Modern Primate

How do our rigid notions of what makes a “real man” contribute to unspeakable acts of violence? Could it be that we’re socially conditioned to feel like we need to defend our manhood, with violence if necessary? Could it be that mass murder is the unfortunate and rare offshoot of that same masculine defensiveness taken to its extreme end?

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“I am really comfortable with myself and I am openly gay, my kids know it, everyone I know knows it. I tend to assume all the parents at these parties know it too, or at least think it, but they live in a predominately white suburb and I fear repercussions like they don’t get invited to anymore of these parties that I love so much. Or worse, they aren’t allowed to hang out with friends they made. I am going to assume I am not giving any of these parents the credit they deserve and chalking it all up to my own insecurities about being an openly gay parent. I want to protect my boys from any of the pain I have been subject to for being gay or before I was out being perceived as gay.”

(via Children’s Parties Make Me Uncomfortable (and it’s not why you think))

While some viewers might groan at the idea of talking about feelings over having sex, thinking that this makes Jason a pussy, a mangina, or whatever other insult one might use to emasculate a guy, chances are those viewers are probably either undersexed themselves or have yet to tackle some of their own personal demons. To assert otherwise and deny a man the right to value something above sex is to do a disservice to men everywhere. Either way, I was thrilled to see Jason finally become a fully fleshed-out, relatable, self-reflexive character.

For too long, the notion that all men want is sex has pigeon-holed male identity to an offensive and problematic standard. I can only hope that more TV shows will take a note from the story of Jason Stackhouse and find the time to add this layer of wholeness to their “philandering playboys” in the future. Sometimes showing a little vulnerability is the bravest thing you can do.

Read the full article: Why Last Night’s “True Blood” Will Make History | Modern Primate

Does your woman get jealous when she sees you reading a news website? Does her tiny lady brain find the layout of most news sites too confusing? Well, Fox News has the solution! Fox News Magazine is a new kind of news magazine, custom-tailored to the habits and interests of a woman. With a layout inspired by Pinterest, her delicate mind won’t have any trouble navigating features like Brooklyn Decker’s Beach Secrets, 8 Steps to Really Clean Windows, How to Keep Mealybugs out of your Flour, and other articles relevant to her unique lifestyle as a housekeeper and a wife. (via Fox News Launches Women’s Magazine! | Modern Primate | man, that’s deep)

Three years ago, South African sprinter Caster Semenya came under scrutiny when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) demanded she take a gender test, leading to the discovery that the 18-year-old woman had a pair of testicles where her ovaries ought to be, despite carrying two X chromosomes and an otherwise fully female anatomy.

Since that time, the IAAF has created a policy requiring that women with “unusually high” testosterone levels either take drugs or undergo surgery to compensate for what they feel is an unfair advantage.

The problem, aside from an obvious invasion of privacy, is that the leading experts don’t even know what a “normal” level of testosterone is for a woman, nor do they know how much it accounts for athletic performance.

Continue reading: Testosterone Alone Does Not An Athlete Make | Modern Primate | man, that’s deep)

Today BuzzFeed posted “39 Ways Men Use Pinterest,” consisting of pages that contain phrases like “things my wife should cook” and “things my wife should wear.” Of course, commenters are angry about how “men” supposedly act. When you begin with a site that’s geared toward object fetishes, and then search it for “my wife should” it’s easy to find plenty of guys who give guys a bad name, especially when framing it as a generality. Replace “wife” with “husband” and you get exactly the same kind of biased, stereotype-reinforcing results. The method may be cherry-picking, but Pinterest seems to have its own gender issues. In other words, this list doesn’t represent the problem with all women, just the problems with women who use Pinterest for making “my husband should” lists.

(via 39 Ways (some) Women Use Pinterest | Modern Primate | pretty much the best)

All is going according to plan.