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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMen Resist Green Behavior as Un-Manly
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/men-resist-green-behavior-as-un-manly/Men may eschew green products and behaviors to avoid feeling feminine. In one study, we threatened the masculinity of male participants by showing them a pink gift card with a floral design and asking them to imagine using the card to purchase three products (lamp, backpack, and batteries). Compared to men shown a standard gift card, threatened men were more likely to choose the non-green rather than green version of each item. The idea that emasculated men try to reassert their masculinity through non-environmentally-friendly choices suggests that in addition to littering, wasting water, or using too much electricity, one could harm the environment merely by making men feel feminine.
Ironically, although men are often considered to be less sensitive than women, they seem to be particularly sensitive when it comes to perceptions of their gender identity. In fact, a previous study suggests that men find it to be more difficult than women to choose between masculine and feminine versions of everyday food and household items and will usually change their preferences to be more manly when allowed time to think about their decisions. Something as simple as holding a purse, ordering a colorful drink, or talking in a high voice can lead to social harm, so men tend to keep a sharp eye out for any of these potential snares.
So what can pro-environmental marketers do to buffer against the threat posed to men by the green-feminine stereotype? First, eco-friendly marketing messages and materials can be designed to affirm mens masculinity and give them the confidence to overcome their fear of being judged as feminine when engaging in green behaviors. For example, in one experiment, men who received feedback affirming their masculinity were more interested in purchasing an eco-friendly version of a cleaning product. Men who feel secure in their manhood are more comfortable going green.
Patriarchy hurts everyone.
ExciteBike66
(2,374 posts)Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)Harvey Weinstein et al notwithstanding.
just, wow
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)I don't believe in labeling.
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)Anny61
(100 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)Marengo
(3,477 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)com·rade
ˈkämˌrad,ˈkämrəd/
noun
noun: comrade; plural noun: comrades
a companion who shares one's activities or is a fellow member of an organization.
synonyms: companion, friend
Marengo
(3,477 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)Marengo
(3,477 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)Marengo
(3,477 posts)pazzyanne
(6,556 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)DBoon
(22,397 posts)already have a backpack
TlalocW
(15,391 posts)Just recently there was some sort of mini-van commercial that while extolling its virtues tried to be funny by having the guy driving it run into one of his motorcycle-riding buddies at the gas station and trying to look cool and having that ruined by his wife who leans out the window to say hi to the motorcycle buddy and to ask her husband if his hands are chapped and if he needs to borrow some of her aloe-vera hand softener.
TlalocW
FSogol
(45,526 posts)Last edited Fri Dec 29, 2017, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)
FSogol
(45,526 posts)The humor is from the guy being emasculated, but riding the bike is the greener choice. The opposite of what the article purports.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)7962
(11,841 posts)All contents inside, sliding doors on either side for easy access to contents, rides better, buy a used one MUCH cheaper.
And notice the MANLY truck ads.
Pope George Ringo II
(1,896 posts)"Why does your door do that?"
"Because sliding doors are the only intelligent way to put doors on a minivan."
FSogol
(45,526 posts)Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"Not all insecure men!" cried the righteously indignant while looking for any reason possible to be offended by the merely benign.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)If "manly" is your thing. How about fishing, hunting, climbing, etc. Do you want to preserve those "manly" activities for future "men"?
dlk
(11,576 posts)Saviolo
(3,283 posts)Link to their analysis here: http://grist.org/briefly/toxic-masculinity-is-probably-destroying-the-planet/
After conducting a series of studies with more than 2,000 participants in the U.S. and China, researchers found a cognitive link between greenness and femininity. Basically, eco-friendly behaviors like shopping with a reusable grocery bag are perceived as more feminine, so men are less inclined to do them.
This could be part of the reason why women have done more to reduce waste and curb global carbon emissions than men.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,431 posts)Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,431 posts)If a behavior is identified across a subset, wouldn't it be useful to know it, so we can understand it better?
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Being around engineers and software developers all the time, my knee-jerk reaction is to reject this as bullshit. All the people I hang out with and work with, are deeply interested in conservation, for a variety of reasons including cost savings over time.
But I take a breath, and think.
This article isn't saying ALL MEN. It's a statistical correlation. It isn't saying your husband isn't dedicated to saving the environment. It's talking about a population average.
