Column
Trump Takes ‘Toxic Masculinity’ to New, Contagious Levels
We can’t afford any more of the president’s deadly macho posturing
“Toxic masculinity” is one of those terms that conservatives love to dunk on: They either dismiss it as the elite terminology of gender studies run amok or mischaracterize it as an unfair critique of all men. The truth is much more mundane; it accurately describes the harmful things some men do in order to adhere to an outdated and dangerous concept of masculinity.
See: Donald Trump.
The president, who was hospitalized with Covid-19, has repeatedly put his fear of seeming unmanly above his and the country’s health: He has shunned wearing a mask since the pandemic started for fear of looking “ridiculous”; he mocked staffers for wearing masks, which he saw as a sign of weakness; and just a few days before he tested positive for Covid-19, he made fun of Democratic nominee Joe Biden for his mask-wearing habits. “I don’t wear masks like him; every time you see him he’s wearing a mask. … He shows up with the biggest mask I’ve seen,” Trump said at the presidential debate.
Trump’s refusal to follow social distancing and mask-wearing health guidelines — and his expectation that others do the same — has now led to an all-out outbreak…
