The Cost of "Manning Up"

President Trump recently said “this is a very scary time for young men in America.” One group of men that certainly agrees? The Proud Boys, whom we revisit this weekend in an in-depth audio documentary co-produced with investigative reporter Alexandra Hall. A self-described fraternal men's organization, members of the Proud Boys say they look to the group for a sense of fraternity, brotherhood, and shared values.

They are led by a man who has some plainly toxic views on gender -- he describes feminism as "cancer" and says women would be "happier as housewives."

But the men who count themselves as members of his group? They say they are a bunch of friends who want to preserve their manhood, which to them, is under attack.

Men may face a struggle at this moment, but it might not be the one they think. Can men separate traditional sources of male friendship and support from toxic masculinity that demeans women, that promotes fighting and violence, and ultimately leaves men still feeling unable to discuss their feelings? In a culture of “big boys don’t cry," it's easy for men to repress feelings and fall into the traps of alcoholism, violence, drug addiction, and porn.

Clearly boys need to see a better path as they become men. We have to ask ourselves: are we providing them with enough emotional support? Or are we just reinforcing toxic values

It's a personal question that we hope you can ask yourself listening to the show. If you’re a man reading this, do you have friends you can really talk to, or cry on their shoulder? If you’re a father of a son, are your most intimate moments with him surrounding sports? Are you questioning your behavior in high school and college when it comes to drinking and sexual assault? If you see what's wrong in the male culture around you, are you prepared to speak up?

--Mark