I constantly have to remind myself, I don't surround myself with the average kinda person, male or female. Please consider that as well, when reading these sorts of articles.
tymorial
(3,433 posts)Then perhaps you would be correct. It wasn't written that way. It wasn't posted that way. It generalizes for effect and is yet another condemnation of men in general. I am tired of it. I generally don't bother debating these points with the people that make these insulting generalizations because it is pointless.
If articles were written condemning the behavior of certain women but instead simply stated women there would be outrage and it would be justified. It's hypocrisy and I'm over it
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)How can you learn anything new with this closed minded defensive attitude? It serves no one to react emotionally to academic studies.
mercuryblues
(14,537 posts)perceived slight of not saying *some* men.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)'real' psychology. or sociology..and they assume a great deal when making this claim that I dispute...if you start with a false premise, all else is flawed. How would you go about 'proving' their hypothesis assuming they even have one...I am as you might guess scientifically trained and worked in research for some years and in business...taught High School and some college courses as well. My hubs is an engineer and we moved quite a bit. You know this is a bullshit article and this publication has slipped over the years. Einstein used to publish there. I adore Einstein and with the exciting discoveries in Physics am sorry I didn't go that route sometimes; he wouldn't publish there now. I hate junk science where they breathlessly announce some new 'discovery' everyday...and it is junk science that is used to attack climate change and even evolution. This sort of thing causes a great deal of damage in my opinion...it also reduces the credibility of the scientific community as these folks muddy the water with their pseudo-science bullshit.
mythology
(9,527 posts)To quote Neil de Grasse Tyson, the great thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)I am not sure my anecdote is that much worse than this study. I consider stuff coming out of this publication lately...junk science. I don't buy this article because it would be impossible to prove one way or the other to any accuracy.
NickB79
(19,258 posts)On the other hand, I work with a ton of men that fit this article to a T.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,337 posts)Tipperary
(6,930 posts)He was a big 6 foot plus guy. It would never have occurred to him to think that was feminine behavior. How utterly stupid.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Please try to separate the two.
Tipperary
(6,930 posts)Gosh thought this was a discussion board. I just wanted to add something from my own experience. I do hope your day improves!
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)"How utterly stupid'
Was this not in reference to the article/conclusions? It's a refrain that can be found in a couple other poster's comments in this thread, that the study must be wrong/dumb, etc, because anecdotes.
If that's not what you meant, then I withdraw the comment.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I'd pretend an objectively neutral response referencing math implied offense as well if I had nothing of substance to ad.
I'd also fixate on my personal experience over that of science were my biases predisposed as such, regardless of any petulant allegation of a better day I'd ad to better cower behind passive behavior.
No doubt, you'll rationalize otherwise... which will be bemusing in and of itself.
I do however, like your minor variation on the "I have a right to my opinion!!!!" t-shirt.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)OnlinePoker
(5,725 posts)Of course it's already my money so it would be pointless.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)Volaris
(10,274 posts)Grown ass (read this as EMOTIONALLY MATURE) Men should be smart enough to understand the back - end math of solar panels...because only an absolute idiot would choose to pay an electric bill when one doesn't have to.
procon
(15,805 posts)WhiteTara
(29,722 posts)TimeToGo
(1,366 posts)It doesn't entirely make the sexy point.
CousinIT
(9,257 posts)misogynist or at least sexist - they have no (or less) respect for women or anything considered female - including the Earth.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Sort of about the love hate relationship that men have with the nurturing and (literal) home making aspects of womanhood. Hard to explain. Disturbing stuff.
Nay
(12,051 posts)this sentence:
Ironically, although men are often considered to be less sensitive than women, they seem to be particularly sensitive when it comes to perceptions of their gender identity.
I have to believe that the writer was LOL himself/herself when writing this. Any woman who hasn't lived in a cave for her whole life knows that loads of men are totally sensitive to their own well being/self-esteem/gender identity issues, but almost unconscious to anyone else's feelings about the same issues - "eh, get over it, you're being too sensitive."
