Article here. Excerpt:

'"Adolescence" promotes a political agenda, and the narrative is built around that. It's a screed about toxic masculinity with a 13-year-old child at its center. Through vignettes about his home life with two flawed but loving parents, school friends and interviews with professionals about his behavior, "Adolescence" makes boys and men out to be problematic, susceptible to toxicity online and seemingly destined for violence.

As a mom of boys, I reject that depressing conclusion. Boys like Jamie do exist, but the data doesn't support it as a widespread trend.

Men are more likely to commit violent crimes than women, but only a small percentage of men are guilty of violence. We should be cautious about passing sweeping laws, like social media and smartphone bans, based on the actions of a relative few.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will issue a memo setting equal standards for men and women in combat roles across the armed services, he announced on X Monday.

The memo aims to implement the same set of standards for all service members involved in combat, regardless of sex, Hegseth said on X. Hegseth said the services would review the guidance to ensure the “highest and equal standards for men and women in combat.”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'I think another difficulty is that it’s just hooey to think that the main threat of violence posed to women and girls, particularly girls, is white working-class boys brought up in stable two parent families. Total hooey. The main writer of the series claimed that he based it on three real life cases. In every case, the perpetrator was not a working-class teenage boy from a stable family background. You can see why, you know, the appalling murders by Axel Rudakubana, has prompted a kind of moral panic about this. But this is a complete misdiagnosis of what the causes of that episode were.

Article here. If the genders were flipped the whole tone would be different. It'd go on about how educational inequality needs to be addressed, etc. Instead the tone fairly settles gleefully for the status quo. Excerpt:

'Once upon a time, it was fairly common for highly educated men in the United States to marry less-educated women. But beginning in the mid-20th century, as more women started to attend college, marriages seemed to move in a more egalitarian direction, at least in one respect: A greater number of men and women started partnering up with their educational equals. That trend, however, appears to have stalled and even reversed in recent years. Gaps in educational experience among heterosexual couples are growing again. And this time? It’s women who are “marrying down.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'Adolescence is the new hit Netflix series everybody’s talking about, based on several instances of teen boys stabbing their female peers in the UK. The murderous protagonist, 13-year-old Jamie, is a white boy from the north of England—a fact many commenters are crying foul over. They say it’s fashionable to demonize white boys as racist, homophobic, or in this case, misogynistic.

But my problem isn’t that white boys are the villains. It’s that the four-episode series demonizes masculinity in general.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Sir Keir Starmer today said he was "disappointed" with the Sentencing Council's refusal to change guidance and that "all options are on the table" over how the government might respond.

Ms Mahmood expressed her "displeasure" at the body's recommendations, arguing that "as someone who is from an ethnic minority background myself, I do not stand for any differential treatment before the law".

She had recommended that the guidance be reversed, but because the Sentencing Council is independent, she cannot order them to do so.

Responding to the news that her requests had been rejected, Ms Mahmood said: "I have been clear in my view that these guidelines represent differential treatment, under which someone's outcomes may be influenced by their race, culture or religion.

"This is unacceptable, and I formally set out my objections to this in a letter to the Sentencing Council last week.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The prime minister has signalled he is prepared to change the law to stop the introduction of “two-tier” sentencing guidelines, after an arm’s-length body resisted pressure to scrap them.

Keir Starmer said “all options are on the table” after the Sentencing Council for England and Wales refused to back down despite pressure from ministers.

The row concerns new guidance aimed at tackling bias and reducing reoffending, which puts more emphasis on the need for pre-sentence reports, which give details of the offender’s background, motives and personal life before sentencing.

Under the change, due to come into force on 1 April, magistrates and judges would be asked to consult the pre-sentence report before determining whether to imprison someone of an ethnic or religious minority, as well as young adults, abuse survivors and pregnant women.

