Just... Circling the Block 2

Darius and Jeff take a step into the vault and reflect on past episodes while we take a Season 2 hiatus.
Part 2 focuses on Darius' selected clips from previous recordings.
Just…About Your Friends:
Sean speaks at 7:15 about “Men are not good at nurturing relationships much like women are”
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With authentic nurturing, there is an action and there is a purpose
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Having an intimate group of friends like that seems to be a rare thing for men these days. In fact, according to a recent American Survey report, men have fewer social ties overall than they used to, with only 27% of men in 2021 saying they had at least six close friends compared to 55% in 1990. This suggests men may suffer a “friendship recession”.
Societal pressures to conform to a particular model of masculinity can hamper the development of intimacy with others - how does that affect Gay men?
“Boys, when they’re young, are capable of having all kinds of fun with each other and enjoy hanging out, being physical, and all that stuff,” he says. “Then, something happens. We put them in school, where it’s OK to play and be aggressive, but where there’s something taboo about being too friendly.” With girls and women, there is less of this association between physical affection and sexuality, he says. They are more open and receptive to interpersonal interactions involving intimacy, where they share secrets and seek each other out for advice or comfort. But, for guys, it can feel weird or awkward to be intimate with another guy, because it goes against cultural norms and doesn’t jive with male mythology. Men are admired for being “the strong, silent type” or the lone hero in our society.
Keys to Friendship - Marisa Franco
Take the initiative
Increase your willingness to be vulnerable
Let people see your authentic self
Be productive with your anger, when it’s needed
Act with generosity
Show affection
Just…Catching Up:
I speak at 10:55 about going to Texas for Christmas. Brandon asks at 12:52 “What happened in Texas and will we hear those stories tonight?” My response is until 13:08
The Q situation: We dated - it became official (in my eyes) around October. Went to visit him for the holidays - talk about how he viewed me, talk about how I felt towards the end of the year as far as communication with him. When we met, things were good. He was upset that I was doing things for him - when we talked and I did something else, he went to 100. I left, came home and I was still very much hurt when we recorded that and I didn’t want to hash it out with our subscribers at the time because I was grieving…
Just…Coming Out - Darius & Sean:
I talk about hope in terms of relationships at 32:25 and we go into Sean being “Emeritus”. Goes to 34:05. We talk about healthy relationships and the situations where gay men have been so jilted within relationships that they are turned off by the notion of love in the future… Do we think it’s just within our race or within the community as a whole?
www.washington... - Michael Arceneaux - Washington Post
• Black Man LOVES Dating... - Dear Gay Black Man - Black Man LOVES Dating White Men: Here's Why
The fear of being hurt…
www.thereckoni... Darian Aaron
Resources:
Morman, M. T., Schrodt, P., & Tornes, M. J. (2013). Self-disclosure mediates the effects of gender orientation and homophobia on the relationship quality of male same-sex friendships. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30(5), 341-355. doi.org/10.117...
Franco, M. G. (2022). Platonic: How Understanding Your Attachment Style Can Help You Make and Keep Friends. Boxtree.
greatergood.be...
www.fatherhood...
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Panelists:
Brandon:
/ bsquaredny
Darius:
/ kklothesminded
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Jeff:
/ jefflevelsup
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bsky.app/profi...
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Spill - @jeffevelsup- spill.com/p/je...
and Sean.
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Just Drawz on Social Media:
/ thejustdrawzpodcast
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Edited and produced by:
/ jefflevelsup
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Music:
"Neptunes" - by Black Assassin - / blk_assassin