Toxic masculinity is a complex issue and it has been challenged by many. However, lets assume for the sake of the argument that there is a set of “male” traits that are harmful both to the man himself and to society. One such trait often listen is that a man cannot show weakness or vulnerability.

I agree that this can be a problem, but how can men show vulnerability when society is determined to erase the male victim? [1] The media has again and again shown that it considers women and children victims to be more worthy of attention. [2] Even in reports on the homeless and the rough sleepers, the male ones tend to be erased. [3]

Society simply seems unwilling to recognize the male victim. Whenever there is a deadly situation, the male victims will be referred to as “people” even they make up the overwhelming majority. On the other hand, the female victims tend to be emphasized and I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be, I’m just saying that the male should receive the same attention.

Even in the movies, it is more common to treat the male as disposable. [4] There are movies where hundreds of faceless, anonymous males are slaughtered without a problem, but the death of a female character is usually considered a big deal.

How can men show vulnerability when society tells them it’s not okay for them to be victims? How can they show them vulnerability when the male victim is constantly erased by the media? [5] How can they “cry” when nobody cares about the maleness of the victims? Neither the left-wing nor the right-wing are trying to solve it. The right-wing and especially the far-right usually view the existence of the male victim as unacceptable. Men are supposed to be strong and self-reliant! The left-wing, while it’s slightly more tolerant, will still erase the maleness of the victims. For example, the left-wing might want to address the problem of people dying in certain dangerous jobs. However, it will not mention the word “males” or men” once while doing so, even though the overwhelming majority of people who die on the job is male. [6] That is called male erasure.

There is no political party that takes the issue of male disposability seriously. There are only vague attempts to fix “toxic masculinity” I fail to see how such a thing can truly be fixed without addressing the casual erasure of the male victim.

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