REAL FEELS
The Project
I’m a guy who grew up in the Midwest, joined a fraternity, drank a lot, watched a lot of movies, and learned a lot of the wrong ways to treat women. And it’s not like it was exactly my fault or anything, that’s what society was telling me I should want to do. But once I started really listening to the women in my life, I realized how totally disconnected and frankly messed up all of my ideas of being a man were. So, once I recognized the problems, I set out to talk to men about it in a way that’s not preachy or shameful (because guys don’t know this stuff until they talk about it), but instead I want to give a little perspective and some ideas on how to replace their behaviors. Basically, I think it’s better for women AND men if dudes tried to dominate a little less and collaborate a little more.
The Issue
Men aren’t a problem, but the way our society teaches them to act IS a problem. A world run by machismo, violence and dominance teaches men that if they don’t want those things, they won’t be successful, powerful, or happy. When really, it causes the opposite.
-98% of mass shooters are men (Washington Post)
-The rate of suicide his highest in middle-aged white men (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
-Nearly 1 in 2 women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime like sexual coercion or unwanted sexual contact
(National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey)
The Mission
Through videos, conversations, presentations, and curriculum, Real Feels examines the inner world of men and the issues that make us most uncomfortable. We aim to bring light and recognition to the current problems and challenges of being a modern man, and provide alternative ways to interact with women and the world. We see the world as a place to cooperate more and dominate less.
