rayb wrote:

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What do you do when you feel no confidence, or feel weak and vulnerable, overhwelmed, anxious, tired or frustrated as a man?

Are men even allowed to have feelings?

--Ray

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Answer to first question... ideally what Mahonri said.  More often than not, keep it all inside and put on that British stiff upper lip thing until the first option becomes inevitable...

In our society, no.  We're taught to be tough and that to have or show feelings, unless it is in the form of competitive nature, is unmanly and weak.  And, the media even pokes fun at it by showing men "getting in touch with their feminine side", feminine being equated to emotions and feelings, in a comical manner.

But, then we men also are put under a double standard by this same society that tells us no, you must be tough, because if we can't understand or relate to the women in our lives when they are expressing their emotions and feelings, society calls us insensitive clods and destroyers of one and two kleenex box chick flicks...  Now that's a conspiracy if I ever saw one! 

That got me wondering... is it easier for a man to understand a woman's emotions and feelings, or a woman to understand a man's emotions and feelings?  Really deep down, which gender does a better job of the empathy stuff and not just the face value sympathy?  I wonder if there have ever been studies done on that.

better yet, dried meat laced with poo crystals.