Healthier Masculinity

I am writing in response to Arthur Waterbridge’s letter (3/21) about toxic masculinity and the left wing.

According to the English Oxford Dictionary, the definition of a liberal is a person who is “willing to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one’s own; open to new ideas.”

Waterbridge wrote: “If the liberals have their way, Latin and black culture would be wiped off the face of the earth because they think it’s antithetical to our ideas of respect and equality.” This completely contradicts what a liberal person stands for. Liberals are willing to accept and respect others values and beliefs.

Toxic masculinity is defined as “a cultural concept of manliness that glorifies stoicism, strength, virility and dominance, and that is socially maladaptive or harmful to mental health.” There is no specified race or culture that toxic masculinity is aimed at. It’s a universal term.

In The Washington Times there’s an analysis written by Suzanne Fields that talks about male students at Duke and the University of North Carolina. The males attending are being encouraged to plunge themselves into studies of “violent masculinity” and to discuss “healthier masculinity.” There’s a difference between toxic and healthy masculinity.

I’m very thankful you wrote this letter. It has set up a discussion on a very important topic about which many people do not have knowledge of and/or put an inadequate point of view.

Sophia Castro

Eugene