British (and American) straight men are cuddling together a lot more!

[Jingthing]

Aw shucks! That is sweet.

Yes, straight men sleep together.

That’s according to a new study out of Britain on the changing social habits of heterosexual males. Published in the journal of Men and Masculinities in March, the study revealed that 98 percent of the study’s participants -- all white, college-age male athletes -- have shared a bed with another guy. In addition, 93 percent also reported having spooned or cuddled with another man.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/01/straight-men-cuddle-guys-study_n_5241953.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[Scott]

It's probably a statistical blip. It was, after all, an extremely cold winter in parts of the Northern Hemisphere!

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Good job they didn't ask rugby or football players.

They all have baths and shower together.

[isanbirder]

When I was at boarding school, 50 males showered together after games.... all completely naked, and most not thinking of sex. (You can see, can't you?)

This article, from the Huff of course, makes it quite clear that we are ALL gay, and we shall soon be talking about straights coming out.

Hey, you mean there's nothing special about us any more?

[Jingthing]

Showering together is to get clean. Functional. Not affectionate.

Cuddling and spooning together in the same bed is something else.

Yes when the gays do that, certain things can come up.

I think this is sweet news that more of the straights are feeling it is safe to show affection with each other.

Assuming it's really true anyway.

[Morakot]

Probably neither! Merely depleted of human emotion towards other people.

PS: Interesting article, JT.

PPS: Personal study copy of article attached.

Men and Masculinities-2014-Anderson-1097184X14523433.pdf

Edited May 2, 2014 by Morakot

[sustento]

I think he's suffering from Chang o'clock.

[Jingthing]

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

[Jingthing]

I didn't read that as Aids. Perhaps this is the wrong forum for someone who jokes about murdering people for same sex cuddling. Cheers.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Jingthing

[BugJackBaron]

Is showering together gay? How about contact sports? For a serious look at this and other issues

try King Missile "Gay/Not Gay"

[Jingthing]

The topic is straight men feeling more comfortable doing non-sexual cuddling and NOT labeling it as gay because these are straight guys.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Jingthing

[Morakot]

Why don't you read the actual source, if you can? It may help to have a more informed discussion.

Download from post #8 or via this embedded URL:

Eric Anderson and Mark McCormack, 2014 "Cuddling and Spooning: Heteromasculinity and Homosocial Tactility among Student-athletes" Men and Masculinities pp. 1-17

Edited May 2, 2014 by Morakot

[Scott]

A nasty and off-topic exchange has been deleted. Please stay on topic. Threats will not be tolerated.

[onthemoon]

Interesting Huffpost article. I am somewhat offended by the phrase "Older men who grew up in the 1980s" though. I was born in the 1960s and identified with the song "we are the children of the eighties...". And in the eighties, many a straight man landed in my bed.

Not just for cuddling, trust me.

I have downloaded the original journal article and will comment after I've read it.

[Fookhaht]

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

I think you've got a valid point there in your first sentence, if even only from personal observation.

A few months ago I took a short trip with a couple of straight buddies (both from abroad, and in their mid-20's). With these blokes, I play the straight game just to accommodate their comfort level. One night the rural hotel had only one room left, with quite a large king/queen sized bed. Neither of them batted an eyelash when I suggested (with ulterior motives) that we go ahead, take the room, and pile in together. Being the trooper that I am, I volunteered to sleep in the middle.

Honestly, I was a good boy all night, but woke up a bit startled several times when I was spooned from both sides. I gritted my teeth and endured it, but on the other hand, was so glad I there as a buffer to keep those two horny straights apart. Next day, no apologies or acknowledgement of the heinous crimes of the night before. Not even any confessions of hot dreams about their girlfriends.

To further corroborate the hypothesis of this thread, I feel compelled to continue my research with these two subjects.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Fookhaht

[sustento]

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

I think you've got a valid point there in your first sentence, if evenly only from personal observation.

A few months ago I took a short trip with a couple of straight buddies (both from abroad, and in their mid-20's). With these blokes, I play the straight game just to accommodate their comfort level. One night the rural hotel had only one room left, with quite a large king/queen sized bed. Neither of them batted an eyelash when I suggested (with ulterior motives) that we go ahead, take the room, and pile in together. Being the trooper that I am, I volunteered to sleep in the middle.

