Dana White Despises Men’s Mental Health. It’s a Sign of Weakness, He Says

When are we, as men, going to face the fact that we are almost always our own worst enemies?

If you take an honest but critical look at every social issue that blights men, you will quickly realize it’s men who instigate, enable, and propagate the very issues that lead to our suffering.

In the spirit of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought I would do my part in highlighting one way men contribute to this cycle, courtesy of Dana White.

For the uninitiated, Dana White is the CEO of the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, which broadcasts to over 900 million households worldwide.

He also happens to have a buddy-buddy personal and professional relationship with Trump, which paid off immensely during the 2024 presidential election. The UFC proved to be one of the most effective cultural engines for mobilizing young male voters, making White an undeniably influential figure among men.

With that in mind, this is what he had to say not too long ago:

And then we wonder why men are messed up

Dana white is not alone in this. I have heard so many men parrot the same talking points.

They will say it’s unmanly to talk about mental health issues, often shrouded by statements like “a man does not cry or talk about his problems.” And that when he feels frustrated, he channels that energy into grinding so that he can better provide and protect.

When you ask, “Why do men have to protect and provide? What’s wrong with women doing the same?” you are met with a cacophony of distorted naturalistic explanations wrapped in religious dogma.

Then we wonder why men’s mental health is in the toilet.

Men commit suicide at more than twice the rate of women globally.

We are three times more likely to develop a dependency on alcohol or drugs.

And because of our inability to be vulnerable, we often exhibit depression in the form of irritability, anger, recklessness, and escapism.

All this comes down to how men are socialized under the cult of masculinity.

We are told over and over again that to be a real man, we need to fit into these rigid roles: a “man box,” if you will. Go outside of it, and you risk social punishment, mostly from other men.

Yes, women can enforce the same ideals; there is no debating that point. After all, they are conditioned by the same patriarchal structures, but it’s still not to the same extent as men.

Men like him are the true misandrists

I’m not even being hyperbolic.

If you say men should never speak out about their mental health issues even though you recognize mental health is a thing, then you are by definition anti-men. You care more about preserving gender roles than the well-being of men, hence why I call you a misandrist.

It always comes down to these stupid gender roles.

When are we going to learn they are not real? They are not objective, universal truths. If they were, they would be identical and self-evident for every human being throughout history and across cultures.

Biological sex is real, but gender roles — the behaviors, clothing, jobs, and chores we assign to those sexes — are completely man-made.

Not long ago, it was fashionable for Victorian men to wear high heels, makeup, and long wigs as symbols of masculinity. Try doing that today, and you would be labeled a cross-dresser at best or a sissy at worst.

Even in modern times, some cultures flip the idea of gender roles on its head. For example, among the Chambri people of Papua New Guinea, women hold most of the power in the village. They are typically the sole providers for the family, responsible for gathering food such as fish and for trading the surplus.

Or the Mosuo people in southwestern China. Property is passed down through the female lineage, and women are the primary decision-makers of the family.

Western-style marriages don’t exist in this society; instead, they practice “walking marriage,” whereby both partners cohabit under the roof of their respective extended families during the day, while at night the man visits and stays at the woman’s house until sunrise if she allows it. The extended family handles child-rearing duties, and fathers have no legal or financial obligation.

Gender roles are a cage with an open door

The sooner men (and women) realize they don’t have to pigeonhole themselves into these masculine-feminine archetypes, the better off society will be. It means there is less pressure to conform, and I think our mental health could do well withthat weight off our shoulders.

Every one of us has the capacity to be a little bit of everything; men can be the nurturer while women can be the provider, or whatever else they choose to be in that moment.