Blessed be "no homo"

A few blogs ago, I wrote about how we were raising a generation of "bruhs," a generation of young men incapable of saying real things to each other, incapable of being vulnerable in front of each other, incapable of fighting the pack mentality. And for the most part, I still see this to be true. I think some "bruhs" will break free from the hair gel and v-neck t-shirts by tweny-five (or the stigma of those at least), but many men go through this "bruh" phase their entire adult lives, where they hide their insecurity with comments on random girls tits because they don't want to talk about their marriage or kids.

However, there is a crack in this theory, a small thread unraveling the seam as such. "No homo" is a term that has made it possible for guys to express genuine emotion and appreciation without anyone thinking them gay or weak or human. Of course, "no homo" is always used to make light of the comment, to make something awkwardly honest seem like a joke, but often it is just a smoke screen, for guys (even high school guys) deep down want to share those things. They do care about each other, they are thankful they have friends, and a fist bump or head nod with their flat bill cap, just doesn't cut it. Granted some guys will say things like, "Man you gotta big wang, no homo" and that, honestly, can be a funny quip that would make me laugh. But, I catch them using it at school in a real manor too. Stealthly, adeptly they will say something genuine like, "You're my boy, I love you" in a totally sincere, heterosexual manner, and quickly, like a rifle on a clay pigeon, they shoot the "no homo" out of their mouth before anything or anyone has time to get awkward. It's funny to watch guys (and some girls) struggle with expressing true feelings. Their eyes widen, they blink randomly, they sometimes chortle stiffly, but thankfully the "no homo" brings them back to their normal senses. Their shoulders relax, their mouth unclinches, they breathe.

"No homo" is the get out of jail free card for this generation of young guys. It is the punch in the shoulder, the slap on the butt, the "WHADDDDUPPP" of today. Elbert Hubbard (a fairly well known American Philosopher) said that his father told him that if when you die you have five close friends, then you have lived a blessed life. Strangely, this tiny two word phrase, rooted in insecurity and bigotry has become a hammer and chisel to the "bruh" soul, cracking it open and making meaningful friendships and expressions possible. Which is good, cause it's important for guys to share their worries and feelings with other guys, to be close and share closeness with other men, to not feel alone in the dinghy of life. So if "no homo" is what it takes to start the process, then blessed be "no homo" and the work it is doing.