A Call to Lads By Francesca Newton
What is it about men in multiples? Why do I passionately advocate for female friendships and strut down the street with a group of ten pals like we’re in a trashy teen movie, but squirm if I’m alone and see more than about three post-pubescent men moving in my direction? ‘Lad culture’ has got a lot of bad rep in the last few years, thanks to the wonders of sexist/racist/homophobic sports chants, screenshots of tasteless or downright creepy group chats, drunken brawls, or, on a more serious level, allegations of sexual harassment, rape, and physical violence. Lad culture has been condemned. Those things are what make me uncomfortable about packs of men. That is why I squirm. But homosocial relationships between men don’t have to be that way. Psychologist Jonathan Shay has done a lot of research into homosocial groups, particularly within the army – the most conventionally ‘masculine’ setting of them all – and has come out with some positive news. Close unity amongst men both contributes to their efficiency as a group (although maybe this isn’t so ‘positive’ in contexts where the aim is killing), and, more than that, helps to protect them from psychological injury, limiting their susceptibility to combat trauma or PTSD. For those living in a system of aggressive hegemonic masculinity, as we do, where men often struggle to express their feelings when struggling with psychological damage or trauma, anything that helps protect them from that damage is a good thing – right? Obviously, protection from psychological damage is a good thing – both for the individual himself, and for the others who are sometimes at the receiving end of any violence resulting from trauma. But other researchers also tell us that homosocial relationships between men can be seriously damaging.
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