Sommers: Masculinity More than a Mask

"Are school shooters and mass murderers born out of an aggressive emphasis on masculinity in our society?" asks Christina Hoff Sommers. "The trailer for filmmaker and feminist activist Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s new documentary, The Mask You Live In, would have us think so."

Sommers rejects the "males-are-toxic ideology" expressed in the trailer and suggests 5 ways in which the final documentary, due out later this year, could be improved to more accurately reflect "masculinity" and "how boys' nature can be distinctly good."  Here are her suggestions (although we urge readers to read her full Time article or watch her 3-minute video below):

1. Recognize that masculinity is more than a "mask" — much of the typical boy behavior, such as rough-and-tumble play, risk taking and fascination with gadgets rather than dolls, appears to have a basis in biology.