It's a big blind spot, for sure. And it's why the environment will continue to be trashed until we're up against the wall environmentally.
dchill
(38,532 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)dchill
(38,532 posts)dimly lit corner.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)orleans
(34,073 posts)went to my daughter's house on christmas.
my son-in-law balled up a couple big sheets of clean tin foil in the garbage can after they were draped over a cooking dish for a few minutes. when he opened the lid to the garbage i saw cardboard, plastic bottles, and tin cans inside.
"you know, you can recycle all of this, right?" i asked him. "why aren't you doing that?"
he shrugged and told me my daughter rinses out cans and sets them aside to recycle sometimes.
they both LIVED with me for a couple years! (my daughter grew up with me--she should completely know better. and he knows better too--i had him recycling for a couple years--something he had never done before)
i said, in effect: "hey--it's your deal now. i've done more than my share to help the environment. it's gonna have a bigger impact on you and your future kids then it is on me."
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)I work in a manly field. Everyone drives trucks because of the nature of what we do, both at work and for recreation. Anytime someone buys a second car that is small and green they catch hell from their conservative coworkers. And if they get a hybrid then the rants about govt subsidies starts up.
Its all about their insecurity of living up to some mythical manly image.
muntrv
(14,505 posts)muntrv
(14,505 posts)to prove it.
LudwigPastorius
(9,170 posts)my wee wee will shrink.
The TV done told me.
Different Drummer
(7,642 posts)NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)No sarcasm here, we've given men more than a fair shake and it's time for a change.
I've got no problem playing a support role from now on.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)...allowing Ecology to be segregated into the category of so-called "women's issues." Once that happens, the author pointed out, it becomes as easy to dismiss as childcare, children's health, women's health, women's work, women's pay (and by this time I was gritting my teeth) -- all the things that get shunted aside as not the problem of the men in power because they "belong" to women.
I was actively on the Goddess path at the time, and was interested in exploring the spiritual dimensions of many things I had long supported, such as ecology. I made a conscious decision to "think spiritually; act politically."
I thought we had made so much progress as a society -- sheesh, Nixon himself signed the EPA laws. Yet here we are in this season of backlash and regression, where all the shit we thought we had left behind or at least made socially unacceptable is exposed for all the world to see: racism, homophobia, misogyny, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Nazism, and now (some) men's phallic fears of emasculation affecting their behavior when it comes to a healthy planet.
Backlash. Regression. Trump.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)It's adulty.
TheFrenchRazor
(2,116 posts)NickB79
(19,258 posts)90% middle-aged men. Lots of pickups and Harley's in the parking lot. Daily talk about manly stuff like hunting, fishing, fixing things, how much fucking you did over the weekend from the wife or girlfriend (or both), etc.
After 10 years of driving a subcompact car getting 45 mpg (and now a small crossover that still gets 30+ mpg average), I STILL get shit weekly about my little girly car. How I'll never pick up chicks with it (doesn't matter I've been married a decade now).
Same goes for my love of gardening. That's a woman's hobby, they say. Doesn't matter that I also hunt, fish, and grew up on a farm driving heavy machinery since I was 13, or that I can bench my own weight in the gym without breaking a sweat. You try to talk to them about declining bee populations and prairie restorations, and their eyes glaze over.
And the fact I wanted, and had, a girl and never tried for a boy after because one child is better for the planet? Holy shit, they lose their minds. Then I throw in how we always play together, we hunt Pokemon together, we read to each other every night, etc, and I'm sure they haven't idea how to quantify me.
hunter
(38,326 posts)No scratches on the bed.
crosinski
(412 posts)I think it's sexy when men show their feminine side. Guess that's why my husband is a feminist.
Raine
(30,540 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)None I know like that either.
Curious how the study would go in Germany and other European countries where recycling is the norm, if not required.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)Just doesn't want to be bothered. Yes, he's physically kinda lazy (but certainly not mentally).
Another factor is that any behavior that differs from the norm embarrasses him, whereas I don't mind even making an ass of myself for a good cause. So, who are the bigger conformists, men or women? I guess it depends on the person.
KT2000
(20,587 posts)Much of this can be placed at the feet of corporations. They have been using propaganda (PR) that tells men that environmental issues are feminine and also are products of the educated, better that thou crowd that wants to tell working people what to do. These divides have been fostered by PR firms for a long time. Gender and class divide.
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)The irony of insecure men being afraid of being perceived as insecure... I honestly just dont understand it.