The Problem Isn’t Men, It’s Bros

Deconstructing prejudice

A recent exposé of the male-only Garrick Club in London has shone a light on an age-old feature of human society. People will understandably zero in on Garrick’s male-only membership, but I argue that the issue is less that it is a group restricted to males than it is that it is restricted to a particular type of male. What do I mean? The Garrick Club, the epitome of the Old Boy’s Network since its founding in 1831, is the upper-class twit pinnacle of the phenomenon of “the bros.”

Toxic Masculinity?

A term bandied about lately is “toxic masculinity.” The basic idea is obvious — that some men are so fixated on demonstrating how “manly” they are that they harm themselves and others in the process. I tend to frown on the use of labels, and like most labels, “toxic masculinity” points to something real and serious, but does not illuminate what lies beneath the surface.

What is toxic masculinity? During the initial months of the COVID pandemic, I wrote an article about the right-wing’s cowardly opposition to mask mandates. My argument then, and an argument to which I still hold, is that what is labeled “toxic masculinity” is that some insecure men fear appearing vulnerable and act up to mask that fear.