Hey Iman, don't worry about the knee-jerk reactionaries, I think you're doing a proper good job of being balanced and asking the right questions in an empathetic way. Very refreshing.
What black drum is trying to say (not very successfully) is that the rate of domestic violence among lesbians is actually higher than among heterosexual couples. That happens to be a fact and could suggest that females tend to be more violent than males.
david hyatt I've seen some sources say abuse rates in lesbian couples are the same as heterosexual relationships so... Anyway I still don't know what lesbians have to do with the original comment hence my question marks
@@lindai6988 my point Linda is that men and women are essentially the same! I believe in gender equality. Decades ago that would have meant that by definition I was a "feminist". Today however my belief in gender equality makes me by definition ANTI-feminist. For example I believe that the number of violent and abusive men are approximately the same as the number of violent and abusive women. "Feminists" however continually scream that only men are the perpetrators and only women are the victims. Obviously the reason I mentioned lesbians is because (no doubt you will correct me if I'm wrong) the great majority of lesbians are women therefore if it is true (and I will try to find a link) that these relationships have the highest incidence of domestic violence then that is relevant to the "feminist" ideology that men are far more violent than women, is it not......
As a psychotherapist with 75% of my clients which are men of all ages I think your series on masculinity is great and much needed, I save all the links and pass them on to clients
I respect this series for actually keeping a neutral stance. The point isn't to put the world to rights, but to raise discussion where men would normally never talk about it
Hard to believe it is a Channel 4 production, really. Most of their stuff in the last few years is so opinionated and biased, it's become unwatchable. This woman is a breath of fresh air. I really think that given the power of the Internet and the way people now consume multimedia content, she could become big if she set up her own production and documenatry channel. In any cae, she will do well in life. Best of luck to her!
I dont find an issue with that if it would be just one episode. Masculine ideals are shaped by everyone including women. Especially if you get into topic of romantic relationships. It would be a problem if they would only ask women. Even from skeptical perspective it would be interesting to see how wrong they can get the idea of masculinity.
@@humbleservant4163 Personally, I think there is, and always has been, a power struggle between the sexes. Unfortunately, and ironically, many women have interpreted innate masculine qualities as more powerful than their own, so it's popular to emulate them in this current age. Notice that "toxically masculine" behavior is only bad when men do it.
@@notyourtype282 I have the feeling many of the folks who want to hear women's voices in the discussion are the same people who believe that men should have no say when it comes to women's issues for lack of experiential knowledge. Irony.
@@jasonmartinez9909 That is valid point. It is stupid to not be able to talk about feminine ideal from male perspective also. I am interested only because of curiosity. To see how many women have wrong idea and how many are at least close to understanding men. Maybe even more than opposite because women are actually allowed to have honest opinion about men. If you put camera on man and ask him about femininity he most likely wont tell you his actual opinion because he is not supposed to.
@@shipscook3765 I don't let the Guardian or anyone else decide anything for me, but I certainly wouldn't let a stranger on UA-cam decide. What's their professional credentials?
Masculinity as a concept is fundamentally linked to women and the female gaze upon us. You cannot look at 1 without addressing the other. The same way that female body images in media was also linked to the male gaze in the discussion surrounding it a few years ago.
@@bez1196 Actually, I would argue the opposite. As a closeted gay guy, I felt that I was constantly performing my masculinity - to fit in with what society expected from me. Now that I'm out of the closet, masculinity is hugely important to the gay world I now inhabit, too. For example, guys will specifically state on dating profiles that they dont want effeminate guys. The 'bear' parties I go to often have guys exaggerating their masculinity to attract other guys. Plus, their is definitely a pressure on gay guys to look shredded in the gym. Masculinity through the eyes of a gay guy is a bit of a trip, to be honest!
@@EnglishwithAndrew yeah I read somewhere that the least desired men in the gay community are the effeminate ones. I guess that explains why some gay guys have an obsession with "turning" masculine straight men.
This is an excellent suggestion. Gay culture often explores, sexualizes, and even fetishizes masculinity in ways that are different from the usual heterosexual view of the male-female dynamic. When men really truly aren't trying to impress women, but instead other men, what does it look like? Great suggestion.
@@thebatonmaster I think it has something similar to when women try to out dress or out look each other not always for the male gaze but simply, how dare she look better than me.
I think you and your team have done a good job exploring masculinity. My only sadness is that they weren't longer, I tend to enjoy the long format interviews but that is a personal preference. In the end thank you for your curiosity and I look forward to more content from you and your team !
@@theGuardian It's just too basic. The presenter has charisma and is attractive (way to shed stereotypes, but ok...), but she isn't intellectually up to this task. But the interviewees are even worse. The barber she met in ep1 evinced this perfectly. He was just parroting some loosely coherent talking points, yet was made out to be some role model. She patronised him to a comical degree, but he was none the wiser. I have not seen many men more confused than that lad. Even had 'Stoic' tattooed on his forehead--the single most unstoic thing one could do. Yet he is given the spotlight, bc he LOOKS like a traditional tough guy lad, but he SPEAKS sensitively, and that is what we want out of masculinity, right? So we arrive at this series' goal: express the Guardian's viewpoints on masculinity, while making it seem like men are teaching it to us. The scary part is this journalist, and with her, the Guardian, seem utterly unaware of their toxicity. They appear to genuinely think they are providing balanced reporting.
