I’m not one to agree with Sean Penn on anything. He runs his mouth a lot, and most of it is nonsense I disagree with. But I think he might be onto something here. While promoting a new movie, Flag Day, Penn opined on the state of manhood in America today.
Penn thinks men have surrendered their place as men.
“I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt.”
Sean Penn says he “believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminized”: “I don’t think that being a brute or having disrespect for women is anything to do with masculinity, or ever did. But I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them.” pic.twitter.com/BVdTZMfUES
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) January 28, 2022
The reviews of his comments are mixed.
Sean Penn is 100% right.
Men in America are afraid to be men.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) January 28, 2022
Sean Penn, who won an Oscar for playing a gay civil rights icon, is out there being homophobic. When LGBTQ+ people express reluctance to straight actors playing queer roles, this is exactly the kind of shit we’re talking abouthttps://t.co/zqIgYFZSO7
— Resting Intense Face (R.I.F.) (@Nico_Lang) January 28, 2022
Is Sean Penn Right?
I’m not sure what Penn refers to or how it came up. However, I do think he has a point. We live in a society that devalues masculinity while also calling on men to stand up and be leaders.
Related: Masculinity At This School Now Treated As Mental Disorder
Men, especially boys, are given conflicting messages. They are taught that they are powerful, but any expression of that power is dangerous and “toxic.” Society says men don’t express themselves, but we often get “LOL male tears” and a lot of indifference when we do.
Masculinity, for me, is about strength, honesty, and protection. It isn’t about being violent or debasing women, which many people on the left and some feminists tend to believe.
I think Penn has a good point that we don’t allow men to be men. As a society, we have not done enough to encourage robust and authentic masculinity that helps men be the confident protectors we are genetically built to be.
Of course, Hollywood will attack one of their own, but I applaud Penn for speaking his mind. I don’t always agree with what he has to say, but he is one of the few celebrities who I think means what he says and stands by his convictions.
Whether rescuing people in Katrina or speaking out against war, Penn seems to be one of the rare men of principle in Hollywood.
Regardless of his political stance, I think there’s reason enough to compliment him for that.
What did you think about Sean Penn’s comments? Let us know in the comment section below.
More About:Celebrity Entertainment