{"id":17718,"date":"2025-03-21T01:09:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T01:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=17718"},"modified":"2025-03-21T01:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T01:09:50","slug":"anthony-mackie-divides-fans-as-he-claims-were-living-through-the-death-of-the-american-male","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=17718","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Mackie divides fans as he claims we&#8217;re &#8216;living through the death of the American male&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Anthony Mackie is known for playing superheroes on screen, but off-screen, and it looks like takes just as much pride in his most important role \u2014 fatherhood.<\/p>\n<p>The 46-year-old Captain America: Brave New World star recently appeared on The Pivot podcast, where he discussed his approach to raising his four sons, his views on masculinity, and the realities of success in today&#8217;s world.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1422651123-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-17719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1422651123-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1422651123-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1422651123-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1422651123.jpg 778w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\nAnthony Mackie has spoken out about his parenting style. Credit: Corey Nickols\/Getty Images for IMDb<\/p>\n<p>However, some of the MCU star&#8217;s comments have divided fans&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Raising His Sons with Traditional Values<br \/>\nMackie &#8211; who shares his children with ex-wife Sheletta Chapital &#8211; spoke about his commitment to instilling respect and responsibility in his boys, who range in age from eight to 15.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasized that he is raising them to be \u201cyoung men\u201d in a time when he believes masculinity is under attack.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1390924650-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-17720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1390924650-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-1390924650.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><br \/>\nAnthony Mackie also shared his thoughts on masculinity in the US. Credit: Jason Kempin\/Getty Images for CMT<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past 20 years, we\u2019ve been living through the death of the American male,\u201d Mackie stated. \u201cThey have literally killed masculinity in our homes, in our communities, for one reason or another. But I raise my boys to be young men.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And however you feel about that, you feel about that.\u201d<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Anthony Mackie Behind the Scenes &amp; real life w\/ Captain America path to Hollywood stardom|The Pivot\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HqFfX0A8UAc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nFor Mackie, that means teaching his sons to be humble, respectful, and accountable. He expects them to say \u201cyes, sir\u201d and \u201cyes, ma\u2019am,\u201d open doors for women, and be prepared to take on leadership roles within the household.<\/p>\n<p>When he travels for work, Mackie revealed that he entrusts his eldest son with responsibility over their home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I\u2019m not there to protect, he gotta be there to protect,\u201d he explained. \u201cEvery time I left for a job, I tell my 15-year-old, \u2018You\u2019re the man of the house. You make sure these doors are locked. Every night this alarm is on. You text me or you call me every night before you go to bed and when you wake up.\u2019 I love that because we\u2019re men.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Keeping His Kids Humble<br \/>\nDespite his Hollywood success, Mackie is adamant about keeping his children grounded. He makes sure they aren&#8217;t caught up in social media trends or materialism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI keep my boys humble,\u201d he said. \u201cMy boys have never had a pair of Jordans. My boys don\u2019t do all that internet fly s**t.\u201d<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-532202246-300x207.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"207\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-17725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-532202246-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-532202246-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-532202246.jpg 891w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\nAnthony Mackie has opened up about keeping his children &#8220;humble&#8221;. Credit: Adela Loconte\/WireImage\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>He also believes in setting an example for his sons, ensuring that his eldest leads by example. \u201cMy oldest gets it, my 15-year-old. He tell the other ones, he\u2019s like, \u2018Yo, don\u2019t make dad mad.\u2019 Once you get one that\u2019s right, he\u2019s going to straighten the other ones out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Changing Perspective on Masculinity<br \/>\nMackie also expressed that his perspective has evolved over the years.<\/p>\n<p>He recalled growing up in the 80s and 90s, when homophobia was widespread, and how his exposure to queer artists in New Orleans and at art school broadened his understanding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used my art to better myself,\u201d he shared, noting that playing a gay character helped him better understand the experiences of people close to him, including his brother and roommate.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-17726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb-768x643.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.jpg 819w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\nAnthony Mackie&#8217;s comments sparked a mixed reaction from fans. Credit: Chris Haston\/WBTV via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Success Is Given, Not Earned&#8221;<br \/>\nDuring the podcast, Mackie also challenged the conventional wisdom that hard work alone guarantees success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are lying to our kids,\u201d he said. \u201cWe tell our kids if they do right and they make the good grades and they go to the programs, they will become successful. \u2018If you work hard enough, your work will [pay off].\u2019 And that\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he argued, \u201cSuccess is given; it is not earned.\u201d He explained that talent and effort are not always enough\u2014it often takes the right person to give someone an opportunity. \u201cYou can be the most brilliant mother f\u2014, but it still takes someone to tap you for the gig.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mackie&#8217;s Comments Spark Debate<br \/>\nMackie\u2019s comments about masculinity and his parenting philosophy sparked mixed reactions online.<\/p>\n<p>Some praised him for taking an active role in his children&#8217;s lives and instilling discipline, while others criticized his views, interpreting them as outdated or overly rigid \u2014 such as placing the responsibility of &#8220;man of the house&#8221; on his teenage son.<\/p>\n<p>One supporter wrote: &#8220;There\u2019s a clear difference between masculinity and toxic masculinity. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Anthony Mackie\u2019s focus on raising his sons to be respectful, responsible, and protective\u2014like he mentioned with keeping them humble and making his 15-year-old the \u2018man of the house\u2019\u2014makes him a great role model. We need more men like this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, another argued: &#8220;A 15 year old is not the \u201c\u2018man\u201d of the house. That is so ridiculous to put adult pressures on a child. Yeah give them [responsibility] but don\u2019t subject a kid to the traumas of adulthood. Children are children and adults are adults for a reason.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>One fan added: &#8220;Bro is 100% correct Every man should agree with what he said. Every man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, one critic tweeted: &#8220;This is silly. First off leaving your 15 y\/o as the protector of the house is irresponsible. Secondly he\u2019s insinuating that women should know their place in the household &#8211; which is also silly because if you\u2019ve met a women you\u2019ll know how she\u2019ll feel about that (rightly so)!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the criticism, Mackie remains firm in his beliefs. For him, raising respectful, hardworking, and humble young men is the priority\u2014no matter how society may change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthony Mackie is known for playing superheroes on screen, but off-screen, and it looks like takes just as much pride in his most important role \u2014 fatherhood&#8230;. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17718"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17727,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17718\/revisions\/17727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}