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At its worst, trash talk gets picked up by boys who would rather go on the offensive than end up as targets themselves. It fuels the us-versus-them dehumanization that turns rivalry into conflict, and the hierarchical don’t-be-vulnerable mindset that leads to patterns of hazing in sports teams and toxicity in video games.
Read MoreThis month’s NGM Circle was all about friendship! We looked at representations of gender and friendships in media, and how they’ve reinforced or subverted gendered tropes like childhood friends falling in love, the ‘friendzone,’ bromance, and more!
Read MoreTo redefine what it means to be a man—if you travelled back in time and asked us what our vision is at Next Gen Men, that’s what we would have said, not even all that many months ago. And if you’ve taken note more recently, we’ve basically stopped. Why?
Read MoreBeyond well-worn stereotypes about shutting down or hooking up, teenage boys want to feel close, and loved, and they want to talk with their parents about their relationships. Seriously.
Read MoreI can acknowledge the elements of life, love, identity and fatherhood that are still a mystery to me. To be honest, I have more questions than answers at this time, but I'm grateful that I have an extraordinary partner and a happy, healthy, and curious son who will teach us as much as we teach him.
Read MoreRemember that ‘raising awareness’ is a means to an end. We raise awareness so that we can act with awareness, and bring awareness to our work. The next time that another awareness day, or another tragedy, has mental health is in the headlines, skip past all the thought-pieces and amplify the voices that speak of action.
Read MoreNext Gen Men seems to mirror my same passion and desire for a future of mentally healthy boys and men, but through an intersectional, feminist perspective.
Read MoreWhile the internet trolls and truth tellers readied their ammo and picked their sides, I was left to wonder which was worse: setting aside the ugly facts of a real episode in this late man’s life, long enough to mourn it, or setting aside the man himself, despite the real-life regret, empathy and rebuilding that we saw from him, in word and deed.
Read MoreWe need more than a single day of awareness to ensure their wellbeing. We need sensitive and committed caregivers who understand the unique needs of boys and young men and anchor them in supportive environments and relationships.
Read MorePatriarchy harms men by disconnecting them from their emotions, and frames seeking support as weakness. It’s an endless pressure for men to conform to a narrow prescription of masculinity, to compete with one another, and to prove their manhood by surrendering their individuality and denying their humanity.
Read MoreIn October, I wrote a L&UL blog post called 6 Stories About Boys Losing a Parent. One of the stories was Siobhan Dowd and Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls—a book published in 2011 that was recently adapted into a film. I decided I wanted to further explore its narrative of emotional resilience, which resulted in this video essay on boyhood masculinity in film.
Read MoreTreaties were made to endure—“as long as the sun shines, the waters flow, and grass grows”—because they aren’t about a one-off agreement or exchange. Each Treaty speaks to a relationship that, for those who remember, is just as real today as it was in the 1780s.
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