China bans 'sissy men' from TV to encourage more masculinity in young men

Senator Josh Hawley is worried about men. In a recent speech at the National Conservatism Conference, he blamed the left for their mental health problems, joblessness, obsession with video games and hours spent watching pornography. “The crisis of American men,” he said, “is a crisis for the American republic.

”The liberal reaction was flippant. A CNN analysis mocked the speech, contrasting the “decline of masculinity” with real issues like the pandemic and inflation. The ReidOut Blog on MSNBC’s website declared, “Josh Hawley’s crusade against video games and porn is hilariously empty.” But the contempt and mockery his speech received was, at least in part, misplaced.

Mr. Hawley is not alone in sensing that masculinity is a popular cause; around the world, male politicians are tapping into social anxieties about its apparent decline, for their own ideological ends. The Chinese government, for instance, has declared a “masculinity crisis,” and it is responding by cracking down on gaming during school days and by investing in gym teachers and school sports.

There can be a homophobic and fascistic component to such calls: China has also barred “sissy” men from appearing on TV; in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has said that masks are “for fairies”; and Mr. Hawley, in his speech, fueled anti-transgender prejudice by alluding to a bogus “war on women’s sports.” Nothing justifies this hateful nonsense. But Mr. Hawley, for all his winking bigotry, is tapping into something real — a widespread, politically potent anxiety about young men that is already helping the right.

American politicians have long fanned popular flames of masculine panic to advance their own agendas, and Mr. Hawley is a scholar of this tradition. In 2008, two years after graduating from Yale Law School, he wrote a smart, compelling book about a historical figure who also worried about masculinity. In “Theodore Roosevelt: Preacher of Righteousness,” published by Yale University Press, Mr. Hawley described how Roosevelt sought to imbue men with the fortitude the country needed to drive big national projects like war and territorial expansion.

Foregrounding the iconic virility of the cowboy and the soldier, he set out to inspire civic virtue in a citizenry that, he believed, had lost traditional manly virtues when people moved from farms to cities. Conquest would allow American men to shed the temptations of the “slothful life” and become a “more manful race.” Mr. Hawley seeks to carry on this tradition. (...)

A couple of years ago I had a lipoma. Somewhat matches your description. They did cut it out, but it wasn't a big deal. Best to get it looked at - we will want a definitive answer if we are going to start a pool - "what's wrong with Manbird? - 5 dollars an square".

What is Diastasis Recti?

Click on this image to learn more about the structure and function of the abdominal wall

Diastasis Recti is a medical condition where the abdominal wall stretches down the midline (at the linea alba) and causes separation and bulging or trenching in the tummy. Although it is more common in women due to the hormonal and physical demands of pregnancy, Men suffer from diastasis recti too.

What Causes Diastasis Recti in Men?

Diastasis recti is caused by consistent forceful forward pressure on the abdominal wall (specifically the linea alba that runs down the center of the abdomen). In men, the consistent forward pressure is in fitness with repetitive crunch and crunch like movements as well as any time men use bracing, bulging, bearing down or breath-holding as a stabilization strategy.

Ultimately, diastasis recti is directly connected to ongoing Functional Core Weakness – the inability of the muscles of the core to effectively function and support the body for everyday physical demands without pain or dysfunction. As a result of this weakness, our body is forced to use ineffective compensation strategies such as breath holding, bulging, bracing and tensing of the tummy to stabilize the spine. These strategies create consistent forward forceful pressure on the abdominal wall and can cause the linea alba to stretch and bulge.

In addition, a weak and inactive internal core muscle can contribute to poor posture and muscle imbalances throughout the body that interfere with effective functional core activation. The combination of an inactive internal core, collapsed postures, compensation patterns and muscle imbalance set the stage for the abdominal wall to separate and become uncoordinated and ineffective.