Should men cry?

Agreed. It is hard to ask a man to be sensative then tell him he can't cry...doesn't make sense to me.

I remember when I was younger and I was talking to this guy and I never saw a man cry before and he started crying, I was in shock, because people act like men don't cry, but know I know and it is okay for a man to cry.

Something similar happened to me when I saw my dad fall down a flight of stairs when he was in his 20s... it stunned me so much to see him crying (of pain)... will never forget that.

yes!

Congrats on 4600 and I am glad we agree... wouldn't the world be such a better place if we could all......... what am I looking for......... understand each other. I eat meat (NO PORK!) don't listen to music don't have dogs and hate the cold. However after saying that I can then say I understand where you come from. I can understand why you are a leafeater (my sister is one too), having ambient music sounds... josh romantic? I dunno relaxing how about that, my favorite pet was my Beagle - Henry, and I used to live where it was REAL cold. It is 41 in Chicago right now and 44 here. IT IS COLD! Of course in CO where I used to live it is 20 degrees, so I'll take my 44 and be happy. Moral of story, we are not alike but I can understand you and you can understand me and if that can improve so states can understand states and countries understand countries and religions understand religions then there would be no need for all this fighting and war and hatred and bigotry and hate and we could all live in harmony with each other. Amen.

Very good points that you make. I think we should have culture just not.... discrimination shall we say?

The appropriate degree... I believe in todays terms that woudld be there's always too much of a good thing and too little of a good thing isn't good enough

So men should be able to control their emotions and know when it is ok and when it is not ok to cry.

Everyone should have some control on their emotions, as Aristotle observes; virtue often lies in the appropriate degree of emotion, excess bravery is foolhardiness, insufficient is cowardice. all the best urban

Great answer... thanks for the response... Zelo

You're welcome Zelo, Happy posting!

Take it a step further... should men be able to cry when watching a movie or when a puppy gets hit in the road? Where is the line of too much is too much. Great response Thanks Zelo

If I were to play the devil's advocate here... The man is the rock and stability of the family and crying shows weakness. If he cries it is a sign that he is not strong enough to take care of the family unit. If he needs to cry it needs to be done in private where no one else but he can see what he is doing. Now do I believe that... no but that would be the argument coming back the other way... at least that is what I think since all the resonses I have gotten have been to the other side and not from someone who thinks that men should not cry. Thanks for the response. Zelo

I completely agree. It is made fun of on TV, you hear so much about 'being a man' and 'sucking it up' it is hard not to feel self-conscious about it. Great to hear that the majority (if not all) of the responses are to the affirmative. Thanks Zelo

I think it is the pressure that is put on us at an early age to 'suck it up' 'that didn't hurt' 'be a MAN' that really makes a man 'hard'. I believe there are times when a man should be able to let go and I also believe there are times when he is being a sap when he just bawls over almost literally nothing Thanks for the response Zelo

This is becoming quite the popular post! One of the more specific questions that I have, is if there is a sad scene in a movie that may make a female cry, is it OK for them and that she is with the cry long with him? Indeed males are human and have human emotions but sometimes it is a delicate balance to be "stronger" and have the ability to know when it is OK to cry. Great comment Thank you, Zelo

I agree with you. If a man are showing his real emotions, and not "blabbering" about something that's not even important than indeed he has a right to cry without someone questioning his masculinity. Great comment Thank you, Zelo

I know about the respect part, but if somebody loses a lot of money does that entitle them to break down and cry in public? And by football I presume that you are either talking about Australian rules football or you're talking about soccer; just checking. Thanks for a response Thank you, Zelo

I could not agree with you more. Manhood should not be defined by one's emotions but rather by one's actions. Thank you for the comment Zelo

I think that you and I feel exactly the same way. Just because a man cries doesn't mean that he is feminine in any way and just means that he is human and I don't find that there's anything wrong with being human in fact it should be just the other way around. Thanks for your comment Zelo

So maligned "don't cry over spilled milk quote" applies in this situation. If it something that is almost inconsequential or something that is easily fixed or not a "big deal" then it's not okay for a man to cry benefit is something that is emotionally significant then there shouldn't be any rules saying that it is "wrong" to cry. I can totally except that line of thinking. Thank you for your comment Zelo

That is great to hear that others can understand that men are people too! Thanks for the great answer. Zelo

Yeah I can see that being a problem... when people do that to me they just piss me off... but there are times when things happen that are just too sad to just bottle up. Great answer.

I am in complete agreement with you! If you need to let it out then let it out.

There needs to be a balance and for most men the balance is no balance at all... we don't wish to be made fun of because we cry... we are brought up that way as kids 'just suck it up and be a man'. To let your husband know it is OK is a big start to letting him know it is OK for him to show his emotions. Thanks for the response. Zelo

Spontaneous... that is a word no one has brought up yet... interesting take on it. I like it. GREAT answer. Thanks Zelo

I think it is like everything... it depends on what and where it happens... there are times for all emotions and there should not be a loss (in your case a gain) in masculinity because a man is allowed to cry... as my wife says... not a piece of toast (dry). Thanks for the response.