Honestly, I was a good boy all night, but woke up a bit startled several times when I was spooned from both sides. I gritted my teeth and endured it,

How you must have suffered!

[Fookhaht]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

I think you've got a valid point there in your first sentence, if evenly only from personal observation.

A few months ago I took a short trip with a couple of straight buddies (both from abroad, and in their mid-20's). With these blokes, I play the straight game just to accommodate their comfort level. One night the rural hotel had only one room left, with quite a large king/queen sized bed. Neither of them batted an eyelash when I suggested (with ulterior motives) that we go ahead, take the room, and pile in together. Being the trooper that I am, I volunteered to sleep in the middle.

Honestly, I was a good boy all night, but woke up a bit startled several times when I was spooned from both sides. I gritted my teeth and endured it,

How you must have suffered! alt=laugh.png>

This is probably the only forum from which I will get my much-deserved sympathy. Thank you.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Fookhaht

[onthemoon]

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

I think you've got a valid point there in your first sentence, if evenly only from personal observation.

A few months ago I took a short trip with a couple of straight buddies (both from abroad, and in their mid-20's). With these blokes, I play the straight game just to accommodate their comfort level. One night the rural hotel had only one room left, with quite a large king/queen sized bed. Neither of them batted an eyelash when I suggested (with ulterior motives) that we go ahead, take the room, and pile in together. Being the trooper that I am, I volunteered to sleep in the middle.

Honestly, I was a good boy all night, but woke up a bit startled several times when I was spooned from both sides. I gritted my teeth and endured it,

How you must have suffered!

Seriously, I would have suffered! I guess there was no chance he could have touched any of them...

[Fookhaht]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The thing about the violent rhetoric in response to the idea of men cuddling is that the OP story was about how this kind of homophobia has CHANGED and that straight men don't feel that so much anymore. That seems to be debatable.

I think you've got a valid point there in your first sentence, if evenly only from personal observation.

A few months ago I took a short trip with a couple of straight buddies (both from abroad, and in their mid-20's). With these blokes, I play the straight game just to accommodate their comfort level. One night the rural hotel had only one room left, with quite a large king/queen sized bed. Neither of them batted an eyelash when I suggested (with ulterior motives) that we go ahead, take the room, and pile in together. Being the trooper that I am, I volunteered to sleep in the middle.

Honestly, I was a good boy all night, but woke up a bit startled several times when I was spooned from both sides. I gritted my teeth and endured it,

How you must have suffered! alt=laugh.png>

Seriously, I would have suffered! I guess there was no chance he could have touched any of them...

I don't fancy getting beat up by two straight, suddenly ex-buddies. In bed yet.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Fookhaht

[Scott]

Oh, Fookhaht, I would have had wrestless hand syndrome.

My partner has some program so he can listen to US Radio -- so each morning on the weekend I get treated to I Heart Radio. It was interesting that this morning one of the DJ's was talking about sleeping with a guy and spooning -- this was a straight guy.

It's nothing special, but a few years back, the idea of two guys spooning would have never been talked about and it would have been viewed as gay.

[Morakot]

I read the article; it's quite "technical". People might find this summary of the key points helpful.

Background:
Homophobia serves as a mechanism for simultaneously distancing oneself from same-sex desire and stigmatizing other men. Homohysteria, which is defined as the fear of being socially perceived as gay.

Understanding Changes:
As homohysteria lessens, homophobia ceases to be an effective way to regulate masculinity because it is no longer effective in stigmatizing heterosexual men.

As homohysteria decreases, men’s gendered behaviors become more tactile, soft, and gentle. In other words, there is an expansion of the set of actions that men can perform and still be considered heteromasculine. While this expansion of heteromasculinity has included hugging and similar behaviors, there are still bounds to acceptable touch. For example, spooning has only been documented in the literature in exceptional circumstances.

Current situation in Britain:
Homophobia has decreased at a remarkable rate in British culture since the turn of the millennium. Heterosexual male youth are using the freedom afforded by this decreased homophobia to redefine masculinity in a softer, more progressive manner. 86 percent of British citizens would be comfortable if a close friend was gay, and 93 percent of football fans would accept an openly gay player on their team.

The study based on interviews with 40 students enrolled in a sociology of sport degree program: (pp7-10)
Three aspects: *“Sharing a Bed” after a night out, * ”Cuddling and Spooning”, * “Spooning and Erections”

Edited May 5, 2014 by Morakot