It doesn’t take too much scrolling on social media until you find some red pill alpha talking about how women are more emotional than men, but is that really the case? 

When you start to peel back the layers and look at the numbers, this claim does not seem to be true. 

What the numbers do show is that men are more violent, more aggressive, and more prone to do things out of emotion.

Society sells us the idea that men are these extremely rational stoic creatures, while women are overly emotional and expressive. This patriarchal idea works very well at getting clicks, but the real-world damage it causes is to emasculate. 

For centuries, society has dictated that true masculinity is synonymous with emotional stoicism. Men are discouraged from expressing vulnerability, something that is seen as feminine. 

The truth is that what is often taken as emotional weakness in women is often, in reality, emotional superiority in relationship to men. 

The silence left by men not expressing their feelings in healthy ways isn’t quiet at all. It is, in reality, really loud and echoes the consequences of what happens when feelings get bottled up. 

The result of these bottled-up emotions is starkly highlighted in crime rates. According to the FBI in 2019:

• 72.5% of all arrestees were male
• men constituted 78.9% of persons arrested for violent crimes and 62.3% for property crimes
• 88.0% of individuals arrested for murder and non-negligent manslaughter were male
• men made up 74.6% of those arrested for drug abuse violations
• an overwhelming 96.6% of persons arrested for rape were males

Men are also disproportionately more likely to die by suicide. According to the CDC, in 2021 men composed nearly 80% of all suicides, while making up for only half of the population. 

These figures suggest that the inability to process and express emotions in constructive ways may lead to more violent and destructive behaviors, indicating deep-seated emotional turmoil. 

The patriarchal pressure on men to adhere to an archaic form of stoic masculinity not only harms them but society at large. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle where emotional repression leads to harmful expression, which I believe contributes to the statistics mentioned. 

Addressing these issues will require a culture shift. One that will result in seeing things like vulnerability and emotional intelligence not as a weakness but as a strength. 

It is up to all of us to make society a place where men feel comfortable and encouraged to express their emotions and seek help when needed.

It’s time for men to move beyond the toxic narratives and reject harmful stereotypes. 

Being a man isn’t about how much you can bench press, how many girls you’ve slept with, or even about how you didn’t shed a tear that one time your dog died. 

Being a man is about how having emotional bravery. It’s about having the guts to say, “Yeah I’m struggling” or “ I need help.” 

In the end, it isn’t just about statists, theories, or cultural narratives. It’s about the people we love. 

We all have fathers. e We all have brothers and friends who might be fighting battles far greater than we can see. So reach out, check in, and remember there is strength in vulnerability. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with feelings of despite, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide, please know help is available, and reaching out for help is a courageous first step towards healing. 

It’s time that we break the walls that are breaking us.

988 suicide and crisis lifeline: 

Call: 988 or text “ HELLO” to 741741