When Tony Porter was growing up, there were certain rules he knew he had to abide by in order to “be a man.” Those rules were the foundation for the collective socialization of men, or what Porter refers to as the “Man Box.” Included in the Man Box were thoughts like:
• Men are stronger than women.
• Men are tough and don’t experience pain.
• Men don’t cry.
• Men shouldn’t “act like girls.”
As a co-founder of A Call to Men: The National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence Against Women, Porter has developed an international reputation as an activist against violence to women. “If it would destroy [a 12-year-old boy] to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls?”
In his 2010 TED Talk, Porter discusses how men’s preconceived notion of what it “means to be a man” is the root of much of the violence against women that exists today.
View Tony Porter's TED Talk.
View Tony Porter's speaker profile.
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