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.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The New York Times has the opposite take<\/a>: <\/p>\n But starting in the 20th century, as homosexuality became pathologized, male affection became verboten.<\/p>\n \u201cThis fear of being that kind of a guy\u201d took over, Dr. Ibson said.<\/p>\n For millennials, that stigma evaporated in concert with the widening acceptance of homosexuality \u2014 especially in California.<\/p>\n \u201cThe West Coast has always been a little more huggy,\u201d said Michael Kimmel, a professor of sociology who specializes in masculinity at Stony Brook University in New York.<\/p>\n The reasons for that are complicated. Among the variables are culture, politics, age, race and personal temperament.<\/p>\n But California\u2019s less formal lifestyle most likely plays an important part, Dr. Kimmel said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s buttoned-up business style has had more influence.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, increased male affection is \u201cdefinitely associated\u201d with liberal political views commonly found in California, according to Ronald Levant, a psychology professor who researches masculinity at the University of Akron.<\/p>\n There\u2019s reason to embrace the trend: Male hugs are likely good for your health.<\/p>\n Women in the Western world live longer than men, said Dr. Levant \u2014 \u201cThere\u2019s no biological reason for that. It\u2019s all due to behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n If men were more open to the social support offered by hugs, he added, \u201cI think it might redound to enhancing their life and their longevity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Times is saying homosexuality only became pathologized in the 20th Century? Then why was it a capital offense for centuries?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … Continue reading