The riots aren’t just a ‘far-right’ problem – they’re a ‘man’ problem

What type of man is involved in the riots? The type of man who enjoys violence and relishes confrontation. For him, violence is a release. It is pleasurable. It is validation. And he could be every single one of us, writes expert on men and masculinities Dr Stephen M Whitehead

‘These men don’t fight for a cause, they fight because it is who they are’ (Getty)

To most of us, looking on in horror at what is currently happening on the streets of otherwise tranquil towns in the UK, the sheer incomprehensibility of the violence threatens to overwhelm any hope of rational understanding.

No wonder, then, that the usual (loudmouthed) suspects are lining up in the hope of “explaining” why it is that thousands of young and not-so-young men are rampaging down your local high street on a summer afternoon. And sure, these men can be condemned as “fascists”, “criminals” and “thugs”, but that reductive labelling doesn’t help much. It makes them appear different to the rest of us – when in fact, they are not.

When many of these men come to be prosecuted and stand in court facing justice, don’t be surprised if you find among them suited middle-class professionals, office workers, husbands, and fathers – many of them hard-working, industrious and enterprising males.

Every one of them will be somebody’s son. Most will likely be loved by their families and friends. They are not all starving, desperate, facing persecution or social injustice. The overwhelming majority of these men are healthy – many will be prosperous and few (if any) will be homeless and unemployed. They are not among the socially disadvantaged – just look at Tommy Robinson.

The day before they received “the call” on social media to head for Southport or wherever in order to “take back our country” (and it remains doubtful any one of them could rationally explain what that means) they would have been quietly going about their work and family duties, minding their own business.

And yet, a few hours later, there they were: brazenly confronting the blue wall of police, screaming and yelling, kicking and thumping; a mob fuelled (apparently) by hatred of immigrants. In that violent mayhem, they are beyond control and a risk to us all – and to civilised society itself.

A few months ago, I watched a YouTube video of the storming of Wembley by England fans ahead of the Euro 2020 final. Lo and behold, it’s the same men who are now storming our towns and cities. Well, maybe not exactly the same men in every instance, but for sure the same type of man: they wear the same gear, shout the same slogans, carry the same flags, and act in the same threateningly aggressive macho manner.

And what type of man is this?

It is the type of man that enjoys violence. He relishes the confrontation. For him, violence is a release. It is pleasurable. It is validation. This type of man does not have a specific nationality, or racial or ethnic identity. He is “any man”. He is your partner, husband, son, co-worker, boss.

One thing that society is learning fast – but sociologists like myself have known for decades – is that there are many types of men and multiple expressions of masculinity; from overtly “toxic” to gentle and feminist. Not all men are the same. Indeed, there are as many differences between men as there are between men and women.

But we can identify dominant patterns of male behaviour – and I would argue that what we are currently witnessing in the UK is one such pattern: that of male aggression expressed as a leisure activity. In that way, the riots are effectively just a good day out for some men.

Why is this so compelling to some and abhorrent to others? Because violent aggression is uniquely internalised by the male rioter as confirmation of his belonging, his manliness, his very being.

In short, when he is releasing all his aggression at someone, surrounded by his “mates”, he is having a great time (at first). For him, this is fun.

Unfortunately, this problem of male violence is not going to disappear, no matter the varying immigration policies of any UK government. It is not going to cease no matter which political party is in power. It is not about to vanish from society even if we lock up all these male rioters and throw away the key.

This is a warning to any bad actor who thinks they can control this violence and use it for their political ends – you cannot. If not stopped, the violence will end up destroying you, too. These men don’t fight for a cause, they fight because it is who they are.

The reality is that male violence is the biggest single threat to human civilisation and to peace for all of us. But then, it always has been.

The answer? No easy ones, I am afraid. But we might start with the young boys now in kindergarten and primary school. Make no mistake: if we don’t find a way of changing these young male minds, tackling misogyny and making it less likely they grow into violent and abusive men, then nothing will change.

By coincidence, we now have a perfect opportunity to move forward with removing this toxic masculine identity from boys. The English national curriculum is about to go through a major review, headed by a long-time friend and colleague of mine, professor Becky Francis.

My call out to her and her team is to consider introducing a new curriculum which will directly challenge misogynistic gender narratives in classrooms. At the same time, we need to give our teachers more professional development in facing down the online “manosphere” which fuels gender-based violence, sexism, racism, transphobia and homophobia.

I would urge UK universities to collaborate in establishing school-based early intervention programmes to identify and tackle such hatred. A template for such a project is available from Monash University, Australia.

The violence exacted by these men, this past week, does not define the UK – nor does it define our communities. But unless we act to stop it fermenting in our schools and homes, we cannot seriously expect such violence to disappear. Indeed, very likely it will worsen.

Dr Stephen M Whitehead is the author of many books on men and masculinities, gender identity, education and inclusivity