海角大神

A question of timing

March was Women鈥檚 History Month, and March 8 was International Women鈥檚 Day. So I found it odd that the March 7 cover story, 鈥淲hy these men find the phrase 鈥榯oxic masculinity鈥� to be toxic,鈥� was about how men鈥檚 roles are changing.听

It doesn鈥檛 feel right to disregard the marginalization, suppression, and abuse women have endured by shifting the focus to men during a month when women are supposed to be celebrated.听

While I would agree that this is an important topic, the timing of the article was off. I imagine it would be very easy to find women who are doing amazing things both nationally and internationally and tell their stories. Reading an article about the empowerment of women and how they navigate changing gender roles would have been celebratory and welcome. You missed the mark on this issue.

Cynthia Ainsworth
Salinas, California

From the editor: Thank you for your letter. As you noted, March is International Women鈥檚 Month. The Monitor ran a major cover story on women鈥檚 rights and abortion rights in the Daily digital edition on March 7. That story was not ready for print deadlines in time for our March 7 Weekly, and ran instead in the March 21 Weekly issue.

Nontoxic masculinity听

I just read the March 7 cover story on masculinity.听

As an Indigenous/Chicana woman raised with three brothers in California, I was always keenly aware of the 鈥渄ifferences鈥� in how we were treated, as well as many attitudes in general about what defined masculinity and femininity. I did not always agree with what I saw.听

Humans are a tribal people, and I believe young men need a rite of passage that allows them to be masculine. It used to be military service that helped boys become men, but that too has its problems. Without support, some men turn to a 鈥渢oxic鈥� form of masculinity that is overly aggressive and sexist. This expression of masculinity serves no one.听

My husband and I have had each other鈥檚 backs for 48 years. We are both strong, independent, and willful. We don鈥檛 always agree, but we respect each other. Men can be masculine without the 鈥渢oxicity.鈥�

Marlene Cartter
Vacaville, California

Did we forget about peace?

Am I the only one perplexed that in all of this talk and discourse about the war between Ukraine and Russia 鈥� and this is not new news by any means 鈥� that few people seem to be asking how and when the peace talks failed?听

What has happened in peace talks since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014? Why didn鈥檛 they work? And what is it going to take for these two nations to sit down and talk to each other?

In reading your articles and the articles of others, I wonder why the concept of war is stressed so much more than the concept of peace. If we were to reverse this, we might be surprised at the outcome!

June Middleton
Clearwater, Florida