I think the Westbank sponsorship was a joke as they follow it up with a surfshark sponsorship. But it was a dicey joke to make

Otherwise nice links!

I’ve been starting to read Bell Hooks - The will to change and am really liking it.

It really encapsulates a lot of my positions concerning men liberation through feminist means and perspectives.

In other news I’m trying to keep socialising with friends and discussing ideas/feelings and dreams and it sometimes feels a bit over the top but it mostly feels very nice.

I’ll resume my Masters next year and recently started reading The Will to Change by Bell Hooks

and I’m flabbergasted that there is literature about topics I felt like I was developing a personal opinion about :D Otherwise I’m struggling with a person in my friend group who feels so disinterested in everything and mostly just annoyed and combative. As I usually game in my free time it’s ridiculous to me to have such an incredibly bad mood in your free time and when spending time with friends for MONTHS. rant over

Imposter syndrome is for sure hard to shake. For how long has it been going on?

And yeah meddling family is also totally my typical nightmare

That does sound more than rough and harsh :( I’m sorry to hear that you are so alone and that it has such a negative development. Especially as it sounds like you are the only one still fighting for the marriage. :/

Haha but yeah I totally get that :D Some things I basically only do for my partner cuz they are so incredibly important to them, but I would never do them. One of those things is that when I was outside using public transport I always change my clothes at home lest I bring the germs onto our furniture (I dunno if that is remotely how it works) but I've grown kind of accustomed to it - when he's not at home for a while I immediately stop doing it though xD

I recently also watched something by the Gottman Institute. https://youtu.be/AKTyPgwfPgg?si=O3X3vrNUIlVFx27M The way I understand it he's a researcher on relationships with another researcher and they really study how relationships work in being positive experiences for both. He also very clearly argues that communication WITH and responding positively to your partner are key factors. I honestly didn't have many relationships before my currently longterm one so I'm usually always looking for other perspectives on how to feel/understand our topics in the relationship. How long has your rleationship been going on for now?

And yes I always think that's funny how fringe groups are sometimes so knowledgeable about certain topics. On the other hand I know it from my outing and living as a gay man. Like you were so forced to be confronted with your own desires being "deviant" from normal issues that you are so forced to do a deep dive into the thematic and really explore it, understand it and sometimes subvert it outright. And yes the way I remember it I also felt comfortable in BDSM places of communication but found polyamourous a bit more approachble :D

WELLLLLL those are a lot of overlaps between us :D I'm doing an MSc in Psychology, it should be alright honestly, like I know it's gotta be manageable and I performed well in the years before, I'm just a bit anxious in general I would say xD So the wait for it is harder for me >.< In the last year I can mostly do stuff to specialise which is going to be male socialisation and men mental health issues and stuff. So I'm quite hopeful I'll do alright :D What's your master in? :) And I think it's cool that you gave it another shot. I honestly think studying is fun, as is any kind of learning that resonates with you. And you do strike me as a curious person :) I can totally see how in some parts of our life studying just doesn't fit.

And I play League of Legends xD Two peas in a pod for real :D They recently took away the game mode I REALLY enjoyed playing with a friend so it feels like a chore currently, I totally feel you there. Dota 2 felt a bit to complx for me when I played it for a while AGES ago :D

You are right I should totally read it. I recently listened/read "This is how you lose the time wars" and also greatly enjoyed it. I think in the past I consumed short stories way more often and always greatly enjoyed the experience.

Oh I am so happy you also liked the video! Yeah it felt like such a good takedown of it. I remember when I started being interested in relationship advice and I always felt that r/relationship(advice) was always hella toxic :D I really liked the polyamourous folk on reddit though. They were usually heavily centred on trying to communicate and accomodate the needs of our partner. Which - I'm still monogamous - felt like how I want to engage with my relationships. There have been some distinct moments for me where I was assuming how my partner wanted stuff or what I should want and it's usually been a pretty stupid experience to realise it's just not what I/they wanted. AND I think relationships change so much over time. Like we just become different people/versions of ourselves and it is constant work to stay aligned and in sync with your partner. Sure there are moments where it just works and you can read their mind but I think it's healthy to acknowledge that that's not always the case :X

Honestly - I only saw Everything Everywhere all at once last year and totally loved it, otherwise I was more focused on series I would say. I really liked Severance and Silo, but I'm a huuuuuuuuuge sucker for SciFi especially when the social commentary is really being explored.

