"One of the things I've noticed is that people are quite quick to blame if young men are struggling, if they're not in the labor market. There's the eye roll and there's the, "Well, if they could just get off the sofa and stop smoking so much weed and playing video games all day, maybe they'd make something of themselves." It's interesting that that instinct to blame is really not as common for other groups as it is for young men."
"Like being told you're too masculine on Tuesdays and that you're not masculine enough on Wednesdays. The best way I think to think about some of these men is lost. And so this sense of, "What's my place in the world, why am I needed, what's my role going to be going forward?" that's a very real question that many men and boys are genuinely struggling with."
People often blame young men for labor-market disengagement, attributing inactivity to laziness, substance use, and gaming. Many young men experience conflicting expectations about masculinity, feeling simultaneously too masculine and not masculine enough. A widespread sense of being lost prompts questions about purpose, role, and belonging, increasing vulnerability to harmful influences. Growing attention to boys' and men's issues has arisen, but conversations remain difficult. Discussions of sex differences in learning, risk-taking, addiction, competitiveness, and emotional vocabulary require nuance without assuming stereotyping. The quickness to blame is less common for other groups, revealing a double standard in societal responses. Large numbers of young men being 'up for grabs' raises alarm about recruitment into harmful movements and about unmet social and policy needs.
Read at Big Think
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