[unity1001]

> it’s just so uncommon to see straight men showing any type of vulnerability or affection with each other.

In Angloamerican countries, maybe. What you call 'vulnerability and affection' is a requirement for social conduct in Mediterranean, especially Latin countries. You wont find people who behave distant like in the US, or gasp cold like in the Nordic countries. They would be either foreigners, who would be identified as such and their behavior of being cold would be considered normal because they are foreigners, or, if they look local enough, they would be thought to have psychological problems, even autistic. In Spain, there is even a proverb that goes like 'being cold like a Swede'.

And in some places, if you arent emotional and crying in important moments as a man or a woman, people could easily think that you are psychopath.

Not exaggerating or kidding. There are great differences in between cultures on the planet.

[unwind]

In Spain, there is even a proverb that goes like 'being cold like a Swede'.

TIL! As a (straight, late middle-age, male) Swedish person this is kind of hilarious! :)

Couldn't find a reference after some mild searching, but I did find another TIL [1]: "no te hagas el sueco" (don’t act like you're a Swede), which means "don't act like you don't understand". Interesting!

[1]: https://cafebabel.com/en/article/expressions-why-the-spanish...

[zwkrt]

Agreed, I’m definitely coming at this as an American. Even more so as a Seattleite, a place known for its relative social coldness even by US standards.

[unity1001]

I was told that it wasn't always this bad in the US either. A few decades ago, people were warmer and they socialized more. It looks like in the past few decades, social alienation and fear have set into the American society and started making people ever more distant from each other. Likely because of the stress and angst caused by economic insecurity, consumerism, the ensuing social and political conflicts etc etc.

[zwkrt]

I agree on all points. I think tech/phones have this effect as well. People become more like the machines they interact with. Seattle is probably the most tech-dominated city by ratio of residents in the industry in the US…

[steinuil]

In Italy it's fairly common for people of the same sex to greet each other with two kisses on the cheeks or hug each other. Holding hands has become kind of taboo but I don't really see the behavior of the men in those picture as inherently gay. I agree with the article that it's sad that this closeness has gone away, but it's kind of a self-inflicted problem. Men should learn not to be this homophobic and accept a bit of sane homoeroticism into their straight friendships.