Yep, there's a term for emotionally stunted men. The meaning of the term says that men have difficulty putting their emotions into words and that this leads to lower quality relationships between male friends and between men and their partners.
Young boys are socialized to not lean into their emotions and are called pussies if they cry and told they need to suck it up. Because they're still children, difficulty expressing complex emotions is to be expected, particularly when there are no positive role models lest they be "gay." Unfortunately, many of these men turn into manipulators instead of becoming whole adults that know how to effectively communicate, particularly when tensions are high.
Manlets act helpless because they don't want to open up emotionally. Being emotionally vulnerable can also cause a person to engage in self reflection, and men have big problems admitting when they're wrong - especially if they've wronged a woman. Many men use this emotional helplessness as a way to gaslight women into accepting unacceptable behavior. Ever had a fight with a man over something he did and you end up apologizing to him? These men know how to use emotions to manipulate women. They absolutely know how and when to turn on the tears when you're tearing into their ass over their bullshit. I'm reminded of a time that I publicly called out a man for saying something inappropriate to a friend of mine. Cue the, "I hate myself" self-depreciating, "I really am a big asshole" said sullenly with a sad look on his face trying to garner sympathy and turn himself into the victim.
Men know. They each just have a different level of caring. Don't waste your time explaining for the trillionth time why you don't like x behavior to a man. He knows, he just doesn't care.
Just your friendly, weekly reminder to block, delete, and leave at the first red flag.
[–]penelopekitty 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun - (1 child)
[–]gcsubthrow11[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun - (0 children)