Masculinity As Radical Selfishness: Rebecca Solnit on the Maskless Men

[G_j]

https://lithub.com/masculinity-as-radical-selfishness-rebecca-solnit-on-the-maskless-men-of-the-pandemic/

Masculinity As Radical Selfishness: Rebecca Solnit on the Maskless Men of the Pandemic

The Burden of Care Falls Ever More to Women

I grew up with the old axiom “my right to swing my arm ends where your nose begins,” which is about balancing personal freedom with the rights of others and one’s own obligation to watch out for those rights. The maliciously gendered rhetoric of the National Rifle Association, the incels and pick-up artist subcultures, Trumpism, and a lot else have proposed, in recent years, that actually their right to swing their arms doesn’t end and my nose and your nose are not their problem or are just in the way and need to move. Wearing masks, it turns out, is not manly, when the definition of manly is not having to do fuck-all out of concern for others.

There are a lot of other things that turn out not to be manly, including caring about climate change and environmental problems, and even according to some studies recycling (and others, handwashing). Taking care of things is not manly. Four of the worst-hit countries in this pandemic are also afflicted with heads of state preoccupied with meeting the terms of machismo—Bolsanaro, Putin, Boris J., Trump—in ways that conflict with recognizing the gravity of the Covid-19 crisis and responding adequately.

This is a definition of masculinity as radical selfishness, and just as it’s taken a huge toll in American lives by demanding and utilizing deregulation of access to semiautomatic weapons and other implements of mass death, so it’s taken a huge toll by insisting that we don’t have to respond to the pandemic because the “we” that is not responding imagines itself as invulnerable and full of unlimited arm-swinging rights. As conservative philosophy intent on cutting taxes (limits on my right to swing my arm) and social services and safety regulations (your nose) it’s been making inroads for decades.

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[tblue37]

1. K&R for visibility. nt

[Ohiogal]

2. This is spot on.

[G_j]

3. agreed

nails it!
These people are dangerous to everyone, including themselves.

[GeorgeGist]

4. The Snowflakes are melting

[crickets]

5. Excellent article. K&R for visibility.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

6. Ive been noticing too the phenomenon of MEN whether masked or unmasked charging toward me &I have

to jump out of their way to keep distance.

This is a thing - men oblivious to women in public spaces and women always the ones who defer to and get out of the way of men. Theres been all kinds of studies done on this, and Ive known for a long time that this really is a thing.

But good grief, do I ever notice it now. The other day I was in a store returning and item and staying proper distance away while I waited my turn. The guy who was ahead of me turned around and just started charging right at me like I wasnt even there and this time I yelled "six feet" at him as I was glaring at him and backing away from him. He kind of came out of whatever stupor he was in and said excuse me, so I dont think there was any malicious intent, just his not seeing a middle aged woman standing right in front of him. I've heard that middle aged women become invisible but this is ridiculous!