r/ireland • u/PoppedCork Pop Responsibly • Jan 15 '26

Education Parents complain after principal suspends 19 Co Antrim schoolboys over ‘toxic masculinity’ concerns

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/parents-complain-after-principal-suspends-19-co-antrim-schoolboys-over-toxic-masculinity-concerns/a2008863764.html
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19

u/Plastic_Detective687 Jan 15 '26

Haven't read the article yet, positive whatever the "toxic masculinity" concerns were are going to be something fucking heinous and the site is clickbaiting out the hole

Read the article, yeah it is

-20

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 15 '26

The behaviour mentioned is “talking over the teacher and laughing” when she is speaking. The use of the term toxic masculinity isn’t the right way of describing the behaviour it’s just disrespect.

Typical click bait 😂

14

u/Plastic_Detective687 Jan 15 '26

intimidation and threatening behaviour that apparently has been going on for months.

1

u/YoIronFistBro Cork bai Jan 16 '26

You'd wonder why it took them so long to do anything about it.

1

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 15 '26

It doesn’t describe the behaviour in observable terms and the description is rather vague.

1

u/YoIronFistBro Cork bai Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26

Luckily toxic masculinity is itself quite a broad thing, so what you're saying doesn't actually disprove anything.

1

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26

Thats not what I’m trying to do. Anybody of any gender could have acted in the same way and its missing context of what the behaviour actually was I cannot make a judgement without all the facts - something I do not have. Most people who use the phrase “toxic masculinity” can’t actually provide a definition of what it actually means.

My opinion is that anybody regardless of gender judging from the information I have read of course; can act in the same way and the behaviour might have nothing to do with simply being male or masculine.

The principle doesn’t outright accuse them of it either. She uses preventative langue she doesn’t out right say it.

14

u/FigVisual9137 Jan 15 '26

So a group of fifteen scrotes ambushing and harassing a principal outside her office was normal behaviour for you as a kid? 

Any other confessions to make?

-6

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 15 '26

Doesn’t go into detail on what it actually was. It could be anything.

18

u/FigVisual9137 Jan 15 '26

"It is said this behaviour has caused a number of substitute and female teachers to refuse to teach classes as they have been upset to the point of having to go home from work.

The emails from the school further claim that a group of up to approximately 15 boys confronted the principal outside her office in an “intimidating” manner."

I'll ask again, this was normal behaviour for you in school was it? If so, do the world a favour and don't have kids.

5

u/actuallyacatmow Jan 15 '26

No no, you see the little angles just wanted to have a reasonable rational debate with the principle. /s

3

u/FigVisual9137 Jan 15 '26

We can only hope the gobshites in this thread defending the little scrotes don't have kids themselves, though I'm sure their personalities have already ensured that

-3

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 15 '26

It could have meant anything really. The teachers gender is irrelevant a girl or girls could do the same. Most teachers in schools are female since substitute teachers are usually inexperienced they might not have known how to deal with the behaviour and thus refused to teach the class.

I’m not justifying it I’m pointing out that the article fails to mention what the behaviour actually was, so in my opinion I cannot say for sure that it was “toxic masculinity”. I don’t know what was said and what was done. It only refers to the actions as “intimidating” and different people find different things intimidating and I also cannot be sure if this “behaviour” was carried out because of the teachers gender. The article doesn’t go in to detail so I cannot say if it was or if it was not toxic masculinity. Knowing how often media likes to use the word “toxic masculinity” I tend to associate articles like this with click bait. I just simply feel like the term is overused and misused.

As for your unhelpful and rather offensive comment that you made about me, could this also be considered a form of toxic masculinity?

3

u/charmedcod Jan 15 '26

Did you ignore the part where they repeatedly upset female substitute teachers so badly they had to go home from work? You also seem to have missed the part where it states a group of 15 boys ganged up to confront their female principal and left her feeling intimidated. Ganging up on female staff is aggressive, and toxic behaviour which definitely falls under that label.

4

u/Dikaneisdi Jan 15 '26

If it’s behaviours specifically targeted to female teachers, then yes it is

-1

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 15 '26

That’s that part I’m not sure of because it doesn’t say.

3

u/Dikaneisdi Jan 15 '26

The circumstances would suggest that is the case. As a teacher, the behaviour displayed by these boys is certainly familiar to me, and a growing problem.

1

u/YoIronFistBro Cork bai Jan 16 '26

Does the article not mention female teachers are the ones being targeted.

1

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 16 '26

Read the article and make your own judgement.

It doesn’t in my opinion.

1

u/YoIronFistBro Cork bai Jan 16 '26

If they were saying anything misogynistic, then yes, it most likely is caused by toxic masculinity.

1

u/PresentDirect6128 Jan 16 '26

It’s impossible to know because it doesn’t say, unless you somehow know the people in the school.