310: Remaking Manhood with Mark Greene

Update: 2017-10-31

Description

Few men have the courage to explore, explode and examine our culture’s programming around masculinity, fatherhood and manhood. Even fewer men dare to share their vulnerable explorations publicly. But it’s men like Mark Greene, our guest on today’s show, that are lifting the veil on how we interpret masculinity in our culture and offering ways to craft a new, mutually beneficial paradigm that allows for the nuances of human experience.

Mark has so much to share. In this episode we only scratch the surface of insights and perspectives he’s shaped as Executive Editor for The Good Men Project. If you’d like to dive deeper into Mark’s writing, pick up his book, Remaking Manhood, but, for now, enjoy our conversation.

Notable Discussions

1:15 - Men Can Be Dads

3:22 - Narrow Definitions of Manhood

4:55 - Man Box

8:40 - Angry White Men

12:22 - Implications of Emotional Expression and Loneliness Epidemic

17:30 - Men’s Devil’s Bargain

18:18 - Relational Castration of Boys

23:20 - Willingness to Explore Communication

30:50 - Holding Uncertainty as a Generative State

33:55 - Listening with Curiosity

36:25 - Practice Marriage

38:00 - Presenting Ideas and Conversing Around Ideas

42:00 - The Forever Story & Argument Coupons & Choosing Play

46:30 - Green Lighting the Man Box and Brutality

48:25 - Definition of Manhood About What Boys “Must Not Be”

50:11 - Genuine Male Relationships & Health

Notable Nuggets

1 in 3 Americans, age 45+ are chronically lonely; Source: AARP, 2010

Male identity in America has been destroyed by a combination of surface level male relationships and economic boom/bust cycles.

Honor the relational space between humans. Treat and care for it as a separate entity. Leave space for the other, especially children, to fill in their own relational space with their own ideas.

Seek out uncertainty as it leads to idea generation and creativity. Avoid immediately labeling things, again, esp. for children, so that creativity can flourish and new interpretations can sprout. Avoid ‘isms, ideals, attitudes towards things, people, objects that preclude creativity. A very Waldorf/Steiner concept as well.

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