How Does Patriarchy Hurt Men?

This week we will be hosting a discussion which focuses on developing a critical understanding of masculinity by exploring the experiences, thoughts, and self-reflections of male participants. The conversation will be informed by feminist theory, and aims to expose the unfair, unbalanced, or toxic aspects of the male experience which typically go unspoken or unrecognized in day-to-day social life and organizational interactions.

In light of the ongoing ubiquity of violence against women in the United States, as exemplified by the recent "pro-rape" meetups planned in multiple cities by so-called "Mens Rights Activists", it is critical that venues be made available in which cis-gender males are encouraged to collectively explore the lived experience of masculinity, not only as a gender identity, but also as a site of power, privilege, and class inequality.

Links shared

This is a great 4 page essay on masculinity from Bell Hooks, a renowned African American feminist whose writings on gender and The Patriarchy are incredibly relevant and thought provoking, This is from "men, masculinity and love" (2004).

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/14/are-bromances-good-for-mens-health

http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/news/a9202/britain-male-suicide-crisis/