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[–]MezozoicGay 12 insightful - 4 fun12 insightful - 3 fun13 insightful - 4 fun -  (3 children)

For man being romantic and fully loving (and supporting) someone is considered as "weakness" in patriarchic society, and that role is "for mothers and wives". There even slur for such men - "henpecked". So men can be wanting to love, but they taught to not. Fear of being rejected by society can move some men to violence (I know at least one example).

At least I can openly support and love women as friends (not sure if it is legit phrasing in English, but in our language there 3 different words for "love" and one of them has meaning of very deep friendship - I mean that last one) and don't afraid of that slur, because I already marked by other, even worse crime - of being a gay man.

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Out of interest, what language is that?

[–]MezozoicGay 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Ukrainian. It is "любов", "кохання" and "закоханність". First means deep love to parents or to friends, second means deep and/or passionate love to your partner and last one means easy love or crush.

However, in last few decades in spoken non-official speech it is valid to use "любов" to a partners who are living together for a long period of time and now have "calm love", as "кохання" is more "passionate love".

[–]tuesday 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The greeks had similar. Agapa was a love one had for a god, a perfect being. Eros was the lust one had for a sexual interest. Philia was brotherly love, the love between equals. Philadelphia was named after that. And the last one has recently been whitewashed all out of it's original context: Storge, the love one has for a family PET or SERVANT.

Think about it. Philia is the love has for a male. It is literally "brotherly love". Women were and are still loved as the family pet or servant.