When a buddy went out to the desert with a friend to look at the wild flowers in bloom, he had to explain it as something gay.
With homosexuality celebrated, many of the classy things men used to do, such as friendship, the pursuit of culture and dressing well, have become stigmatized as “gay.”
Because being openly gay is unacceptable in Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish men have far less compunction about showing affection with each other than do non-Orthodox Jewish men. Hasidim are particularly close. When a guy doesn’t have to worry about being called gay, he can live more naturally.
The New York Times has the opposite take:
But starting in the 20th century, as homosexuality became pathologized, male affection became verboten.
“This fear of being that kind of a guy” took over, Dr. Ibson said.
For millennials, that stigma evaporated in concert with the widening acceptance of homosexuality — especially in California.
“The West Coast has always been a little more huggy,” said Michael Kimmel, a professor of sociology who specializes in masculinity at Stony Brook University in New York.
The reasons for that are complicated. Among the variables are culture, politics, age, race and personal temperament.
But California’s less formal lifestyle most likely plays an important part, Dr. Kimmel said.
West Coast culture has taken cues from laid back Hawaii and points farther west, he said, in contrast to, say, the East Coast, where Western Europe’s buttoned-up business style has had more influence.
What’s more, increased male affection is “definitely associated” with liberal political views commonly found in California, according to Ronald Levant, a psychology professor who researches masculinity at the University of Akron.
There’s reason to embrace the trend: Male hugs are likely good for your health.
Women in the Western world live longer than men, said Dr. Levant — “There’s no biological reason for that. It’s all due to behavior.”
If men were more open to the social support offered by hugs, he added, “I think it might redound to enhancing their life and their longevity.”
The Times is saying homosexuality only became pathologized in the 20th Century? Then why was it a capital offense for centuries?
