"The Futile Search for Role Models"

Submitted by Mastodon on Mon, 2017-12-11 03:38

Article here. Excerpt:

'Well, to put it mildly, 2017 hasn’t exactly been a banner year for male role models. There are fewer Hollywood stars, Senate stalwarts, or sitting U.S. presidents who embody the collection of traits we would want to emulate. And there are more men in the lineup of "men behaving badly." In an era when 16 women have accused our own president of sexual assault, when influential newscasters like Charlie Rose and Bill O’Reilly are fired for such allegations, when Hollywood bigwigs like Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., and Harvey Weinstein leave a trail of alleged abuse or rape … well, let’s put it this way: In the era of Roy Moore, not having been a pedophile sets a rather low bar for heroism.

Maybe instead of developing a catalog of new male role models, it might be time to retire the concept altogether. Do young men need role models anyway?

For one thing, there is not much substantive evidence that male role models are decisive in healthy boys’ development. They might be nice to have, but the male role model — the elementary-school teacher, the father, the stern but supportive coach — by himself, as a single variable, doesn’t really have much of an independent effect on boys’ development. And that’s why single moms, lesbian moms, female teachers, and female coaches can provide exactly what boys might need to develop a healthy identity.
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And to answer the question about whether young men need role models in the first place? Maybe not. Maybe they just need to be role models.'

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Comments

I can just imagine what h@ving Michael Kimmel on the analyst's couch must be like.

"So Mike, let's start with your childhood. How were things between you and your father?"

"My father? He was a man. Need I say more. He was toxic. He was vile. I am not his son. I am the survivor of his oppressive hegemony."

"I see. And your mother?"

"My mother was a saint. More than a saint. She was a woman, a goddess. She was perfect."

"I see. Now, as you were growing up, who did you identify with more, your mother or your father?"

"The cat. I identified with the cat."

If you could guarantee me psychoanalyzing Michael Kimmel as a reward for it, I'd go spend the next 6 years in school just to get a degree in clinical psychology, just to have one subject: Michael Kimmel.

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Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2017-12-12 00:32

Michael Kimmel is a seriously sick child with daddy issues who has found a welcome home in the gender hatred currently running unchecked in our universities and schools.
No good male role models? No need for male role models? I guess when you hate your father or the bullies who embarrassed you in school that much you should get some help. Instead Micky likes to share his hate using feminist dialogue to validate his pain and teach gender hatred to others.
All men are bad are they Micky. All except you. What a grub.

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Submitted by rabel111 on Tue, 2017-12-12 02:30