Tag Archives: masculinity

Father’s Day in the Quiet Month: Honoring the Men Who Show Up

By Rad Remy | June 15, 2025

This is fatherhood: not loud, not flashy—just real. A steady hand, a quiet example, and a lifetime of lessons passed down without saying a word. Happy Father’s Day to the men who show up, stand tall, and shape the next generation by living it right.

The Most Invisible Month of the Year

June. It’s loud. It’s colorful. It’s full of parades, hashtags, and flag-waving. And somewhere in the back corner of the calendar, two things quietly sit next to each other, mostly ignored: Father’s Day and Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

You probably didn’t see too many headlines about either. You won’t find many TikToks or trending hashtags. There’s no Spotify playlist for it. But here we are—mid-June—and it’s time we talk about the men behind the silence.

Because this isn’t just another Hallmark holiday. It’s a chance to acknowledge something deeper: the quiet sacrifices, invisible burdens, and unspoken battles of fathers across the country who keep showing up, even when no one sees them.

The Dad Nobody Checks On

Fatherhood today isn’t just about mowing lawns and telling bad jokes (though we’re elite at both). It’s about being the rock. The fixer. The provider. The protector. The emotional anchor.

And here’s the part no one likes to admit: we don’t check on dads.

We ask a lot of them—but rarely ask them how they’re doing. The world expects them to be bulletproof, unbothered, unfazed. And when they crack under pressure, people act shocked.

“He never said anything.”
Yeah. Because when he did say something, you either didn’t listen—or you used it against him later.

This month—Men’s Mental Health Month—is supposed to be a reminder that men feel too. That strength doesn’t mean silence. And that vulnerability shouldn’t be weaponized.

The Fatherhood Strain No One Talks About

Let’s be honest. A lot of men are quietly breaking. They’ve learned to suppress it because somewhere along the line, someone taught them that emotion equals weakness.

They’re the dads holding the household together after a 60-hour workweek. The ones missing sleep over bills, burnout, and broken promises. The veterans haunted by things they can’t unsee. The single dads stretching themselves thin to give their kids what they never had.

They walk into Father’s Day with a forced smile, hoping for a moment of peace—but usually just end up manning the grill while everyone else talks about the NBA Finals.

Where’s the Celebration for the Steady Hands?

We throw confetti for loud identities, but we forget the ones quietly building legacies. The men who never ask for thanks, because they were raised to think that gratitude is earned in silence.

We’ve reached a place where masculinity is misunderstood, fatherhood is undervalued, and men’s mental health is practically invisible unless it ends in tragedy.

It shouldn’t take a funeral or a folded flag to realize what a man was carrying.

This Father’s Day, Do Something Different

  • Call your dad. Not a text. A real call. Ask him how he’s doing—and mean it.
  • Thank a father figure in your life. Coaches, mentors, stepdads. They all matter.
  • Check on your buddy who’s a dad. The one who never complains? Yeah, especially him.
  • Stop mocking men who speak up. It takes guts to be vulnerable in a world that expects stoicism.

We don’t need a parade. We don’t want a movement. We just want a moment. A little space. A little honesty. A little respect for what men carry and how rarely they let anyone see it.

Real Strength Isn’t Loud

Real strength is the guy who keeps showing up when he’s exhausted. Who keeps giving when his tank is empty. Who fixes the broken stuff, pays the overdue bills, takes the hard job, and still hugs his kids at the end of the day.

It’s the man who walks through storms, not because he wants to—but because he knows if he doesn’t, no one else will.

This Father’s Day, let’s honor that kind of strength.
The quiet kind. The selfless kind. The kind that makes the world go ’round… even when no one’s watching.

Call to Action: Check on the Rock

So here’s your reminder: check on the rock. Check on the one who’s always “fine.”

If you’re a man reading this and you’re struggling—you’re not broken. You’re not weak. You’re human. And there’s no shame in that.

To all the dads out there grinding in silence, holding the line, and doing the best they can—you matter. Not just today. Every day.

Share this. Say something. Be the difference.
And yeah, still make a bad dad joke while you do it. You’ve earned that right.

#MensMentalHealthMonth #FathersDay #CheckOnYourBrothers #GenXStrong #NoShameInTheStruggle

The Man or Bear Debate: A Symptom of Cultural Rot

A cartoon illustration depicting a manic-looking woman gleefully chasing and grabbing a terrified bear. The woman has exaggerated, wide eyes and a huge, toothy grin, with her hair flying wildly behind her as she lunges forward. The bear, wide-eyed and sweating, appears shocked and frightened as it tries to escape. A confused man stands in the background.

There’s still a viral debate making the rounds. Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man? Or would you prefer to be with a bear?

A lot of women are loudly and proudly choosing the bear.

Let’s be blunt. That’s not empowering. That’s not clever. That’s broken thinking.

The Mixed Message

These same women will post about needing a “real man.” They want a protector and a provider. They want someone who opens doors and kills spiders. They also look for a man who makes six figures and knows how to fight off a home intruder. Additionally, he should be capable of crying on command. They want safety and security. But, they hesitate to admit this publicly. They see men as more dangerous than a wild animal with claws and killer instincts.

You want protection but say you’re safer with a predator? You want men to stand up and shield you from danger, but treat them like the danger?

That’s not equality. That’s hypocrisy.

Let’s Be Clear

The average bear will maul you if it’s hungry, scared, or territorial. The average man? He’ll move aside on a trail, say hello, maybe offer to help if you’re lost or injured.

Men—especially the ones who were raised right—are wired to protect. Not prey. Pop culture and clickbait feminism have twisted the narrative. Masculinity is now treated like a red flag instead of a lifeline.

Trust the Bear, Hate the Man?

This isn’t just a dumb meme. It’s a window into how twisted the public conversation around men has become. If you say a bear is safer, then you’re implying masculinity is about violence. You’re also suggesting it’s about threat and fear.

You’re also ignoring reality. Women are far more likely to be protected by a man in a crisis than harmed by one. Law enforcement? Mostly men. First responders? Mostly men. The guy who changed your tire or walked you to your car because it was dark? Men. Not bears.

Cultural Gaslighting

You can’t build a culture where men are expected to defend society while at the same time demonizing them. You can’t raise boys to be honorable and courageous. This is especially true if you’re teaching girls that those boys are inherently untrustworthy or violent.

That’s cultural gaslighting. And the worst part? It’s tolerated—even celebrated—in the name of “empowerment.”

What it really is: fear-mongering dressed up as feminism.

A Call for Sanity

Look, it’s okay to want safety. It’s okay to be cautious. But it’s not okay to create a society where half the population is treated like potential threats based on nothing but gender.

That’s not justice. That’s cowardice.

Men aren’t perfect. Neither are women. But if your knee-jerk answer to “man or bear” is bear, you’re not making a feminist statement. You’re proving how badly the culture has failed at building trust, respect, and common sense between the sexes.

Let’s bring back reality. Respect isn’t gendered—it’s earned. And trust can’t survive in a world where men are only valuable until they’re feared. Want better men? Start by treating them like humans, not monsters.