Critics including Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said the guidelines amounted to discrimination against white men.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Britain’s got a problem, and it’s not the one the chattering classes are bleating about. It’s not climate change, pronouns, or gaslighting Netflix series probing what’s gone wrong with boys. No, the real crisis is a hole in the nation’s heart—a gaping wound where loyalty, pride, and (dare one say it) the willingness to defend this Sceptred Isle used to reside. The white working-class lads who once formed the backbone of Britain have had enough. Derided, scorned, and blamed for every ill under the sun, they’re no longer signing up to die for a country that’s made it clear it doesn’t want them. And who can blame them?

Article here. Excerpt:

'Netflix’s limited series Adolescence has sparked widespread debate, particularly regarding its portrayal of masculinity and male-oriented online spaces. The show follows a disturbing premise: a 13-year-old boy, allegedly influenced by the so-called "manosphere," commits a violent crime against a young girl. While media critiques of online radicalization are not inherently problematic, Adolescence appears to go beyond cautionary storytelling and into the realm of ideological propaganda. The series constructs a narrative that pathologizes male identity and spaces dedicated to discussing men’s issues. By examining the show’s premise, its selective framing of male spaces, and its lack of real-world precedent, it becomes evident that Adolescence is, in fact, a piece of anti-male propaganda.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'White men have been lying about climbing the ladder on their own. They are not successful due to talent, but because they have the access and support necessary to climb, and fewer active barriers.

White men have been getting affirmative action all along from other white men. What the rest of us have been asking for, fighting for, is the same access to and support to climb the ladder.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A “boy-positive” learning environment should be developed in schools and the Government should appoint a minister for men to tackle gender disparities in education, a report has suggested.

The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) has said a dedicated strategy is needed to tackle attainment differences between men and women to address “one of the most egregious issues” affecting education and society.

There is a risk of “under-educated men veering towards the political extremes” if male underachievement is not tackled, the report has warned.

The think tank’s paper, sponsored by Ulster University, estimates that half a million young men have missed out on higher education over the past decade.

The report, which has been co-authored by male inclusion adviser Mark Brooks, calls for a bigger focus on gender disparities – especially in the educational workforce – in Ofsted inspections, as well as in universities’ access and participation plans.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Commentator Alex Deane has criticised Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service's participation in a nail-painting campaign as "performative nonsense" that fails to address real issues.

The initiative, organised by charity Hard as Nails, saw male firefighters paint their nails to encourage discussion about gender identity and toxic masculinity.

Speaking to GB News, he said: "I think you could speak about this for hours, to be honest with you, but I think it's more misogyny than toxic masculinity.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Unless they make a TV drama about an issue, it doesn’t exist. That is where we are now. It took Mr Bates vs The Post Office for people to gasp: “But this was horrendous!”, for the prime minister to announce new legislation to exonerate wrongly convicted subpostmasters and former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells to have her CBE withdrawn. It took Baby Reindeer for us all to realise that, yes, women stalk men too! And maybe it’s time we started taking it seriously?

Then there’s the hit new Netflix show Adolescence, which shines a light on the corrosive impact of social media and misogynistic influencers on teenage boys – and has taken this phenomenon to an almost comedic level. Like coma patients, who have awoken from a 25-year slumber, we’re all suddenly up in arms about this thing called “The Internet”. “These boys who spend their days and nights immersed in a toxic online culture,” came the mass musings. “What if it’s not good for them?”'

Video here.

'Join Tom and Ulysses Slaughter for a powerful discussion on false allegations. Ulysses shares his remarkable experience with lies, deception, and the devastating consequences of a false a​llegation. Watch a clip of his initial encounter with police.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The answer to male pain isn’t masculinity, but a new political order, where no man or woman is an automaton or object. As analysts like Reeves have argued, it is possible to champion men and boys without sacrificing women and girls to the right-wing. Yet some liberals would rather appease violent masculinity than defeat it. Newsom didn’t just interview Kirk; he praised the far-right activist, and attacked trans athletes and “woke culture” in the same episode. Democrats like him agree that wokeness has gone too far, that trans rights and immigration are destabilizing the country and alienating male voters. In searching for common ground with Trump, they align themselves with the same reactionary forces that sell men hierarchy and call it freedom. Join us, the right-wing says, and you can use slurs. But the liberty to insult others is an ersatz version of the real thing.'