masculinity Archives - The ClearOut

Monkey? What Monkey? – Catharsis, Fandom, and the Owning of Self – Episode 206

This episode has something for everyone. Dara kicks off with an acknowledgement of the show’s 4th birthday before breaking down his fandom of Tottenham Hotspur in the wake of their recent Europa League triumph – the trophy monkey is finally off the collective backs of long-suffering Spurs fans. Thanks be to the Gods of Football!

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Minimising, Maximising, and Getting the Balance Right – How We Deal with What Challenges Us – Episode 204

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In this episode Dara is thinking about challenging moments and situations and the places we put them to help us cope better. After a very unpleasant accident that sent him to hospital, Dara laughs at the way men can fail to offer care, depending on their assessment of the urgency involved – everything can be laughed at until it can’t.

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Have You Done Your Homework? Oppression, Conflict, and the Pursuit of Truth – Episode 203

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In this episode Dara tries to thread the needle between domestic and personal crises and those of a much larger, humanitarian nature. Taking in current events in Gaza as well as historic instances of grievous abuse by Catholic institutions in Ireland, the question of truth seems to be of primary importance when a larger power treats others with such callous impunity and indifference to the consequences.

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‘Adolescence’ – Harrowing, Topical, and No Easy Answers – Episode 199

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In this episode, Dara shares his response to the compelling drama series ‘Adolescence’ that recently launched on Netflix. Covering the harrowing events around a 13-year-old schoolboy murdering a female schoolmate, the show is an extraordinary dramatic and technical achievement that has found itself at the heart of the dark side of the zeitgeist – namely, the changed social landscape that shapes the minds of boys and young men in insidious online spaces that are ubiquitous, ever-accessible and distressingly persuasive.

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All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197

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In this episode, Dara is trying to get his head around the obnoxious appearance of Conor McGregor at the White House over St. Patrick’s Weekend. Trump’s presidency seems to function as a magnet for a particular type of male performance, greenlighting as it does a validated version of masculinity that revels in belittling others, trash talking enemies, and leering, swaggering braggadocio. It is definitely connected to a particular understanding of straight maleness as being under attack and needing to reassert itself as aggressively as possible. But is it also a product of the tech age when the perception of consequences has been skewed by the amount of time spent in online spaces?

All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197 Read More »

Caring for Boys, Caring for Men, Caring for Myself

Men Need Not Apply – Women Who Leave Men Behind – Episode 183

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In this episode, Dara looks at the idea of psychological defeat and the metaphorical hills we are determined to die on. Fundamentally an issue of faith in one’s own psyche and worldview, what happens when our confidence in that vision begins to crumble? Can faith be restored?

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Readings from Brando and Durcan – Slimy Slugs and Penile Compasses! – Episode 171

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A very simple and straightforward episode this week – Dara reads a lengthy unabridged extract from Marlon Brando’s autobiography – Songs My Mother Taught Me, published in 1994. Brando’s voice is frank and accessible and he shares his thoughts on acting, fame, and various female lovers during the time of his emergence as America’s most captivating actor. He also speaks about being a damaged child and the difficulty he had trying to shake off feelings of worthlessness.

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You’re a Man – Do You Care About Women? – Episode 162

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In this episode, Dara looks at the Natasha O’Brien case which saw a young woman beaten unconscious in the street by a young man who wasn’t known to her, and that same young man been given a suspended sentence so as not to jeopardise his career as an Irish soldier. There is nothing that isn’t problematic about these events, but as ever, there are larger social questions to be asked beyond the ugly specifics of the case in question.

You’re a Man – Do You Care About Women? – Episode 162 Read More »

What Is a Man, Anyway? Part 5 – Episode 159

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In this final part of his series on masculinity, Dara tries to bring things to a reasonable end. He talks about his lifelong attempt to embody a particular type of masculinity that was a direct response to sexist and reductive attitudes to men that he was exposed to in youth and early adulthood.

What Is a Man, Anyway? Part 5 – Episode 159 Read More »

masculinity

Monkey? What Monkey? – Catharsis, Fandom, and the Owning of Self – Episode 206

Minimising, Maximising, and Getting the Balance Right – How We Deal with What Challenges Us – Episode 204

Have You Done Your Homework? Oppression, Conflict, and the Pursuit of Truth – Episode 203

‘Adolescence’ – Harrowing, Topical, and No Easy Answers – Episode 199

All the Damaged Boys – Where’s the Love At? – Episode 197

Caring for Boys, Caring for Men, Caring for Myself

Men Need Not Apply – Women Who Leave Men Behind – Episode 183

Readings from Brando and Durcan – Slimy Slugs and Penile Compasses! – Episode 171

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