Opinion | Readers react to Christine Emba's essay on masculinity

Public figures

Despite increasing polarization, there are still public figures whom men respect, and many of the same names came up repeatedly. While these men come from various fields — sports, politics, Hollywood — they were cited as masculine ideals because they displayed certain common traits. Strength, responsibility, hard work and toughness were cited often. But so were emotional awareness, moral uprightness, care for others and respect for women, with many readers lauding these figures for being family men.

Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The man spent his entire career striving to cater to and teach the world’s most vulnerable: very small children. His lesson was simple and threefold: You are unique, you are special, and (most importantly) you are loved. I look at Fred as espousing the more covert masculine traits, including emotional awareness (men might not talk about it, but we definitely feel emotions!), contemplation, gentleness, eye-level contact, sensitivity, compassion, love — you know, all the things we look for in an archetypal father figure. — Ryan Buchmann, 50, San Diego

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Confident, smart, unafraid of emotion (good and bad), tolerant and understanding. We are generally more aggressive than women (thank you, testosterone), but the best of us channel that aggressiveness in nontoxic ways to improve ourselves and the world around us. Some public figures who embody this might include: Anson Mount, Barack Obama and LeBron James. In all of these cases, these are people who do not blur the line of their own gender or take on feminine characteristics but are able to thrive in the world we are in now. — Belton Myers, 58, Wheaton, Md.

David Robinson, the celebrated retired center from the San Antonio Spurs. He graduated from the Naval Academy and thereafter served his country before pursuing his Hall of Fame career in the NBA, where he eschewed the limelight and dedicated himself to righteous causes he pursues to this day. He also had the ramrod military straightest posture in the NBA. — Kennard Machol, 72, Salt Lake City

Barack Obama. I don’t know him personally. But he has been under such intense scrutiny that I think I can be sure he is the real deal. He has the ancient Roman virtues of honesty, fortitude, grace, strength, protectiveness, respect, vision, individuality, self-confidence, persistence, focus, and fidelity to law and custom. He is also very, very funny: the best witticisms in the history of the presidency. He’s a family man. — David Nelson, 76, Miami and Asunción, Paraguay

George Clooney: a man who exhibits the “traditional” aspects of masculinity but does so with a modern interpretation. He embraces all of the things men are conditioned to enjoy: sports, motorcycles, cars, a night out with “the boys,” attention to fitness/appearance, a passion for his career and an appreciation for beautiful women. As he’s aged, he’s taken on the responsibility of being a loving partner who supports his wife’s career and a dedicated parent who has adjusted his career ambitions to better support his family, and he’s stopped riding motorcycles because of the risk to his health and the impact it might have on his family. Clooney does not lack self-awareness — he understands his privilege. He is principled and an advocate for those without a voice. — Philip Wyman, 43, Washington

Jesus Christ. He learned from his adoptive father how to work with his hands as a craftsman. He spent much of his time mentoring other men. He respected and valued women — he listened to them, taught them, included them among his followers and accepted support from them. He openly expressed all kinds of emotions, including joy and sorrow. He showed love and compassion to all kinds of people, including the outcasts of society. He enjoyed a good party and on one occasion even provided the wine. He boldly stood up for his beliefs and never backed down, even when opposed by powerful people. He suffered and sacrificed his life to save billions of others. He proved to be stronger than all his enemies, including death (by his resurrection). — Robert MacEwen, 58, Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands

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