A new Medium publication that celebrates our relationships with self and others.
“Modern Identities” is a publication about how we identify our authentic self: as an individual, in relation to a loved one, and as a member of society. We’ll share heteronormative and non-heteronormative nonfiction, personal stories. We’ll cover the full spectrum of gender, including men and women, both cis and trans, as well as non-binary and a-gender expressions.
We’ll address changing societal gender norms, sexuality and sexual orientation, and whom and how we love. …
A daughter wonders how much more fulfilled and successful her father would have been if he’d broken out of the man box.
You could say that I was the reason my father never got to live his passion. But really, my unexpected appearance in the world was only a part of it.
I’m a woman. But I’ve been stuck on the fringes of the man-box for much of my life.
The bigger reason is that he never even considered that living his passion was an option he was supposed to have available to him. The “man box” didn’t tell him he was supposed to pursue his passion. …
Ariel Chesler explains that the side-effect of boys not being allowed to show “girile” emotions, is that all they are left with is rage.
Following the recent killing of Maren Sanchez, a 16-year-old honor student in Connecticut, by a fellow student — Chris Plaskon — who was apparently in love with her, everyone is searching for root causes for such violence. The alleged motive was that Sanchez said no to attending a prom with Plaskon.
By all accounts, Plaskon had a good home life. He lived with his father and mother and three brothers and was a member of the football, baseball, and track teams. He had friends and was known to be boisterous and a jokester. …
Identifying a symptom and not a cause.
You’ve heard it before and not just about social media. Something other than ourselves is to blame for the way we’re acting. We’ve become an irrational self-absorbed lot and the problem is at least one of the following if not some combination; Cable Television, the internet, MTV, Marilyn Manson’s Music, The Beatles, Dope, Social Media, one of the Kardashians. These things have been blamed for everything from mass shootings, to a decline in respect for the elderly, to a general dumbing of our youth.
These conjectures are not reserved for crackpot conspiracy theorists living in mobile…
Poverty as a motif in Todd Phillips’s newest work.
By Ayo Fayola
The gravity of these words cuts across the gritty veneer of Gotham City where, in Todd Phillips’s sobering big-screen adaptation JOKER, the angst and ennui of modern socioeconomic malaise hover over the city like an impenetrable fog. Across sewage-chocked alleyways, in and out of shoddy public transportation, slinking into their tenement houses, the masses of Gotham’s citizens are reminded of their inescapable fate. In Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), whose journey we follow from rundown man to maniacal murderer, the question of purpose and place in the universe are poignantly laid bare.
From a cinematic standpoint, much has…
Let’s #StopAsianHate by exercising our ability to speak that universal language of love and tolerance.
By Mick Foley
This is a photo of me with one of my 11 cousins of Korean descent. I’m ten years older than Bob (not his real name, but I don’t want anyone messing with him) and I remember rocking him and his younger sister when they were babies and later enjoying seeing them at WWE events and family get-togethers. Until recently, I’ve never even considered them my Korean cousins; just my cousins. …
Are you looking for a better work-life balance? Here is how active firefighter, business owner and family man Brent Clayton gets the balance just right.
Achieving the right balance between work and life is challenging in the modern world.
It’s something most men have to deal with on a daily basis, particularly as they take on more responsibilities and commitments. It can feel overwhelming having to manage the work and life balance.
Carl Yorke wrote a great article here on The Good Men Project, titled ‘How Fathers Worry About Work Life Balance Too.’ In the article he quotes Professor Kristen Shockley who says that there is little difference between men and women when it comes to work-family conflict.
Being a fulltime firefighter…
How social changes change our world.
By Tom Sheehan
“Brickley!” yelled his boss Marquis, “if you don’t get out of the way I’ll kick your ass for good.” And Marquis, darker but plump himself, wearing an atrocious suit with orange lines in it, smiled that puffy-cheeked grin he’d always use, like it was punctuation itself. I’m the boss and you’re the slob, it said. It was nothing less than a tongue speaking right at Brickley’s ear. Even commas and periods were in place, the exclamation points by the fingers. If there were question marks, he’d know them. He bet he could quote him verbatim, all the…
Enjoy a life with less stress thanks to this ancient sport.
By Sam Gray
During this week’s Monday morning class, I had the pleasure of experiencing Marc verbalize a philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu that I have been trying to put my finger on for weeks. Here’s what it looks like:
- Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
I call it’s “Marc’s Windowless Philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu.” Now let me break it down.
Before Jiu-Jitsu, I was used to reaching in my life. To best understand what I’m referring to, let’s use the example of reaching for a cup at the back of the cupboard. …
“Men need to be educated to court in a way that is neither belittling nor sexist. They need to understand how to treat the other person as a true equal.”
As a woman, I view the world through a female lens. I wanted to learn about the male perspective, and especially the perspective of a father, so I recently sat down with a friend of mine as he shared his experience raising his young daughter. Drew is the single father of a three-year-old daughter and opened up about his experience raising his daughter in the era of #MeToo.
Can you describe the experience of raising a daughter as a single father?
It’s the coolest relationship I’ve ever been a part of. In the morning, I wake up and I get to hang out with my best friend. I get to…
