The idea of "toxic masculinity" is sort of like the right-wing co-opting of "black fatigue"? I.e. it seems to follow the pattern of pointing to individuals or groups who do a Bad Thing, and then assuming it must be because of their identity or culture.

Context:

I follow some right-wing content creators as a way to "get a pulse" on what conservative media is promoting to its audiences, and one of the tropes they've started to use is "black fatigue".

To my understanding, "black fatigue" was originally meant as a way to describe the emotional toll of being a racial minority. Black people being fatigued by racism. Simple enough.

However, the typical "black fatigue" video by a right-wing content creator follows this pattern:

* Point to an instance of disorderly, criminal, or dangerous behavior.

* Explain that people are suffering "black fatigue" because of this.

The hidden premise to these arguments is that the bad behavior is the result of race, otherwise it would be illogical to have race-related fatigue. They can't look at someone shoplifting and say "This is why people have black fatigue." without arguing or implying that it's okay to judge groups of people based on individual actions and that the shoplifter's race somehow influenced them to commit a crime.

It's a kind of secondhand argument, like manufacturing consent (i.e. "It's okay for people to feel this is justified." = "This is justified."), appealing to a silent majority ("Most people out there would agree that..." = "I am telling you to believe that...") or a respectable newspaper saying "Tabloids are reporting on this celebrity scandal." because it would seen too trashy and beneath them to directly report on the scandal.

As a specific example, Carnival Cruise implemented stricter rules for passengers, such as those regarding drug usage and drink limits. People overdrink or use drugs for a variety of reasons. They get care less about consequences on the idea of "What happens in Vegas...", they have a personal addiction, they feel peer pressure, they're in a constant party atmosphere rather than normal life, and so on.

However, right-wingers seized upon this to explain "black fatigue", as if passengers doing unsafe, disorderly, or illegal things on a cruise line was some kind of issue with their race or culture.

"Toxic Masculinity" follows the same fallacious logic as right-wing usage as "black fatigue".

Do men commit violent crime? Sure, but is that really because of masculinity? Why do we have to make it about them being men?

People commit crimes for an enormous variety of reasons, and even masculine-coded reasons like "revenge" or "dominating territory" aren't necessarily about masculinity. Anyone of any gender can feel slighted or want to protect their territory from rival gangs.

Perhaps protecting territory itself might be considered masculine, but gangs hold territory so they can do things like sell drugs, not to be as masculine as possible. A violent criminal might chase a strong reputation because they don't want to be seen as weak and attacked, not because they don't want to be seen as weak and feminine.

Do men suppress their emotions? Sure, but is that really because of masculinity? Why do we have to make it about being a man?

Some people are afraid to express their emotions for fear of burdening others. Some people are afraid to express their emotions to protect their privacy. Some people are afraid to express their emotions because others might try to help in counterproductive ways. Some people are afraid to express their emotions because it might be considered unprofessional (i.e. think doctor freaking out at a medical problem).

Even masculine-coded reasons for wanting to suppress your emotions, like not wanting to be seen as weak, are not necessarily because of masculinity. Being seen as strong and competent is something almost everyone wants, regardless of their sense of masculinity. Both a male and female doctor would want to keep their composure in front of a patient and not look like they can't handle the diagnosis. It's not about looking strong as a man, but strong as a competent professional. We generally associate acting out or crying with children, so any adult of any gender might want to avoid crying for fear of being seen as childish.

At heart, "toxic masculinity" is an explanation for bad behavior that relies on group categorization or individual virtue, like a right-wing explanations for crime, terrorism, poverty, and disorder.

Like looking at a black partygoer and arguing that their drunkenness promotes "black fatigue", the idea of "toxic masculinity" looks at men and assumes that male culture is the cause or an individual's sense of masculinity is the motivation.