Category: Good Men Project

More often than not, TV sitcoms perpetuate stereotypes and rely on tropes for convenient laughs. With few exceptions, men are shown as being childish, self-centered, and emotionally detached. So I wasn’t optimistic when I saw a preview for CBS’s new sitcom, “Man With a Plan.” The premise is that Adam, played by Matt LeBlanc, agrees…

I have a confession: Sometimes, I enjoy being mean on the Internet. Some days, it will creep on me; other days, I’ll see a commenter that annoys me and go straight for the throat. Either way, I’ll find myself with that familiar feeling of a cat batting around its catnip toy, and feeling good about…

“Not all men.” This is what many of us men say in response to generalizations about our gender. “Men commit a vastly disproportionate number of rapes.” — “Not all men.” “Men catcall strange women and create hostile environments.” — “Not all men.” “Absentee fathers prioritize their work over their family.” — “Not all men.” And…

Breaking news: Donald Trump’s latest debacle is so embarrassing that he has apologized publicly for the first time in his campaign. Or did he? In conversation, Good Men Project’s Michael Kasdan has pointed out that Mr. Trump consistently represents the antithesis of what this organization represents: His racism and sexism are toxic, he is overbearing…

Let’s talk about “bullying.” Not the act, the word. How is the conversation about the goal that we want, particularly those of us who are men influencing the emotional development of boys, affected by how we label it? Just like a lot of teachers around the country, I was encouraged to begin the school year…

As a geometry teacher, I like to keep a Rubik’s Cube in my room. The students usually seem to think it’s a way for me to show off (my average time is about two minutes… not championship level, but fast enough to be impressive). But I’ve come to see the cube as a metaphor for…

Here we go again. Every time I see the latest example of police brutality resulting in the death of an unarmed, usually black citizen, I try to be hopeful that this is the one that will cause the sleepers to wake up. Yet again, I’m disappointed. Terence Crutcher, 40, unarmed, black, and male, was shot…

Critics of Black Lives Matter often argue that black Americans are more likely to commit crimes than white Americans, and that this explains why police are more likely to enter into an interaction with black suspects at a higher level of suspicion and aggression. Statistically, it’s true that African-Americans are disproportionately represented at all stages…

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the nature of fear. My son, age seven, has developed a consistent fear of marionettes and animatronics. The two monsters at the top of this anxiety are Mr. Slappy from the Goosebumps series and Foxy the Pirate from Five Nights at Freddy’s. The clarity of this fear reminds me of…

On August 26, 2016, a black man who is paid a lot of money to entertain people failed to stand for the National Anthem. In 2016 America, this is apparently news. This is the key part of the news. In the wake of this scandalous conduct, people have tried to make it about the man’s…