Why do you even say that? Men have been brutally conditioned to suppress emotion in a way that women haven't. It's a central aspect of "traditional masculinity" at least since the Industrial Revolution - which is the point of this piece. It's not natural in the least ....
The way a lot of "traditional masculinity" (meaning from the past 100 years or so) has been constructed, is pretty destructive - both to women and others, but also to men. It drives loneliness, depression, and suicide - because it requires constant jousting for rank, and you can't ever be close to anyone if they are all your competition.
"More recently, when researchers asked a socially and ethnically diverse range of men ages 18–30 in the US, the UK, and Mexico what it takes to be a “real man” the responses were very similar. Here are the 7 main pillars:
Be self-sufficient — Real men should be self-reliant, particularly with regard to their physical and emotional health.
Act tough — Real men should be willing to defend their reputation, by violence if necessary. They also should remain stoic when dealing with vulnerable emotions.
Physical attractiveness — Real men should dress well and look good, but without appearing that they are trying too hard to do so.
Rigid gender roles — Real men expect to be financial providers but not to do much in the way of child or home care.
Heterosexuality and homophobia — Real men should be both heterosexual and derogatory of homosexuality, even if they have gay friends that they accept.
Hypersexuality — Real men are interested in and ready for sex anytime and anywhere. They should always be on the prowl for their next “sexual conquest.”
Aggression and control — Real men use physical violence when necessary, and hold control over household decisions and women’s movements."
Not all men, particularly younger men, buy into all of that completely anymore, but they do recognize those as the "rules" and report at least some pressure to behave that way. I heard Peterson defending a few years ago the right of law firms to maintain the brutally competitive aspect that exist within the firm itself - the way that things had been set up when law was a male-only profession. The problem with that is, that atmosphere isn't just hard on women, it's hard on everyone. It's the profession with the highest rate of suicide and substance abuse and behaving like that is bad for absolutely everyone. This is where Peterson is so off-base.... he's defending a small and abusive box of acceptable masculinity that has only existed in its current form for a relatively short time and in our culture. Masculinity looks very different at other time periods and in other cultures - so it's not one set thing. The way men "naturally" are is incredibly varied and individual and we really ought to throw out the box of what is acceptable and let each guy choose his own form of masculinity, don't you think?