Besides that I've been mostly just randomly watchng youtube videos and played some games. I'm starting my last master's year in 2 weeks so I've been looking forward and dreading it at the same time xD I feel like I've been studying for sooo many years now (part-time mostly) that I shouldn't feel such tumultous emotions, but yeah my body disagrees xD

What are you doing on your end that you don't end up super bored? :)

Uh yes the social construction of meaning yes I totally see that view yes. Especially the sapir-whorf hypothesis as well with how you speak/what language you speak influences the way we can only make sense of our reality for sure!

I think my interpretation came from the last few frames of Amy Adams really embraving her relationship with her future husband while prior learning that they were going to split up eventually but still embracing all the good that would be coming her way even though it is intermingled with grief and loss and frustration. To me (but I guess I just love being a tragic person? :D) that speaks to her opening up to life, to a message of: we have to be open for all to have a full life. Especially with the prior framing of Amy in her house being very calm, disconnected and uninterested in anything really. But I would say it's only one perspective on the film, next time I rewatch it, I'll think about your perspective more :)

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I do think you answered the question quite well. I think yours is a perfect example how supposedly privileged men can struggle/suffer in a patriachial system and how we all have so many thing to relearn.

Being in touch with my emotions has been a neverending experience for me as well, as well as articulating and sharing them with loved ones. I do hope your experience is getting better in that regard and that your wife sees how her rejection of your emotions is hurtful for you. Conversely, maybe when you find ways to express less extreme emotions you both have the opportunity to practice for the when the bigger emotions eventually come around again to be more aligned and feel more heard and validated by your partner.

Start of this year I really had to grow and get better at telling people how I felt cuz I was rather depressive and it was really tough communicating in what ways I felt low and how I felt like my control was slipping away from me. For me it was sometimes easier to think of my emotions like a picture I describe to someone else. My typical example of how I experience fear for example is this feeling of bitter cold in my gut and this horrible silence that is giving me the acute sense of: we cannot think right now, because any second now your life will become a total desaster and I just freeze up and cannot think/feel/do anything else.

You are making my days btw with these responses, it feels really nice to write with you. And now that I know you love Arrival, what are other movies that you really liked? :3

Thanks for starting off the discussion!

I don’t feel pressured to be useful and it’s one of the adjectives I never felt comfortable applying to myself. I’d say it’s one of the adjectives as a gay man that has made me feel like I don’t belong in straight male spaces that I was an imposter who didn’t know how to behave in them and who was fundamentally an outsider.

I’ve nowadays become very comfortable with accepting that I still wouldn’t use useful as an adjective or concept for myself and still feel happy with myself. That pressure in the past was crazy uncomfortable to me though as it just wasn’t a natural fit for me so I totally empathise with anyone struggling with it.

I think that’s a really good takeaway from it.

I also clearly felt that he knew something had to be addressed and I also hope that as you mentioned he might feel more empowered to ask the right questions to himself now and be better at exploring this issue he has.

And your comment about therapy deeply resonates with me so thanks for sharing that I haven’t had it my feelings regarding it so succinctly spelled out before.

Free Talk Friday sounds nice to me - maybe even as @Lettuce mentioned with a leading question or a hook for engagement?

Otherwise maybe a monthly media/book exchange, basically a more focused place to share what we have been reading, consuming or something that is relevant for us/masculinity?

Thanks for asking though spaduf :)

Yeah I concur.

In general as you have said I think it’s wild that we try to individualise success and failures so much when the economic position of our parents is the most reliable predictor for success.

Thanks for sharing, I haven’t thought about this perspective in a long time!