Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Sean talks with journalist Jordan Ritter Conn about his book “American Men,” an intimate look at four men trying to figure out what manhood and masculinity have given them versus what they have cost them, and what to do with the gap between the men they think they’re supposed to be and the men they actually are. They talk about being fathers and sons as well as about violence, shame, ambition, male friendship, loneliness, and why being a “good man” might mean finally letting go of the desire to perform manhood.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Jordan Ritter Conn (@jordanconn)
00:00 Intro
00:47 Beyond the ‘what’s wrong with men’ debate
06:30 Why so many men feel like they’re not enough
08:14 Four different paths to manhood
16:17 The role of fathers
19:44 Achieve doesn’t always bring confidence
24:54 The cost of male loneliness
33:21 Rethinking what it means to be a good man
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members.
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Sean talks with journalist Jordan Ritter Conn about his book “American Men,” an intimate look at four men trying to figure out what manhood and masculinity have given them versus what they have cost them, and what to do with the gap between the men they think they’re supposed to be and the men they actually are. They talk about being fathers and sons as well as about violence, shame, ambition, male friendship, loneliness, and why being a “good man” might mean finally letting go of the desire to perform manhood.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Jordan Ritter Conn (@jordanconn)
00:00 Intro
00:47 Beyond the ‘what’s wrong with men’ debate
06:30 Why so many men feel like they’re not enough
08:14 Four different paths to manhood
16:17 The role of fathers
19:44 Achieve doesn’t always bring confidence
24:54 The cost of male loneliness
33:21 Rethinking what it means to be a good man
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.
Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members.
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
