WATCH NOW & ON YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION — ENJOY THE SHOW
Incels. Fascistic nativism. Misogyny on steroids. Slurs about childless cat women. Men are powering a new brand of reactionary politics premised on a return to better times, a time when America supposedly was great and men could really be men. It’s a reaction to the swirling malaise engulfing men. Nearly three quarters of all “deaths of despair”—from overdose or suicide—are among men while boys, who once dominated measures of academic performance, now trail from elementary school through graduate programs. In a threat to the entire social order, men are increasingly dropping out of work during their prime and dying from debilitating personal choices - drugs and drink.
In this episode, “Common Ground” examines the national paroxysm and discusses how to provide boys with a more positive and inclusive social narrative of masculinity.
christine emba
Christine Emba wants us to rethink sex. Or more specifically, consent, what does it mean and is it the sole criterium of ethical sexual behavior?
A longtime journalist covering gender and sexuality, her writing on how sexual mores have changed since “the pill” has made her one of the key voices in discussions about gender and an acknowledged expert on men’s disorientation.
In her 2022 book, "Rethinking Sex: A Provocation", a reference work for the discussion of how the sexual revolution has reshaped the broader culture, she challenges both the commodification of sex and the normalization of behaviors popularized by pornography. Once considered as equalizers, these trends, she argues, have deepened gender asymmetries rather than erasing them and have left men and women vulnerable to exploitation, creating a culture of alienation.
While necessary, Emba argues that consent is insufficient for ensuring genuinely respectful and fulfilling sexual encounters. Instead, she calls for a "new sexual ethic" rooted in the Aristotelian and Thomistic ideal of "willing the good of the other" and proposes a standard of mutual concern that transcends mere consent.
Beyond sexual ethics, Emba has written extensively about masculinity, highlighting the crisis facing modern men amid shifting economic and social landscapes. She emphasizes the need for positive male role models and cautions against erasing the meaningful differences between men and women in the pursuit of equality
A board member for the American Institute for Boys and Men, she is a contributing writer at "The New York Times" and a visiting fellow at the Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute.
kristin kobes du mez
Soft-spoken and self-deprecating, Kristin Du Mez often comes across as a local mom or somebody’s favorite teacher. And in fact, she’s both. But she is also a powerful voice in confronting the historical portrayal of women, particularly as reflected in our political and religious cultures.
A self-proclaimed “historian of Christian feminism,” she was raised in a Dutch immigrant community in Sioux Center, IA. A history professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, her 2020 book, "Jesus and John Wayne" was a “surprise bestseller” and was among the first to draw a bead on the evangelical ardor for then President Trump.
As a Christian scholar, Du Mez focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She became aware of “a militant conception of Christian masculinity” through her students’ suggested reading and made it the basis of her book when evangelical leaders came out in defense of Trump’s vulgar comments about women on the Hollywood Access tapes. The book’s reception was polarized and Du Mez braced herself. But, she says, “almost every message contained some version of the same realization: “This is the story of my life. Thank you for helping me to see.”
Du Mez, who graduated from Dordt University before going on to earn a Ph.D. in American History at Notre Dame, followed up the success of Jesus and John Wayne with a documentary called "For Our Daughters", which highlights “a culture of submission and sexual abuse in the evangelical church.” Widely available via streaming, its companion website offers resources and other information to support victims and their families.
With bylines in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Daily Beast, NBC News.com, and Christianity Today, Du Mez is also a frequent guest on podcasts and publishes a personal newsletter on Substack. She lives in Grand Rapids with her husband and three daughters.
dr. ronald levant
Often considered the father of the psychological study of men and masculinity, Dr. Ronald Levant brings his own traumatic childhood and his experience in parenting to his work and his writing.
The author, coauthor or editor of 19 books and more than 300 peer reviewed articles and book chapters, he learned about violent masculinity as one of the few Jewish children in South Gate, a small city in south central Los Angeles County where he was bullied by neighborhood boys for his religion.
