The expectations on men

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture, Politics, Philosophy

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 June 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean talks with journalist Jordan Ritter Conn about his book “American Men,” an intimate look at four men trying to figure out what manhood and masculinity have given them versus what they have cost them, and what to do with the gap between the men they think they’re supposed to be and the men they actually are. They talk about being fathers and sons as well as about violence, shame, ambition, male friendship, loneliness, and why being a “good man” might mean finally letting go of the desire to perform manhood. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Jordan Ritter Conn (@jordanconn) We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:37.1	Feel like you're being told to wave a magic AI wand and everything will just get better?
0:44.2	Sure, AI can chat and summarize.
0:47.1	But what about big business problems?
0:49.1	Like rerouting stock through a canal that won't unblock.
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0:57.2	The Salonis Context model gives AI operational clarity, so agents know how your unique business
1:03.2	runs and how to improve it.
1:04.9	Meet the model at C-E-L-O-N-I-S.com slash context.
1:13.9	Most of the dis.com slash context. Most of the discourse about American men is focused on what's wrong with them.
1:19.2	Why are they lonely?
1:20.7	Why are they falling behind?
1:23.0	Why are they retreating into the manosphere?
1:26.8	But those conversations don't tell us much about the subjective experience of being a man today.
1:34.9	They don't tell us what it's like to grow up, absorbing all of these conflicting ideas about
	...

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