I can't believe you responded to my comment, I feel very special! I suppose finding balance is important. Hard and fast definitions are much easier to make sense of but the pain of failing to line up with them is devastating. There are definitely issues with making sense of arbitrary definitions of masculinity and success too, if there are no rules where am I supposed to go? What do I do? I'm so insecure in myself that just going with what feels "right" is a terrifying thought. Many guys my age feel so listless and lost just like me, it's hard to understand where we're going wrong but it's nice to see that so many people care. I'm happy to have been a part of the conversation, but things still make absolutely no sense.
Quote of the year from Iman; applies to every other debate happening right now. "Can you just allow me to go through this as a person that doesn't know much about this... if you can't even allow me to have this journey and form my own opinions, you're really not going to do much for your own cause. You're just going to turn people off from it, and you just make it sound like something we can't talk about."
Thank you for doing this project in good faith! One thing that Jordan Peterson talks about is the hero journey. The men you interviewed are successfully navigating their personal journey--which is great! However, I've noticed that we readily sympathize with men struggling on their particular journey, but those that have given up, got caught cheating, or failed disgracefully, we treat with disdain. For example, we're fine rooting for Rocky because we expect him to prevail in his inner struggle to get into the arena, but had he run away in cowardice before the big fight, we would have spurned him--just as we spurn losers, basement dwellers, incels, etc... Both men and women do this. As proof, I cite the very clear messaging of the 1999 TLC Ballad "No Scrubs." If the hero journey is like climbing a mountain, we have men on the ascent and men on the descent. All the men and boys you interviewed were on the ascent. Peterson is so popular because he speaks to those trying to climbing higher, and those slipping down the slope into who knows what. With that in mind, I would love to see an exploration of masculinity in nerd culture---as nerds have been classically looked down on and deemed to have failed, but the art they consume via comics, video games, and superhero movies are jammed packed with themes relating to the hero journey. Sorry for the wordy reply!
The part about male circumcision should be explored more, though. Just because men generally feel okay with it doesn't mean there aren't some deep subconscious social factors that came into play. Personally I think men are rather embarrassed to feel or think otherwise about themselves being circumsized because it touches into a really private area that could shake their own foundations about masculinity, so they just give the most normalized answer or try to not put much thought into it. Either way, parents shouldn't be even be given the liberty to cut parts of their children's bodies before they have the informed and mature ability to give consent (or just do it themselves).
Parents don't need consent to raise their children how they see fit. The fact that you think the state should intervene in parenting is both hilarious and obnoxious. What else would you like the state to intervene on? Diet? School choices? I know...how about getting consent from sperm and eggs prior to insemination? We should get consent all along the human development process...
I love the way Iman Amrani covers Modern Masculinity. Wonder if she will cover Masculinity in an modern urban family context. In many urban fast paced cities(at least for Asian cultures) Man are still expected to be the bread winners and also do the house work. In many chases, women need to also work, else the family will not have enough. In many cases women take not so demanding jobs to take care of the family but they are already drained each day. The man, who are also drained or even more so are expected to also do their part. So in new urban society, how can guys cope. I know ladies have it tough too, in fact the whole family does. But interested to explore how guys cope in this rush rush rush environment. There is only what 24 hours a day. How does a guy: 1. Work hard, 2.raising his children, 3. do the housework and other home admin stuff and 4. sleep. There is much talk about how women cope in this modern society. But not on how do men cope. We are taught that raising a family is 50/50 between partners, but it seems like both partners are doing 150/150 and still coming up short.
You need to go and speak to South Asian boys from poor backgrounds. That's pretty much the bottom rung of the social hierarchy of men in the UK and will highlight the experience of a group that is largely ignored in the media.
IDKHowToYouTUbe No they don’t get as much media coverage at all. Definitely dominated by white and black folk. Plus there’s evidence that they get discriminated for religion in job applications and on dating platforms. Don’t get me wrong the girls definitely get a lot of coverage - but that’s the girls who are chasing after white or black guys anyway. But the guys definitely don’t get coverage unless there is some negative stereotype. When I think of the words marginalised they pop up in my head. Feminists talk a lot about the patriarchy that they are fighting against - they compete with the privileged white guys and totally ignore the guys at the bottom of the social heap. There’s probably so much untapped potential but there’s nowhere near enough opportunities or exposure to bring awareness to people.
@noobenstein Do you mean the representation on TV/movies? If so I wholeheartedly agree. I'm the oldest son in my family and if we had someone with the personality trait of Raj from TBBT we, and definitely I, would have smacked the weak characteristics out of him.
True journalist. Leaving the conclusions to us. Exploring as your motive, no hidden agenda. This series is my favorite thing on youtube. I love your work and look forward to more!
I've really appreciated both of these seasons Iman! I watched your interview with Russel Howard and the way you explained the series made me super intrigued. I really appreciate the candour of all the men you've spoken at length with. This series has definitely made me think about how I see my own masculinity. Can't wait for more episodes.
