This is one of the major ways that patriarchy harms men - it tells them that that the vital to human happiness connections and interdependence are weak and too vulnerable to be manly. It's literally killing men by the millions - via substance abuse, suicide, and simple disconnection.
Men need to start taking this seriously and leading the way in changing the norms of masculinity.
“I recently read Jackson Katz’s book The Macho Paradox, and I think he’s got some good ideas about trying to reach high-visibility men (such as athletes, and other guys that men tend to look up to) and enlisting them in this work as a way of demonstrating leadership. For me, that’s the direction that we need to concentrate on. Men need to connect with and provide support for other guys in adapting to a culture where gender roles are now functionally irrelevant and where the “traditional” societal hierarchy gets flattened more with each passing year.”
