Captain America Actor Anthony Mackie Thinks Masculinity Is Under Attack, but Is He Right?

One thing I appreciate about growing up in the nineties was how insulated we all were from the antics of celebrities.

That is not to say celebrities would not say or do questionable things back then, it is just that it was never in the forefront nearly to the extent it is today.

Back then, the only way to keep up with your favorite celebrity was to look for information through magazines, newspapers, and television.

If they did or said something controversial, maybe you would get to hear it on the evening news, but for that to happen, it had to be something major. It wasn’t every day you would hear about a celebrity doing or saying something crazy. Their personal lives were more curated, with controlled public appearances and limited direct interaction with fans.

If you followed a particular celebrity, you would, in most cases, only know what was relevant to whatever they were an expert in.

A far cry from the way things are today.

Social media has made it nearly impossible not to know about the personal lives of celebrities — what they get up to on the daily, what their political, religious, or life philosophies are, it’s all up for public consumption.

We live in a society that actively promotes oversharing, so I suppose that is the price they have to pay to stay relevant. Fans, brands, PR teams, the media, and algorithms demand it.

You can say it’s now part of the entertainment zeitgeist to know everything about your favorite celebrity.

Now, you might be wondering why I am saying all this.

Well, it is all because of a recent appearance by Captain America actor Anthony Mackie on The Pivot podcast, during which he felt compelled to impart upon us mere mortals his enlightened views on what it means to be a father of two young boys in an age where he claims masculinity is increasingly under attack.

Hey Anthony, who is ‘they’?

“In the past 20 years, we’ve been living through the death of the American male. They have literally killed masculinity in our homes, in our communities for one reason or another.”

They have literally killed masculinity… really… how so?

And who is “they”?

I always find it funny when people use the word “they” as an empty signifier. Seldom is it ever stated who this mysterious “they” refers to. The word is intentionally left open to interpretation, allowing anyone to project their assumptions onto it.

It’s a common tactic in conspiracy theories, political discourse, and propaganda because it shifts blame without accountability.

Last time I checked, positive masculine qualities such as courage, resilience, and responsibility are all valued and even encouraged.

Or is Mackie referring to the criticisms made about the negative aspects of masculinity?

Usually, when having these kinds of conversations, elements like aggression, ego, and emotional suppression are not seen as negative among traditionalists. Mackie could be one of those people, hence why he might perceive the increasingly frequent attacks on toxic elements of masculinity as an attack on masculinity as a whole.

Perhaps it’s because criticism of traditional gender roles is commonplace nowadays, but even then, I fail to see how this is an attack. There is, after all, a difference between unpacking societal expectations and outright seeking to dismantle masculinity itself.

Or maybe masculinity is under attack because we now have more female leads in action flicks. Leads that are portrayed as excelling at everything they do with little to no struggle, while their male counterparts are depicted as flawed or weak.

But surely this cannot be it.

If it were, it would be an exceedingly dumb rationale, considering Hollywood is littered with movies and TV shows portraying men with the godlike ability to overcome unimaginable odds without breaking as much as a sweat. In fact, Mackie’s character in Captain America perfectly encapsulates that idea, so it would not make sense for him to use this as the reason.

Either way, we will never know if these points are valid. He does not provide a rationale for his thinking. Neither do the interviewers bother asking for clarity. They seem starstruck, more concerned with agreeing with everything he said.

One thing I will commend Mackie on is instilling a sense of responsibility and humility in his two boys.

I can tell he is aware that celebrity kids are prone to growing up spoiled due to being exposed to wealth and privilege, and he is actively trying to prevent that from happening.

“Since they were 2 years old, I tell them that they need to always say thank you, open doors for women, and take care of their mom.”

My only caveat would be that being responsible shouldn’t be gendered. The same message of respect and helping to take care of the family should apply to girls and boys alike.

Another thing I disagree with, beyond framing masculinity as under attack, is his authoritarian style of parenting.

“I keep my boys humble. Like my boys have never had a pair of Jordans, my boys don’t do all that internet fly shit, I could be the biggest star in the world. Do not let me catch you being stupid. My oldest gets it, my 15-year-old. He tells the other ones, he’s like, ‘Yo, don’t make dad mad.’ Once you get one that’s right, he’s going to straighten the other ones out.”

There is also a part where he talks about relegating adult responsibilities to a child.

“I tell my 15-year-old, ‘You’re the man of the house. You make sure these doors are locked. Every night this alarm is on. You text me or you call me every night before you go to bed and you wake up.’ I love that because we’re men…”

When I heard this, all I could think of was, “Come on, he is only 15 years old.”

It’s all fine and dandy that you want the house locked up and secure, but telling him he is now the man of the house and that he has to be the protector just irks me. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone who’s still not fully matured.

He reminds me of my father

The reason why I feel this way is because I grew up with a father similar to Mackie — minus all the wealth and fame, of course.

This tough love, hypermasculine style of fatherhood is sadly all too common in the Black community, and it often comes at the expense of emotional warmth.

I remember with my dad, respect for his authority trumped all. Anything that went against that would be met with swift punishment, often of the physical kind.

Contrast that to the way he raised my sister, where he was more gentle and forgiving. My dad never gave her any of the man-up macho talk he would when I showed any form of vulnerability or misbehaved.

I never realized how damaging this all was until well into adulthood. After some considerable self-work, I came to the realization that the way I was raised contributed to my risk-averse, anxiety-prone, emotionally suppressed, and distrustful personality.

Not everyone with the same upbringing ends up like me, though. For example, my brother, who grew up with an identical parenting style, turned out to be more rebellious and angry.

But I do not blame my dad. He is a byproduct of the times. He raised us that way because that was the only way he knew to raise boys, as his upbringing was similar.

Now I’m not saying Mackie is using physical punishment to keep his boys in line, but he is certainly using fear as a tool to gain compliance.

In summary

Anthony Mackie is dead wrong about masculinity being under attack. What’s likely happening is that there is more open criticism of the toxic elements of masculinity, and there is also more acceptance of non-traditional masculinity, which might lead some to think traditional masculinity is under attack.

He does mention some good things about teaching sons the virtues of being humble and respectful. But he misses the mark by framing those ideals under the umbrella of traditional masculinity instead of something all children should aspire to, regardless of gender.

All in all, I was left disappointed with Mackie’s take on this topic.

The troubling part is that, as an A-list actor, he is going to have people lapping up whatever he says without any critical analysis of whether it holds objective truth. I suppose that is the power of celebrity, where fame is associated with wisdom.