Thanks again for all these amazing episodes -- I really love your reporting and the approach you took to this topic. Truly, this was a treat and very refreshing.
I really hope this series continues, and if it does at some point you'll address the subject of Men's relationship with women. I understand this exploration focusing on men themselves but most are raised by their mothers and often solely by their mothers. I would be so interested to know the thought, feelings and attitudes of those raising men in today's world.
Awesome series I've really enjoyed the different viewpoints and the broad cross section of men you've interviewed. The nomination is well deserved. Look forward to seeing you on Graham Norton show.
OMG the series are incredible! i love how open and not at all opinionated your stance is, and the fact that you do open up topics to talk about! I want to get my roommates to watch this so we can talk about this now!
I can’t thank you enough for this series. Others, including myself, who have even tried to approach this topic are immediately shunned as female MRAs or someone who has ‘internalized misogyny’ if I advocate for men and boys.
This is quite literally the best thing I have watched on UA-cam (the two series as a whole). One of the few places genuinely exploring masculinity in this age rather than slamming feminist men or alpha males. Looking forward to the next season, hope it continues finding it really informative and helpful!
It'd be interesting to look at perceptions of masculinity from gay/bi men. I think particularly with bi men it'd be interesting to hear their perspectives on the pressures of masculinity in both gay and straight communities. Keep up the good work!
Is a really interesting series so far, especially knowing that there are others trying to understand what the right way to approach masculinity is and that alot of people are in the same wheel house about it all
Glad the series is headed back in a better direction. The first two or three episodes were amazing, then things bogged down and questions were being asked in strange ways or not asked at all. The "Six packs" video a better take on the overall situation. Definitely hope it gets rounded out with a discussion from women about their ideals of men. The focus is men, but there's a two-sided dynamic going on and the expectations women place on men are equally if not more important in many cases when it comes to how men look at themselves.
None of the guys really spoke for who I feel I am, but it was all the more interesting because of that. Great series; looking forward to what you do next.
Love this series, it's really interesting. I'm hoping you'll cover wider issues like child care, career choices and maybe older men in a changing society. I know these topics have been touched upon in your other videos, but they were generally from a single point of view.
I’d love to see the full length episodes, no editing. That’d show a shade of openness - one I’d appreciate seeing - from The Guardians’ editorial team. *Please* keep this stuff going. It’s the step forwards the left have needed, for a long while. 👏🏼👏🏼 Appreciate.
Really enjoy this series and the way you guys handle the topics. In the future I would love an episode about masculinity when a man hangs out with a group of women. I notice quite a change when hanging out with a only girls or only guys both for me and when I see mates do it. Feels like the "brand" of masculinity that's expected or wanted from me changes.
Congratulations on your award. This has been really a joy watching. If you think of doing so, there is also a stereotype of masculinity in the gay community as well. Especially when I comes to looks and weight, and images that beautiful men are better, compared to the attitudes against those who do not go to the gym, because of lack of self confidence or those who feel confident in their own skin. As a gay man in my 50’s, I have more straight male friends. Why? Because I enjoy real conversations that don’t end up talking about sex all the time. Love this series and look forward for more! Keep up the good work. Again, congrats on your award 🥇
Hey Iman, I love this series especially since you're not focussing only on white men but also black men of all ages. I would love to see an episode about East-Asian and Indian men :)
I teach a literature course on men & masculinity and will be using some of these episodes in the classes. They are great. If you could do something on understanding of consent and sexual violence I would be eternally grateful. Thanks for posting to UA-cam.
I think there is a mistake being made. Men don't equal masculinity. There's a balance in all of us between the masculine and the feminine. I think the whole UFC part could of been very interesting because we could of seen masculinity represented by women.
Keep going Iman. Journalism has become too restrictive now. We should explore all the difficult issues with sensitivity and bravery. You are doing a great job!
Good show Iman! Fit, intelligent and those hoops 👌 don't change girl. We need more of this! Keep it up, it's the best series I've seen for ages. More conversations about men in a non biased way are needed. Fucking good effort!
@@jackdeniston9326 the whole point of the series is that she actively tries to understand another social spectrum than the one she is used to. She does a great job of it. She is entertaining, but she's also obviously a great listener and succeeds in really getting a grasp of ideas & phenomena that stereotypically "don't concern her".
Absolutely loved the series! I hope this isn't the last of its kind from you guys. I also got a better understanding of your stance and why you made certain choices, but I disagree with the reason why you didn't interview female UFC fighters. The way I see it, masculinity and femininity are traits. And this series is about masculinity, not men specifically. Obviously, most men are likely to be more masculine than an average woman. And most women are more likely to be more feminine than an average man. Even though feminine men and masculine women exist. Female UFC fighters make up the small portion of the most masculine, aggressive and dominant women. That's why they need to be interviewed too. That's how I see it. I know you'll get criticism if you do, and if you don't. It's lose-lose with certain viewers/commentors. But I think doing it was the better choice here.