His view of masculinity also was informed by a father who had a quick temper and often used violent outbursts to parent and, later, from his experience as a divorced father whose daughter visited on weekends and summers. This often made him feel like an imposter since he supposedly was an expert on family and parenting as the developer of a fatherhood program at Boston University.
His latest book, "The Problem with Men: Insights into Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-Renowned Psychologist", is a personal exploration of why men are emotionally stunted. It is a study of the ways that boys and men grow up to develop “normative male alexithymia,” a term he coined to describe men’s inability to express or describe emotions.
Widely considered the default condition for men in our society, Levant says it reflects current culture as masculinity is a social construct that changes with time and that what is considered normal isn’t fixed. His work has focused on developing assessments and conducting research to support his theories on men’s psychological development, making him renowned as the founder of the field of psychology of men and masculinity.
Although retired, Dr. Levant remains a Professor Emeritus, Psychology at The University of Akron. He is also a Former President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of APA Division 51, the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities; and two-term Editor of APA Division 51’s quarterly. He is working on another book with Oxford University Press and publishes guest opinion pieces in such outlets as Newsweek, Salon, Huffington Post, Akron Beacon Journal, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
gary barker
When one student shot and killed a rival in a petty romantic dispute at his Houston high school in 1977, Gary Barker was struck by the differing reactions of his classmates.
"Girls were crying and hugging each other; boys were kicking the ground and saying things like, “Dude, did you see that,” he recalled in an interview seven years ago. "Women teachers were consoling the girls. Male teachers were taking control. We had witnessed the death of a fellow student, and the boys and men could not express our sadness and our humanity."
The incident and his classmates’ response were seared into his conscience and launched him on a career that has turned him into a pioneering advocate for healthy manhood, gender equality and violence prevention. Embodying a rare blend of empathy, intellect and action and dedicated to building a more nurturing culture, he is a sought-after consultant whose work has shaped global conversations and policies on masculinities for over three decades.
Barker co-founded the Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, a major contributor to international activism on male allyship in gender equality. He is also a co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign in more than 50 countries to promote men’s involvement as caregivers. He says, “Caregiving is serious, it is neither male nor female, it is simply what makes us human.” To support that stand, Barker co-created the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), the largest survey of men’s attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality.
Barker’s impact extends beyond research and advocacy. He is a celebrated author of four novels— "Luisa’s Last Words", "The Afghan Vampires Book Club", "Mary of Kivu", and "Museum of Lost Love"—which draw on his experiences in conflict-affected regions and have been praised for their compassion and insight.
Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, he lived for nearly two decades in Central and South America and was named by Apolitical as one of the world’s most influential figures in gender equality. His honors include the Ashoka Fellowship, Open Society Fellowship, and the Vital Voices Solidarity Award. Dr. Barker lives in Washington, D.C. with his binational family.
naomi beinart
Upset by the reaction of many teenage boys in her high school to the 2024 presidential election, 16-year-old Naomi Beinart talked to her father, Peter, a writer and editor. Predictably, he told her to “write it down.”
She did. And "The New York Times" picked it up.
Her cri de coeur, published two weeks after the election and headlined “I’m 16. On Nov. 6 The Girls Cried and The Boys Played Minecraft,” explored how the political gender divide was reflected in her New York City school, a microcosm of the raw national divisions that saw many men celebrating a political outcome that devastated countless women.
Until being published in the Times, Beinart’s writing had been limited to academic essays and a few pieces published in teen literary journals. She then contributed an opinion piece to the website Watch Us Rise about why teachers should encourage political conversation in the classroom. In essence, she said, “Bring it on” and included in the essay five suggestions for creating a safe climate for discussing even the most polarizing and emotional issues.
As a junior in high school, Naomi has begun touring colleges to attend next year. But even in this quintessential right-of-passage, she and many of her girlfriends live out our cultural divisions – a state’s abortion laws factor into their decisions about what school to attend. When she does make that decision, she plans to pursue investigative journalism to incorporate her love of writing and her interest in meeting new people and getting to know what makes them tick.