There is no shortage of concern about the opioid abuse and mass shootings and toxic anger perpetrated by men. And there is no shortage of politicians and podcasters who jump onto the virtual stage to tell us that American manhood is under siege. They cite statistics and interview therapists. They promote magical testosterone supplements or bootstrap training to fix the problem and to fix the men.
But we usually do not acknowledge that they are white men, speaking primarily to the 30% of our nation’s population who are also white men. Many of these men are anxious, confused or even angry about losing status or power. Civil rights activist Ruby Sales has described this historical moment as a crisis of whiteness, and to a large degree, a crisis of white masculinity.
I am not a podcaster or cultural critic or politician. I am a researcher and educator, and I’ve studied masculinity, fatherhood and families for almost three decades. Here’s what I’ve learned.
