A couple weeks before the Reddit API changes were due, I made a post to a collapse support subreddit. I rarely make posts and preferred to lurk but I had some thoughts that I needed to get out.
In that post expressed my frustration with masculinity. I had been working in the trades recently which is very male dominated. I saw and experienced how much hate and disregard this type of masculinity has for anyone not viewed as masculine. The toxicity in these men grew so much after COVID’s arrival that even the quiet or rational acting tradesmen that I had been working with for years started spewing hate.
I also provided some examples from my life where men would abuse any situation they could to take advantage of women. I also made a connection between the everyday micro-aggression towards women and the leaders of countries and corporations. It’s an attitude that is so intertwined at every level of the hierarchy created by men. Those on the bottom of the hierarchy will still embrace a heirarchy because women and unmasculine men can still be below them. It’s the same as a world or business leader placing other people or countries below them to justify their actions. The only difference is the scale at which their hate is spread and acted upon.
I recieved a lot of comments. Some from women who acknowledge or already understood the connection I made. Some women who were happy to just be acknowledged. Some men who experienced or witnessed the same hateful attitude of men in their respective fields of work. But also a lot of hate from other men. They viewed my post as hate speech. They attacked my post and threatened the female subreddit moderator through DM’s. I broke no reddit or subreddit rules or community guidelines, just a few ego’s made of thin glass.
The post was eventually removed after 24 hours. The moderator and I had a very civil back and forth through DM’s and it was clear to see the hate and threats my post generated was affecting her mental wellbeing. Unfortunate but understandable.
While watching this video, that whole experience was replaying in my head. These men acting out so angrily for being called out on their bad behaviour. Inflicting more anger and pain on to others that has deep consequences. Consequences that affect everyone, including themselves.
I say all this to say that it’s not a hard leap of understanding for me to see modern masculinity striking back at the environment when their power and dominance comes into question. It’s been an observation sitting in my mind for some time now and it’s nice to see it explained so neatly.
I do understand that all this hate and aggression comes from traumas that were in action long before these people were born. I can’t blame them for being born into an already broken system. I do hate the fact that they actively refuse to do any self-reflection to better themselves and the people around them and instead inflict more suffering through hate. Because to them, it appears that mother earth, the complex being that gave us life, is yet another woman for them to exploit.
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