Who Is Toxic? Part 5:
Let’s Redefine ‘Toxicity’ So It Works For, Not Against Men
Revising the history and building a new perspective on one of the most contested terms in the gender war
The way ‘toxic masculinity’ is used these days is itself toxic. It’s not that there is no such thing — we all know guys who fit the picture. But the way it’s used in practice is often wrong. History, psychology and philosophy can teach us how to reclaim it and you can start applying this lesson today.
The story so far:
In the previous parts of the series, I showed you how who uses the term determines what it means, and argued that men should reclaim ‘toxicity’ to make it a tool of growth and improvement. I argued that we can achieve that by starting to properly apply the term to more than just masculinity.
This general framework does not prescribe any specific definition of ‘toxicity’, relying instead on its shared if somewhat nebulous understanding. Now, I would like to…