There is a strong and mostly unchallenged premise in most of these videos that masculinity is somehow necessary and important in men's lives, and that they need role models to teach them how to do masculinity properly. But a significant chunk of men have a detatched or antagonistic relationship to masculine norms. To some extent, masculinity is an ideological frame, and I think the series often unwittingly adopts that frame in its choice of questions and interview subjects. Do your subjects actually think or care about performing masculinity before you start asking them what it is? Did you ask them?
Read "The Way of the Superior Man" by David Deida. Every man on the planet needs to read that book. And any woman who wants to understand men and Masculinity should read it too!
love the series but would like to see a broader representation of men. So far you've focused mostly on quite "manly" men, it would be interest to talk to some guys that dont identify with these somewhat stereotypical ideals but consider themselves more "metrosexual" or more "effeminate".
@ukn leo1 Oh, the irony. You do realise that of everyone in this comments section that you have left the most comments and spent the most time posting them 🤣
@ukn leo1 haha, calm down, you don't need to prove to us how manly you are. Turk didn't say he hates you, that's your biased interpretation. And he has a point. There are many different forms of valid masculinity, not just the one you personally value. Besides, many of the greatest figures in history were not at all like you. Einstein, Gandhi, MLK, Alan Turing, Vincent Van Gogh, John Lennon for example, may have been "dweebs" according to you but compare their legacy to yours.
It’s all good. There are things missing because I don’t think men think about their masculinity much. So if you ask them about it, they give you simple answers; especially fighters. I’m a fighter.
Hip Hop could be a topic you could talk about in one of your episodes because most rappers have huge ego that they portray in their music and it has evolved into one of the biggest genres today with the majority of artists and fans being male
Iman, please ignore all the fucking dross you get in the UA-cam comments from the insecure incels and feminist nutcases. Two sides of the same coin those two. You're doing a really good presenting a balanced and informative series on masculinity and to bring things to the table to discuss. The knee-jerk reactions are pathetic.
I watched these videos and sometimes it feels that during the interview the course of the topic is being lost. Also, masculinity is examined through strictly patriarchal norm. I thought it would be more representative of the future roads where masculinity could go and how it can evolve.
![[UA] Eternal Fire проти NAVI | EPL Season 20 Malta](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/chvlsDygrZM/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Iman, don't worry about the knee-jerk reactionaries, I think you're doing a proper good job of being balanced and asking the right questions in an empathetic way. Very refreshing.
BlackDrum ??
What black drum is trying to say (not very successfully) is that the rate of domestic violence among lesbians is actually higher than among heterosexual couples. That happens to be a fact and could suggest that females tend to be more violent than males.
david hyatt I've seen some sources say abuse rates in lesbian couples are the same as heterosexual relationships so... Anyway I still don't know what lesbians have to do with the original comment hence my question marks
@@lindai6988 my point Linda is that men and women are essentially the same! I believe in gender equality. Decades ago that would have meant that by definition I was a "feminist". Today however my belief in gender equality makes me by definition ANTI-feminist. For example I believe that the number of violent and abusive men are approximately the same as the number of violent and abusive women. "Feminists" however continually scream that only men are the perpetrators and only women are the victims. Obviously the reason I mentioned lesbians is because (no doubt you will correct me if I'm wrong) the great majority of lesbians are women therefore if it is true (and I will try to find a link) that these relationships have the highest incidence of domestic violence then that is relevant to the "feminist" ideology that men are far more violent than women, is it not......
You realise people are allowed to criticise without it being a "knee-jerk reaction", right?
I'm know you know that. You must.
As a psychotherapist with 75% of my clients which are men of all ages I think your series on masculinity is great and much needed, I save all the links and pass them on to clients
@@goatsawar02 Not sure what you mean
@@shipscook3765 Not sure what you mean
@@Sharedcare - I am not sure what you either.
DOpe Fresh boy , so much hate and frustration in your words ...
is just sad .
The APA is well known for their agenda to destroy masculinity.
I respect this series for actually keeping a neutral stance. The point isn't to put the world to rights, but to raise discussion where men would normally never talk about it
I couldn't agree more with you. Have a great day!
Same here. And she is such a great person to do so. I really enjoyed this series
It's about asking a question, not about answering it
Hard to believe it is a Channel 4 production, really. Most of their stuff in the last few years is so opinionated and biased, it's become unwatchable. This woman is a breath of fresh air. I really think that given the power of the Internet and the way people now consume multimedia content, she could become big if she set up her own production and documenatry channel. In any cae, she will do well in life. Best of luck to her!
@BlackDrum nah.
A story about masculinity and folks are asking why she didn't talk to women. Brilliant.
Could it be that women are masculine these days?
I dont find an issue with that if it would be just one episode. Masculine ideals are shaped by everyone including women. Especially if you get into topic of romantic relationships. It would be a problem if they would only ask women.
Even from skeptical perspective it would be interesting to see how wrong they can get the idea of masculinity.
@@humbleservant4163 Personally, I think there is, and always has been, a power struggle between the sexes. Unfortunately, and ironically, many women have interpreted innate masculine qualities as more powerful than their own, so it's popular to emulate them in this current age. Notice that "toxically masculine" behavior is only bad when men do it.
