I think men have a kill switch.

So often in the media we hear of an adult male's manhood coming into question if he does something wrong. Usually the comment is something along the lines of 'He's not a man'. It's like a social castration. Admittedly, it's usually something pretty bad to bring this on, and I'm not saying that males should not shamed for behaving badly.

The target of my observation is that this shaming language is expected to operate like a kill switch. It is assumed that an adult male will be mortally concerned about, and the audience will pay particular attention to, comments regarding his manhood status.

I reiterate that I am not seeking to excuse poor behaviour by males.

By stripping the male of their manhood, it is assumed that being a mere male is a horrible thing to be.