u/EarlyHyena5562

I'm not speaking of fluency- there are tangible, clear-cut means to obtain fluency, which of course does not render it less impressive. There are, however, some people are seem to be able to utilize and manipulate a language to convey nuanced points and emotions; to explain concepts with such great brevity and accuracy. More often than not, when describing feelings, we're searching for the label that best describes our internal sentiments, yet some people seem to be able to convey such nuanced notions with incredible sophistication and accuracy. How do such persons develop this skill? I cannot think of quantifiable means through which a person would obtain such command over a language.

In the quote below, Vuong observes a trend of toxic masculinity in the way we affirm and celebrate boys in the English language. I'd like to hear the thoughts of my fellow language enthusiasts on Vuong's observation. Of course, something like the lexicon of violence cannot be neatly categorized into either cause or product, but do you think this phenomenon of affirming boys via violent diction is moreso a product of a toxic masculinity, or a perpetuator of it? Do such trends exist too in other languages? I'd love to have a discussion.

“In this culture we celebrate boys through the lexicon of violence. ‘You're killing it,’ 'you’re making a killing,’ ‘smash them,’ ‘blow them up,’ ‘you went into that game guns blazing,’ and I think it’s worth it to ask the question what happens to our men and boys when the only way they can valuate themselves is through the lexicon of death and destruction?
I think when they see themselves as only worthwhile when they are capable of destroying things, it’s inevitable that we arrive at a masculinity that is toxic”

― Ocean Vuong