Before we all cheer too loudly, it’s worth admitting something.
This is not a problem with Brendan Leipsic. It’s not a problem with hockey. This is a problem with manhood.
This is not a problem with Brendan Leipsic. It’s not a problem with hockey. This is a problem with manhood.
These comments don’t appear out of thin air. They’re the product of attitudes and beliefs that are fostered over a lifetime. Attitudes towards women. Attitudes towards people that are different than you.
This isn’t about hockey. This is about how we raise men and boys. This is about the values that we as a society choose to instil. Men are not born valuing women by their dress size, nor that the best way to bond with your buddies is to mock others.
This is what we TEACH them. We teach boys that empathy = weakness. We teach boys that the only emotions worth showing are those of anger, of scorn, of indifference towards others. And then we act surprised and shocked when they demonstrate the inevitable result of that education.
Fixing this does not mean ostracizing the worst offenders. It means taking a long, hard look at how we define “being a man” and how we’re shaping our boys. Teach them kindness. Teach them empathy. Teach them that it’s okay to fucking cry.
And in the meantime, I‘m going to refrain from celebrating one guy getting fired, while we’re busy fostering the attitudes that are going to create a thousand more just like him.
