Asking The Right Question About Reaction To The Gillette Ad

This time, this blog is not reviewing a Christian article. But it is reviewing an article that should be important to us religiously conservative Christians.

George Monbiot (click here for a bio), who has led as interesting a life as anyone this blog has reviewed, wrote on the negative reaction to Gillette's advertisement that calls on men to change from exhibiting a 'toxic masculinity' (click here for the commercial). That toxic masculinity includes in particular the sexual harassment of and assault on women and bullying. In other words, toxic masculinity includes the idea of using force to dominate others. And after watching the commercial, one would think that the commercial said what is obvious and necessary to say.

But reaction to the commercial by many men, especially conservative ones, came as a shock. Many men vigorously objected to the commercial and became defensive--see Piers Morgan's reaction for example (click here). They used a straw man to claim that all of masculinity, rather than just the toxic parts, was under attack. And in doing so, they showed a great sensitivity and defensiveness that they were trying deny.

This is where Monbiot's article comes into play (click here for the article). For what Monbiot saw in the criticisms of the ad was fear rather than courage, weakness rather than toughness, and powerlessness rather than being in control. In other words, if the men who were protesting the commercial were as strong and tough as they portray themselves to be, why does the commercial cause them to become emotionally disheveled? Is their behavior indicating that the Gillette commercial hit a nerve that their collective self-image denied existed?

And so Monbiot's questioning of the negative reactions to criticizing toxic masculinity hits the nail on the head. Monbiot then goes on to look at how the term used, 'toxic masculinity,' might be a counterproductive one in terms of discouraging those men who need help from getting help. But something else that is both overlooked by Monbiot but indicated by the reaction to the commercial must be looked at. What must be looked at in the strong negative reactions to the commercial is whether we are dealing with toxic masculinity at all when criticizing the destructive ways in which men come across. For when we see hostility shown to people or ideas that challenge conventional ideas and tradition, or that call into question the quest for or exercising of excessive power, we are not necessarily dealing with any form of masculinity. Rather, we are receiving the whip end of the authoritarian personality type in people (click here). And what we must remember is that this personality type comes in two forms: the dominant form of a ruler and the enabling submissive form of the subject (click here). 

And if our problem is with the authoritarian personality type in men, which women could exhibit as well, then our problem is not just with domineering men, it is also with their cheerleader supporters. And we should note here that dominance over others is not just a male trait, it is a trait of a personality type that does not discriminate against either gender.

If we list some of the traits of the authoritarian personality type, what we will see is the reactions to the commercial which Monbiot observed. Those traits include (click here for the source):

• Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong
• Belief in aggression to those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking
• A need for strong leadership that displays uncompromising power
• A belief in simple answers and polemics
• A black and white worldview
• A tendency of projecting one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group

 It isn't just men who can display a toxic persona, it is those who are preoccupied with the right group and traditions having great control over others such that they try to dominate others even if that domination calls for violence. The authoritarian personality type revolves around an irrationally strong fear of a loss of control by desired leaders and ideologies over others. That fear becomes the driver in how people react to others especially if others challenge one's desired leaders and ideologies.

Monbiot's article should be required reading for all. He makes excellent observations. But the real problem we are facing today that we see in men is not about masculinity, it is all about personality type. That such a personality type is strongly associated with one gender or another is culturally determined and can confuse the issue and make us think that only group needs to beware. In reality, all of us should beware of whether we are are embracing either form of the authoritarian personality type.

 



References

1. https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/1016735/
2. https://zcomm.org/author/georgemonbiot/