Encouraged to talk, not punch.

Many men I know, including my twin brother, are quick to turn to anger. As an observer, it seems that they go from 0 to 100: they're totally fine, but then something goes wrong or you say something they don't want to hear, and suddenly they're yelling or punching a wall, or storming out of the house to speed away in the car. It can be quite unsettling, and even a little scary to watch. So, I think men need to be encouraged to talk before they resort to physicality. There seems to be a stereotype that women talk about their emotions and men don't. Although I don't know the science behind it, I would venture to guess that this stereotype is not based in science, but instead is a result of our societal expectations. Since men are essentially taught that they're not allowed to talk about their issues (since that is only for women), they resort to expressing their anger and emotions in a physical way- or they bottle up their emotions for so long until eventually they explode in one way or another.
Starting from childhood, we need to teach boys it's okay to express themselves in words, to express emotions, and that violence is not the answer. We, as a society, need to re-write the rules for men so they no longer need to bottle themselves up in the name of 'masculinity'; so they can express themselves in less destructive ways.

Published on 02-Mar-2017

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