Thread by @JYSexton

I expected to get some blowback for writing about toxic masculinity and how it's led to Trump's fascism, but what I didn't expect was how angry it would make insecure men who would threaten my safety and harass me like past bullies and abusers. 1/

amazon.com/Man-They-Wante…

What's really shocking is that these people are behaving like elementary or junior high bullies. The namecalling, the threats of violence, all of it. There's definitely a link between what those boys were going through and our current condition. It's all about insecurity. 2/

In my research what I found was that bullies were always the most insecure, that they were overperforming and seeking out victims so that no one would ever question them or their masculinity. Now, it's the same thing. You can see just desperately the harassers are trying... 3/

Even while they're insulting my masculinity, what they're doing is dropping all these signals that they're big, tough men, but they can't even handle the possibility of having a little self-examination. It's really...sad. 4/

Also in my research, what I found was that men resort to violence or threats of violence when they feel threatened. They're socialized to react to any sort of question or shame with anger and aggression. 5/

In this case, a book that simply questions masculinity and its roots and is enough to make them threaten my life or the life of those around me. It's such an overreaction and so hysterical, but that's what happens when your entire identity is predicated on a fragile lie 6/

This isn't the first time my life has been threatened or that people are making threats. My reportage on the rise of Trumpism in 2016 carried the same danger, but in this case it's not about shutting me up, it's about protecting their fragile little identity. 7/

Unfortunately, it all resembles a lot of the abuse I took as a young boy with the men in my life, and it's the same root. They were insecure and fragile and any questioning at all led to this kind of violence. It's really sobering to see how everpresent it is. 8/

And...pitiful. The whole thing is quite pitiful. For men to be unable to allow even a sliver of a different perspective to exist without attacking it is so sad and headshakingly pitiful. 9/

But that's the nature of our environment right now. This toxic masculinity has found purchase and power in Trump and they've been motivated and focused. It's a problem for everyone, particularly women and vulnerable populations, and their fragility is a danger to society. 10/10