Hi folks,

Guy Talk has been a regular feature on the Avocado since February 2019. During that time we have discussed multiple topics relating to masculinity and patriarchy – gender expression, friendship, cooking…

In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in misogynistic and sexist comments in these threads. These comments have been coming from male users of the Avocado and they are making the site a less welcoming space for women, who are already a minority of commentators.

I have also been informed that my headers and choice of prompts have not helped the situation, as they are not framed in such a way to focus attention on the behaviour of men. Guy Talk is supposed to be about reflecting on masculinity, not complaining about how women have wronged us.

So, Guy Talk will be going on hiatus for 2 months (possibly 3) while I come up with new, more focused prompts. Feel free to suggest possible prompts in the comments. If you would like to do guest posts in the future, that’s great too – just let me know.

Lilburne

P.S. I will be at work when this post goes up, so forgive me if I am not immediately available to chat in the comments.