Peter Rosenberg took aim at Dana White over comments mocking men’s mental health, arguing that vulnerability is the true measure of masculinity. The broadcaster made the remarks on his Validate Me show on YouTube.
White sparked backlash after publicly railing against open conversations about mental health during an appearance on the Kate Miller Podcast, calling the movement “bullsh-t” and arguing that men should deal with their struggles privately.
He doubled down in a subsequent interview with Time magazine, mimicking those who speak out about emotional distress. White stated that public vulnerability “opens the door to make young men think that it’s OK,” adding, “Handle it behind closed doors. Don’t show that weakness to anybody.”
Calling Out Dana White
Rosenberg quoted the UFC boss dismissing men’s mental health conversations and pushed back hard.
“I saw a recent quote, Dana White saying something mocking men’s mental health. Men are supposed to be strong. This whole thing of men talking about mental health, that’s woke. Yo, bro, whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better,” Rosenberg said.
He questioned why anyone would take masculinity lessons from fighters.
“If you think I’m going to learn about being a man from the yo-yos who get in a cage and beat each other for a salary. Some of those people are absolutely real men, but not because they chose to make their living that way,” Rosenberg said.
Redefining Masculinity
Rosenberg argued that treating honesty about struggle as weakness is exactly what is broken in society.
“The idea that men are in any way weaker because we talk about our shortcomings, because we talk about what makes life hard, that is literally one of the things that is wrong with society. That people view it as weak to talk about the fact that life is hard,” he said.
He turned the definition of masculinity on its head.
“What’s not masculine is not being able to talk about real feelings, not being able to own your mistakes. To pretend that it’s masculine to act as if you’re infallible when everybody can see your flaws. That’s being a man? That’s being a joke,” Rosenberg said.
Rosenberg made the comments before welcoming his guest, WWE superstar Big E, for a wide-ranging conversation about mental health and his upbringing.