@@notyourtype282 I have the feeling many of the folks who want to hear women's voices in the discussion are the same people who believe that men should have no say when it comes to women's issues for lack of experiential knowledge. Irony.
@@jasonmartinez9909 That is valid point. It is stupid to not be able to talk about feminine ideal from male perspective also.
I am interested only because of curiosity. To see how many women have wrong idea and how many are at least close to understanding men. Maybe even more than opposite because women are actually allowed to have honest opinion about men.
If you put camera on man and ask him about femininity he most likely wont tell you his actual opinion because he is not supposed to.
"Why aren't you speaking to real men?" Because a random on a UA-cam comments section decides what a real man is and isn't 🙄
They want her to speak to incels and basement dwellers. Projections ;)
@@KemoSays but they are in basement! they have to go outside meet other people?
@@shipscook3765 I don't let the Guardian or anyone else decide anything for me, but I certainly wouldn't let a stranger on UA-cam decide. What's their professional credentials?
@@shipscook3765 OK boomer
@John Burton It was intended to be an argument. It was a statement
Specific series about men: "BuT wHeRe ArE tHe WoMeN?!"
gerryjtierney I thought it was about “masculinity.”
@BlackDrum literally nothing is radical or feminist. It's about why men are struggling. If you don't think they are, you're blind
@BlackDrum you're a poison to young men
Masculinity as a concept is fundamentally linked to women and the female gaze upon us. You cannot look at 1 without addressing the other. The same way that female body images in media was also linked to the male gaze in the discussion surrounding it a few years ago.
eclipsewrecker masculinity tends to synonymous with men
that "tell me you didn't just say that" is beautifully placed ahaha
I am really enjoying this series, great work! For a further episode, I'd be interested to see you explore masculinity in the gay community.
There wouldn't be much to explore I suppose.
@@bez1196 Actually, I would argue the opposite. As a closeted gay guy, I felt that I was constantly performing my masculinity - to fit in with what society expected from me. Now that I'm out of the closet, masculinity is hugely important to the gay world I now inhabit, too. For example, guys will specifically state on dating profiles that they dont want effeminate guys. The 'bear' parties I go to often have guys exaggerating their masculinity to attract other guys. Plus, their is definitely a pressure on gay guys to look shredded in the gym. Masculinity through the eyes of a gay guy is a bit of a trip, to be honest!
@@EnglishwithAndrew yeah I read somewhere that the least desired men in the gay community are the effeminate ones. I guess that explains why some gay guys have an obsession with "turning" masculine straight men.
This is an excellent suggestion. Gay culture often explores, sexualizes, and even fetishizes masculinity in ways that are different from the usual heterosexual view of the male-female dynamic. When men really truly aren't trying to impress women, but instead other men, what does it look like? Great suggestion.
@@thebatonmaster I think it has something similar to when women try to out dress or out look each other not always for the male gaze but simply, how dare she look better than me.
Congratulations on the Award nomination! It's a great series.
I think you and your team have done a good job exploring masculinity. My only sadness is that they weren't longer, I tend to enjoy the long format interviews but that is a personal preference. In the end thank you for your curiosity and I look forward to more content from you and your team !
We'll be back with more episodes very soon.
@@theGuardian I really don't think it's the number of episodes, sometimes it feels like you're just hitting into the meat of it before you move on
@@theGuardian It's just too basic. The presenter has charisma and is attractive (way to shed stereotypes, but ok...), but she isn't intellectually up to this task. But the interviewees are even worse. The barber she met in ep1 evinced this perfectly. He was just parroting some loosely coherent talking points, yet was made out to be some role model. She patronised him to a comical degree, but he was none the wiser. I have not seen many men more confused than that lad. Even had 'Stoic' tattooed on his forehead--the single most unstoic thing one could do. Yet he is given the spotlight, bc he LOOKS like a traditional tough guy lad, but he SPEAKS sensitively, and that is what we want out of masculinity, right? So we arrive at this series' goal: express the Guardian's viewpoints on masculinity, while making it seem like men are teaching it to us. The scary part is this journalist, and with her, the Guardian, seem utterly unaware of their toxicity. They appear to genuinely think they are providing balanced reporting.
I can't believe you responded to my comment, I feel very special! I suppose finding balance is important. Hard and fast definitions are much easier to make sense of but the pain of failing to line up with them is devastating. There are definitely issues with making sense of arbitrary definitions of masculinity and success too, if there are no rules where am I supposed to go? What do I do? I'm so insecure in myself that just going with what feels "right" is a terrifying thought. Many guys my age feel so listless and lost just like me, it's hard to understand where we're going wrong but it's nice to see that so many people care.
I'm happy to have been a part of the conversation, but things still make absolutely no sense.
Quote of the year from Iman; applies to every other debate happening right now.
"Can you just allow me to go through this as a person that doesn't know much about this... if you can't even allow me to have this journey and form my own opinions, you're really not going to do much for your own cause. You're just going to turn people off from it, and you just make it sound like something we can't talk about."
This quote is even more relevant right now.
Thank you for doing this project in good faith!
