it's no longer a useful term, but it sure as hell is harmful, detrimental, and problematic - for men themselves, and for everyone else. Call it what you will — it doesn’t change the fundamental truth.
This has nothing to do with men as males - because all of that stuff is socialized, and not inherent. There are plenty of places around the world that don't teach men to act that way, and then police and bully them if they try to resist. This is basic fundamental widely documented and accepted sociology and psychology at this point. Being defensive about it or pretending it isn't so are pointless and counter to actually improving the society - for all of our benefit.
“Though men benefit from patriarchy, they are also impinged upon by patriarchy,” says Ronald F. Levant, EdD, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Akron and co-editor of the APA volume “The Psychology of Men and Masculinities.” Levant was APA president in 2005 when the guideline-drafting process began and was instrumental in securing funding and support to get the process started.
The main thrust of the subsequent research is that traditional masculinity — marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression — is, on the whole, harmful. Men socialized in this way are less likely to engage in healthy behaviors.
