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Stuck in the man box with the rest of dudes striving to conform and become what has been drilled into their heads. (Intentional pun). Or, maybe you have found your way out of the box and are perfectly comfortable with your aptitude/ineptitude at operating power tools and/or any types of sports equipment and gear. We know this is what is expected of men and we would love to hear about your personal experiences and your feelings around them.
• As a child were you expected to learn how to operate tools and take part in sports? Did your father or other male role model teach you?
• Were you encouraged to substitute other passions and hobbies for sports or shop class/projects?
• If you were raised in an environment where all kinds of expression was accepted (masculine or otherwise), what did you like or dislike about that experience? What do you think of messages to men strongly encouraging them to “man up” and play sports or go work in the garage?
• What lessons surrounding the stereotypes of men and sports, or men and tools have you learned that you would like to share with other men?
• If you do not choose to partake in sports or in shop projects, etc., have you ever felt disappointed in yourself/defensive that you were expected to do something you weren’t comfortable doing?
Join the conversation at The Good Men Project. Here’s how:
Write on this topic using one of the prompts or anything else you think is relevant. Then click below to send your post through our submission system. If you already have an Editor at The Good Men Project, you can request them—or we will match you with an editor.
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The Good Men Project is different from most media companies. We are a “participatory media company”—which means we don’t just have content you read and share and comment on but it means we have multiple ways you can actively be a part of the conversation. As you become a deeper part of the conversation (Which really is “The Conversation No One Else is Having), you will learn all of the ways we support our Writer’s Community—community FB groups, weekly conference calls, classes in writing, editing platform building and more.
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Here are more ways to become a part of The Good Men Project community:
Request to join our private Facebook Group for Writers—it’s like our virtual newsroom where you connect with editors and other writers about issues and ideas.
Click here to become a Premium Member of The Good Men Project Community. 1) Get access to an exclusive “Members Only” Group on Facebook, 2) View the website with no ads 3) Get free access to classes, workshops, and exclusive events 4) Be invited to an exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” with other Premium Members 4) Free commenting badge, listing on our Friends page, and more.
Are you stuck on what to write? Sign up for our Writing Prompts emails, you’ll get ideas directly from our editors every Monday and Thursday.
Join our exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” — where community members are encouraged to discuss the issues of the week, get story ideas, meet other members and get known for their ideas? To get the call-in information, either join as a member or wait until you get a post published with us. Here are some examples of what we talk about on the calls.
Want to learn practical skills about how to be a better Writer, Editor or Platform Builder? Want to be a Rising Star in Media? Want to learn how to Create Social Change? We have classes in all of those areas. Classes are included free of charge with our $20 a year Gold Membership.
However you engage with The Good Men Project—you can help lead this conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century.
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