One thing that Jordan Peterson talks about is the hero journey. The men you interviewed are successfully navigating their personal journey--which is great! However, I've noticed that we readily sympathize with men struggling on their particular journey, but those that have given up, got caught cheating, or failed disgracefully, we treat with disdain. For example, we're fine rooting for Rocky because we expect him to prevail in his inner struggle to get into the arena, but had he run away in cowardice before the big fight, we would have spurned him--just as we spurn losers, basement dwellers, incels, etc...
Both men and women do this. As proof, I cite the very clear messaging of the 1999 TLC Ballad "No Scrubs."
If the hero journey is like climbing a mountain, we have men on the ascent and men on the descent. All the men and boys you interviewed were on the ascent. Peterson is so popular because he speaks to those trying to climbing higher, and those slipping down the slope into who knows what.
With that in mind, I would love to see an exploration of masculinity in nerd culture---as nerds have been classically looked down on and deemed to have failed, but the art they consume via comics, video games, and superhero movies are jammed packed with themes relating to the hero journey.
Sorry for the wordy reply!
Yes, they need some visibility too!
Great series!
The part about male circumcision should be explored more, though. Just because men generally feel okay with it doesn't mean there aren't some deep subconscious social factors that came into play. Personally I think men are rather embarrassed to feel or think otherwise about themselves being circumsized because it touches into a really private area that could shake their own foundations about masculinity, so they just give the most normalized answer or try to not put much thought into it. Either way, parents shouldn't be even be given the liberty to cut parts of their children's bodies before they have the informed and mature ability to give consent (or just do it themselves).
Parents don't need consent to raise their children how they see fit. The fact that you think the state should intervene in parenting is both hilarious and obnoxious. What else would you like the state to intervene on? Diet? School choices? I know...how about getting consent from sperm and eggs prior to insemination? We should get consent all along the human development process...
@@Gaga4Parma Do you adovcate FGM? There are different types of FGM that would be par with MGM
Iman, this is one of the best things the Guardian has put out for a while, keep going it's great
Small unbiased nuggets. Food for thought, & a basis for deeper conversation away from the exreems of the pendulum swing. Thanks.
I love the way Iman Amrani covers Modern Masculinity. Wonder if she will cover Masculinity in an modern urban family context.
In many urban fast paced cities(at least for Asian cultures) Man are still expected to be the bread winners and also do the house work. In many chases, women need to also work, else the family will not have enough. In many cases women take not so demanding jobs to take care of the family but they are already drained each day. The man, who are also drained or even more so are expected to also do their part. So in new urban society, how can guys cope. I know ladies have it tough too, in fact the whole family does. But interested to explore how guys cope in this rush rush rush environment.
There is only what 24 hours a day. How does a guy: 1. Work hard, 2.raising his children, 3. do the housework and other home admin stuff and 4. sleep. There is much talk about how women cope in this modern society. But not on how do men cope. We are taught that raising a family is 50/50 between partners, but it seems like both partners are doing 150/150 and still coming up short.
if they want a 50/50 partner, they should go the gay way... If they want a woman they need to man up and be worthwhile...
You need to go and speak to South Asian boys from poor backgrounds. That's pretty much the bottom rung of the social hierarchy of men in the UK and will highlight the experience of a group that is largely ignored in the media.
Sheepdog Mindset Podcast how are they the bottom of the social hierarchy of men in the U.K.?And don’t they get as much media coverage as other races?
IDKHowToYouTUbe No they don’t get as much media coverage at all. Definitely dominated by white and black folk. Plus there’s evidence that they get discriminated for religion in job applications and on dating platforms. Don’t get me wrong the girls definitely get a lot of coverage - but that’s the girls who are chasing after white or black guys anyway. But the guys definitely don’t get coverage unless there is some negative stereotype. When I think of the words marginalised they pop up in my head. Feminists talk a lot about the patriarchy that they are fighting against - they compete with the privileged white guys and totally ignore the guys at the bottom of the social heap. There’s probably so much untapped potential but there’s nowhere near enough opportunities or exposure to bring awareness to people.
@noobenstein Do you mean the representation on TV/movies? If so I wholeheartedly agree. I'm the oldest son in my family and if we had someone with the personality trait of Raj from TBBT we, and definitely I, would have smacked the weak characteristics out of him.
Chris Morris did a bit of that when he made the film Four Lions. Mini documentary cane with the film on DVD. Was excellent
Fantastic series. Would love to see the host appear as a guest on Joe Rogan.
Good idea.
True journalist. Leaving the conclusions to us. Exploring as your motive, no hidden agenda. This series is my favorite thing on youtube. I love your work and look forward to more!
I've really appreciated both of these seasons Iman! I watched your interview with Russel Howard and the way you explained the series made me super intrigued. I really appreciate the candour of all the men you've spoken at length with. This series has definitely made me think about how I see my own masculinity. Can't wait for more episodes.
Really enjoy this series and your approach 🙏🏻
Thanks again for all these amazing episodes -- I really love your reporting and the approach you took to this topic. Truly, this was a treat and very refreshing.
I really hope this series continues, and if it does at some point you'll address the subject of Men's relationship with women. I understand this exploration focusing on men themselves but most are raised by their mothers and often solely by their mothers. I would be so interested to know the thought, feelings and attitudes of those raising men in today's world.
