Riley and Brandon are just two examples of how masculinity saves lives.
Riley is being honored by many in his community for his actions (article). Brandon also is being praised for actions that took his life in Colorado(article).
We hear about “toxic masculinity” these days. Yet, the sacrificial actions of these two men expose it as a lie. In fact, the masculinity of Ryan and Brandon make them the true heroes they truly are.
The Orwellian definition of toxic masculinity found in none other than Wikipedia is “certain norms of masculine behavior in North America and Europe that are associated with harm to society… these are considered “toxic” due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence”.
The explanation continues to babble with “this concept of toxic masculinity is not intended to demonize men or male attributes, but rather to emphasize the harmful effects of conformity to certain traditional masculine ideal behaviors such as dominance, self-reliance, and competition”.
You could say the shooters were toxic. True. However, it was not their gender nor their “traditional masculine” tendencies that drove them to kill. It is not right to attribute an immoral and criminal act to a whole class of people. That is tortured thought.
These darn “traditional behaviors” displayed by Brandon and Ryan were actually celebrated by those whose lives were saved thanks to their actions. These men displayed no “harm to society”. Nope. They faced down deranged individuals to protect the innocent.
We should be grateful, then, for this kind of deep-seated impulses of good men. When there is no time to think, an impulse to fight for the innocent with violence is noble. In fact, it is good men throughout history who have fought and died to protect families, nations and a way of life. We should only be so lucky to have more of these masculine men.
In fact, so many social ills could be better dealt with if we ask our men to be more masculine, step up and take on more challenges. Shying away in the face of criticism by those who use terms like toxic masculinity has the opposite effect. It creates more of a vacuum in relationships and society at large.
For whatever reason these nefarious definitions of what men and women “should” be like pop up. Secular feminism, toxic masculinity, fluid genders etc. are just a tactic of those who are ill-informed or most likely, either seek power by tearing the social fabric or/and seek to unseat a traditional Christian viewpoint.
We should be on the lookout for this deceit. The first clue of such tactics is when a new sweeping social view seeks to replace the individual person.
The traditional view of gender roles forms the bedrock of a healthy community. It puts personal responsibility and virtue at the center of this world view with a belief in a Creator and his creation. This view treats masculine traits as a great asset, something to treasure.
The more we embrace traditional masculinity and reject false theories, the better we can live in peace, find meaning – and preserve life.