Leftism, Not Masculinity, Is Toxic |
Leftism, Not Masculinity, Is Toxic
Being masculine is a good thing.
J.B. Shurk | March 19, 2026
For fifteen years now, we have witnessed a social event that has never before occurred in human history: an outright attack on masculinity. As someone who sees human history repeating various cycles (some longer or more complex than others) — and not steadily “progressing” or “evolving” in a straight, predictable line — I find the uniqueness of this war on men a troubling indictment of our current age.
Masculinity is not synonymous with violence. To be sure, violent men are an indispensable component of every emerging civilization. Before the poets have time to speak of virtue and before a class of politicians exist to speak of civic duty, men who are capable of violence must vanquish enemies, intimidate competitors, and move the heavy stones that form every civilization’s foundations.
For civilizations to flourish, however, the majority of men must lay down their axes and swords and sublimate any violent instincts into the construction of permanent settlements. When tribes of warriors become guilds of workers, amazing things happen. Men build walls to keep out enemies. They construct freshwater wells and sewer systems to reduce the spread of disease and promote general sanitation. Over time, they become experts with wood, stone, marble, and steel. They build homes, factories, cathedrals, and skyscrapers. They channel their masculinity into strenuous, and usually dangerous, work that transforms small encampments into towns, cities, and metropolises.
Just as men put their weapons aside to build permanent settlements, they put their proclivity for violence aside to build societies. Honor codes and customs restrain violent impulses. Over time, those codes and customs become agreed-upon rules and laws. Those laws form the foundations of institutions that provide a peaceful recourse for otherwise violent........