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The Man They Wanted Me to Be
The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making | Jared Yates Sexton
3 posts | 4 read | 5 to read
The author of The People Are Going to Rise Upon Your Shore turns his keen eye to our current crisis of masculinity using his upbringing in rural Indiana to examine the personal and societal dangers of the patriarchy Based on his provocative and popular New York Times op-ed, The Man They Wanted Me to Be is both memoir and cultural analysis. Jared Yates Sexton alternates between an examination of his working class upbringing and historical, psychological, and sociological sources that examine the genesis of toxic masculinity and its consequences for society. As progressivism changes American society, and globalism shifts labor away from traditional manufacturing, the roles that have been prescribed to men since the Industrial Revolution have been rendered as obsolete. Donald Trump's campaign successfully leveraged male resentment and entitlement, and now, with Trump as president and the rise of the #MeToo movement, it’s clear that our current definitions of masculinity are outdated and even dangerous. Deeply personal and thoroughly researched, The Man They Wanted Me to Be examines how we teach boys what’s expected of men in America, and the long-term effects of that socialization—which include depression, shorter lives, misogyny, and suicide. Sexton turns his keen eye to the establishment of the racist patriarchal structure which has favored white men, and investigates the personal and societal dangers of such outdated definitions of manhood.
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saraegreen
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Thndrstd
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Pickpick

The first book I finished in 2020 but I read most of it in 2019

A powerful memoir and analysis of the role of toxic masculinity in contemporary American life. It is difficult to read at times, and the author is brave for confronting the truth of his life, his father's, and stepfather's. With the embodiment of toxic masculinity residing in the White House, this book is more necessary than ever and deserves a wide audience.

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Well-ReadNeck
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Part memoir, part manifesto, Sexton uses his personal story to take on the Patriarchy. An interesting and informative book about how toxic masculinity is harming everyone, including (maybe especially) men and it‘s what‘s fueling Trump supporters. #DBF2019

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