I love this series! And I would also love it to deal with masculinity and dancing.
Awesome series I've really enjoyed the different viewpoints and the broad cross section of men you've interviewed. The nomination is well deserved. Look forward to seeing you on Graham Norton show.
Iman is one of the best journalists I've seen in a long time
You're doing a great job. Keep up the good work. You can never please everyone.
"I'm not here to argue with people. I'm here to understand ..."
too much media does the opposite these days
I never comment. But I’m commenting today. This is great stuff, keep it up - it’s important!
OMG the series are incredible! i love how open and not at all opinionated your stance is, and the fact that you do open up topics to talk about! I want to get my roommates to watch this so we can talk about this now!
I can’t thank you enough for this series. Others, including myself, who have even tried to approach this topic are immediately shunned as female MRAs or someone who has ‘internalized misogyny’ if I advocate for men and boys.
This series really has me going back and forth with my self on a lot of issues, I appreciate the space :)
She's much Better than that other guy that does interviews!
Great Change Guardian...She's Good...I enjoy her Content not Biased! 👏👏
This is quite literally the best thing I have watched on UA-cam (the two series as a whole). One of the few places genuinely exploring masculinity in this age rather than slamming feminist men or alpha males. Looking forward to the next season, hope it continues finding it really informative and helpful!
Hello. This is probably the best talk I've seen regarding the topic. It was so pleasant to see the discussions on all of this.
It'd be interesting to look at perceptions of masculinity from gay/bi men. I think particularly with bi men it'd be interesting to hear their perspectives on the pressures of masculinity in both gay and straight communities. Keep up the good work!
Is a really interesting series so far, especially knowing that there are others trying to understand what the right way to approach masculinity is and that alot of people are in the same wheel house about it all
Please keep on doing it.. Your work is great and much needed... Ignore the nonsense and the critics
She’s really cool
Glad the series is headed back in a better direction. The first two or three episodes were amazing, then things bogged down and questions were being asked in strange ways or not asked at all. The "Six packs" video a better take on the overall situation. Definitely hope it gets rounded out with a discussion from women about their ideals of men. The focus is men, but there's a two-sided dynamic going on and the expectations women place on men are equally if not more important in many cases when it comes to how men look at themselves.
release the 30 minute video!
It's not going to happen.
Another class series, big ups from manchester
Read the comments before I watched. Didn’t expect the English accent. Very nice.
None of the guys really spoke for who I feel I am, but it was all the more interesting because of that. Great series; looking forward to what you do next.
Who are you?
Love this series, it's really interesting. I'm hoping you'll cover wider issues like child care, career choices and maybe older men in a changing society. I know these topics have been touched upon in your other videos, but they were generally from a single point of view.
I’d love to see the full length episodes, no editing. That’d show a shade of openness - one I’d appreciate seeing - from The Guardians’ editorial team. *Please* keep this stuff going. It’s the step forwards the left have needed, for a long while. 👏🏼👏🏼 Appreciate.
Really enjoy this series and the way you guys handle the topics. In the future I would love an episode about masculinity when a man hangs out with a group of women. I notice quite a change when hanging out with a only girls or only guys both for me and when I see mates do it. Feels like the "brand" of masculinity that's expected or wanted from me changes.
You did a great job listening and letting men speak for themselves with each his own voice! Proud of you! Xoxoxo
@9:45 she touches on one of the biggest and most 'acceptable' ways in which men are discriminated against.
I really like your neutral stance.
Congratulations on your award. This has been really a joy watching. If you think of doing so, there is also a stereotype of masculinity in the gay community as well. Especially when I comes to looks and weight, and images that beautiful men are better, compared to the attitudes against those who do not go to the gym, because of lack of self confidence or those who feel confident in their own skin. As a gay man in my 50’s, I have more straight male friends. Why? Because I enjoy real conversations that don’t end up talking about sex all the time. Love this series and look forward for more! Keep up the good work. Again, congrats on your award 🥇
I can't believe this is a series by The Guardian.
@BlackDrum have you even watched the series??
I like the series, thank you x
Hey Iman,
I love this series especially since you're not focussing only on white men but also black men of all ages. I would love to see an episode about East-Asian and Indian men :)
I teach a literature course on men & masculinity and will be using some of these episodes in the classes. They are great. If you could do something on understanding of consent and sexual violence I would be eternally grateful. Thanks for posting to UA-cam.
Great work👏🏾
I love this series. It's great. That plant needs watering though
I think there is a mistake being made. Men don't equal masculinity. There's a balance in all of us between the masculine and the feminine. I think the whole UFC part could of been very interesting because we could of seen masculinity represented by women.
Forgot to say that I love the series and that's very refreshing to watch! Keep up with the good work!
A counter intuitive approach but yeah, I was thinking the same.
Only so much access/time though … I can see why they kept it on-point.
Great series iman
Keep going Iman. Journalism has become too restrictive now. We should explore all the difficult issues with sensitivity and bravery. You are doing a great job!
This is a great series.
