James May, the seasoned television presenter, has recently sparked a conversation on the place of men, particularly older white men, in today’s society amidst the ongoing debate about toxic masculinity. Known for his work on “The Grand Tour,” May discussed this issue on the “Who We Are Now” podcast, hosted by his co-star Richard Hammond and Hammond’s daughter Izzy, on March 25.
May, who is 61, questioned the narrative surrounding the “modern man,” suggesting that not all men should be tarnished with the brush of toxic masculinity, a term that has come to define manhood by aggression and dominance. “I do think men are getting a bit of a bad rap recently,” he explained. He expressed concern that “simply being a bloke,” especially fitting his own description, leads to being “almost immediately written off as being unworthy.”
While May acknowledged the presence of toxic masculinity, he emphasized that it is not representative of all men and highlighted the importance of confronting and addressing it. His comments follow the defense by Hammond of their so-called “laddish” behavior on “Top Gear” and “The Grand Tour,” which has faced criticism in the past.
Izzy Hammond on the podcast referred to statistics indicating widespread experiences of harassment among women, while May cited the adage, “evil happens when good people say nothing,” underscoring the collective responsibility to tackle harmful behaviors.
The debate about toxic masculinity, as discussed in other sources, involves harmful gender norms that can lead to suppressing emotions, unwanted aggression, and oppression of other genders and sexual orientations. Men are encouraged to be more vulnerable, educate others, lead by example, and intervene when witnessing toxic behaviors as part of the effort to address this societal issue.
May’s reflections on masculinity come amid the announcement that “The Grand Tour” will not be renewed, with its final episode slated to air later in the year. Despite the end of this chapter, May joked about the dynamic among the co-hosts, suggesting that their “mutual loathing” is what made the show successful. He quipped that other shows failed to realize that the key to a dynamic trio is choosing people “who annoy each other.”
Relevant articles:
– James May claims older, white men are ‘written off as unworthy’ during toxic masculinity debate, Yahoo News Canada, Mar 27, 2024
– James May claims older, white men are ‘written off as unworthy’ during toxic masculinity debate, Yahoo News Singapore
– Toxic Masculinity: What Is It & What Can Men Do To Eliminate It?, urbanbalance.com
– James May: The Grand Tour host opens up on not having children ‘Let’s put it down to that’, express.co.uk