The empathy gap masculinity and the courage to change
(eVideo)

English

Written & Produced by Thomas Keith ; Director of Photography, Michael Enriquez ; Camera Technician, Jordan Keith ; Consultant, Shira Tarrant.

Originally produced by Media Education Foundation in 2015.

American culture bombards young men with sexist and misogynistic messages. In The Empathy Gap, he looks more closely at the ways these messages short-circuit men’s ability to empathize with women, respect them as equals, and take feminism seriously. Keith begins by exploring the main lessons about manhood that boys absorb from the culture – that they should be aggressive, acquire material wealth, suppress all emotion except anger, and sexually objectify women – then shows how these messages undercut men’s innate capacity for caring and empathy. Along the way, he draws fascinating parallels between sexism and racism, spelling out how each is rooted in cultural norms that discourage empathy, and shows how men who break with these norms live happier and healthier lives. Featuring Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, Tony Porter, Michael Messner, Derrick Jensen, Kevin Powell, J.W. Wiley, Tayo Banjo, Charlotte Watson, Eddie Moore Jr., C.J. Pascoe, Julia T. Wood, Greg Kamansky, Gwendolyn Dolske, Linda LeMoncheck, and Roman Krznaric.

Grade 9+

Mode of access: World Wide Web.