Maybe it’s because Meryl Streep is a powerhouse Hollywood elite actress that she gets to say what the fuck she wants and not worry about being black-listed. At a panel discussion for the second season of HBO’s Big Little Lies Steep stated:
“Sometimes, I think we’re hurt. We hurt our boys by calling ‘something’ toxic masculinity. I do. And I don’t find [that] putting those two words together … because women can be pretty fucking toxic,” Streep said. “It’s toxic people. We have our good angles, and we have our bad ones. I think the labels are less helpful than what we’re trying to get to, which is a communication, direct, between human beings. We’re all on the boat together. We’ve got to make it work.”
Where is the lie? Streep is very active and outspoken on feminist issues however she classifies herself as humanist. She also has a son which I’m sure helps in her empathy towards males and the examination of the term Toxic Masculinity.
Streep’s factual comment caused a collective “oh no, there’s sand in my vagina” reaction from feminist bloggers and mainstream sites. To me it was less about attempting to understand her point of view but more so she stepped outside of the hive’s echo chamber talking points. The same echo chamber that says stupid shit like “#believeallwomen” because like police officers, they’re incapable of lying.
A blogger over at Jezebel stated, “Streep seems to mistakenly believe that the term “toxic masculinity” means that all masculinity is toxic and so, therefore, all men are,”. No, that’s what large swaths of the feminist narratives in media will have you believe if you don’t subscribe. Streep spoke after observing this narrative and correctly called bullshit and pointed to the harm it can cause us.
Feminists were like, “what does toxic-femininity even mean? It’s just a made up term”; yeah so is toxic masculinity. Internal dysfunction exists in both sexes. Like many, I’ve experienced it. Having been on the receiving end of being labeled ‘toxic’ simply because I stated (at the time) I haven’t seen, nor do I want to see Paris is Burning because it doesn’t appeal to me”, shows how buzzwords/terms are overused. Toxic masculinity is lazily used as a catch all umbrella term. Its frequently used as the reason for male suicide rates but when female suicide is discussed the word toxic is absent and replaced with other made up terms that circle back to male blame like ‘internalized misogyny’.
Females are not a separate species on the evolutionary tree. They’re not ‘Neo-Humans’, they are humans just like males. I don’t have a problem with the term toxic masculinity; I have a problem with its usage. Let me give you a similar example; I don’t have a problem with being labeled a homosexual, I would have a problem being labeled homo. If we’re trying to get to a place of direct civil honest communication between human beings as Streep described, we need to understand toxic masculinity in its current application is a divisive triggering term that stifles conversation.
That last part is that part. For me, toxic masculinity is a blanket statement in examining "traditional male roles". This goes beyond just letting boys be boys, boys don't cry, and man up adherences . I feel that it is most used negatively to describe the angry privelaged male by feminist advocates. The malevolence in that assessment is creating a false narrative when describing men generally. Masculinity is emotional strength and toughness. Virility beyond the peen and in that expression is balance of heart, sensitivity, and responsibility. Traditional roles are changing for both sexes as the culture and its paradigm shifts and continue to evolve. As in all things, we must learn to adapt as what is ultimately possible is equality .I am an advocate for equality for all.