Great content - very insightful videos
Gawed I just discovered this,it's great. But man also I have a new huge crush going with this woman's openness and charm
brilliant stuff !
I have seen two videos you made on masculinity what point are you trying to make( UFC and a barber shop)? Where are you trying to go??
You sound like such a fair and reasonable journalist. There don’t seem to be many of you out there any more. Particularly not at the Guardian…
Good show Iman! Fit, intelligent and those hoops 👌 don't change girl. We need more of this! Keep it up, it's the best series I've seen for ages. More conversations about men in a non biased way are needed. Fucking good effort!
@Harvey Smith so?
Someone get Iman on the JRE
She doesn't understand anything, she is just an entertainer.
@@jackdeniston9326 the whole point of the series is that she actively tries to understand another social spectrum than the one she is used to. She does a great job of it. She is entertaining, but she's also obviously a great listener and succeeds in really getting a grasp of ideas & phenomena that stereotypically "don't concern her".
Don't like the white sport socks, but keep up the good work!
Well done, Iman!
Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night
Absolutely loved the series! I hope this isn't the last of its kind from you guys. I also got a better understanding of your stance and why you made certain choices, but I disagree with the reason why you didn't interview female UFC fighters.
The way I see it, masculinity and femininity are traits. And this series is about masculinity, not men specifically. Obviously, most men are likely to be more masculine than an average woman. And most women are more likely to be more feminine than an average man. Even though feminine men and masculine women exist. Female UFC fighters make up the small portion of the most masculine, aggressive and dominant women. That's why they need to be interviewed too. That's how I see it.
I know you'll get criticism if you do, and if you don't. It's lose-lose with certain viewers/commentors. But I think doing it was the better choice here.
There is a strong and mostly unchallenged premise in most of these videos that masculinity is somehow necessary and important in men's lives, and that they need role models to teach them how to do masculinity properly. But a significant chunk of men have a detatched or antagonistic relationship to masculine norms. To some extent, masculinity is an ideological frame, and I think the series often unwittingly adopts that frame in its choice of questions and interview subjects. Do your subjects actually think or care about performing masculinity before you start asking them what it is? Did you ask them?
Read "The Way of the Superior Man" by David Deida. Every man on the planet needs to read that book. And any woman who wants to understand men and Masculinity should read it too!
love the series but would like to see a broader representation of men. So far you've focused mostly on quite "manly" men, it would be interest to talk to some guys that dont identify with these somewhat stereotypical ideals but consider themselves more "metrosexual" or more "effeminate".
@ukn leo1 Oh, the irony. You do realise that of everyone in this comments section that you have left the most comments and spent the most time posting them 🤣
@ukn leo1 haha, calm down, you don't need to prove to us how manly you are. Turk didn't say he hates you, that's your biased interpretation. And he has a point. There are many different forms of valid masculinity, not just the one you personally value. Besides, many of the greatest figures in history were not at all like you. Einstein, Gandhi, MLK, Alan Turing, Vincent Van Gogh, John Lennon for example, may have been "dweebs" according to you but compare their legacy to yours.
Maybe because those men are already usually positively represented in every other form of mainstream media, INCLUDING in the Guardian.
I'd love to hear her unedited ramblings, she is being too reasonable here.
Other than that, these series is the best thing since sliced bread
It’s all good. There are things missing because I don’t think men think about their masculinity much. So if you ask them about it, they give you simple answers; especially fighters. I’m a fighter.
Thanks
Brilliant...there is no one answer to what it means to be a man. We talk about masculinities...because there is no one single way to be masculine.
I really love the sound of your laugh. It's so wholesome and heartwarming. Am I falling in love with you? And could you blame me?
You've done well. ESPECIALLY for a Guardian writer. I've enjoyed it, even the identity digression was tolerable. Good luck.
Mexican American here, definitely didn't have a Mexican accent LOL
Hip Hop could be a topic you could talk about in one of your episodes because most rappers have huge ego that they portray in their music and it has evolved into one of the biggest genres today with the majority of artists and fans being male
ngl i fuck with this
Why is circumcision even such a hot topic to begin with?
what's her ig? does she have her own youtube channel?
No circumcision.
You’re doing well!!
I like this girl
I know it will likely be ill received, but doing an episode on transmen would be super interesting. Hope you consider it!
Hey I love The Guardian, a question if you dont mind,
why don't you spoke to female mma fighters?
Andrés Serrón lol old school trolling
8.32 to 10.24.
Spot on.
Hey Iman, could you look at masculinity in the gay community?
You're behaving objectively as a journalist should and the people are freaked out because they aren't used to it
I want to be Iman's friend
Iman, please ignore all the fucking dross you get in the UA-cam comments from the insecure incels and feminist nutcases. Two sides of the same coin those two.
You're doing a really good presenting a balanced and informative series on masculinity and to bring things to the table to discuss. The knee-jerk reactions are pathetic.
I watched these videos and sometimes it feels that during the interview the course of the topic is being lost. Also, masculinity is examined through strictly patriarchal norm. I thought it would be more representative of the future roads where masculinity could go and how it can evolve.
The presenter gives off this Amy Winehouse feeling, it's so weird!