How Abusive Moms Shape Misogynists and Rap Music: Insights from Dr. Stacey Patton

30 Resources for Helping Boys and Men

In a thought-provoking discussion with Touré, Dr. Stacey Patton, a scholar and advocate for children’s rights from Howard University, unpacked the generational trauma of corporal punishment in Black communities. One of the most striking points of the conversation centered on how maternal violence plays a pivotal role in shaping misogynistic attitudes in boys. This dynamic, deeply rooted in historical and social structures, has profound implications for understanding gendered violence and community dynamics.

The Cycle of Maternal Violence

Dr. Patton challenged conventional narratives by emphasizing that early childhood experiences with abusive mothers set a relational template for boys. “If you want to figure out why a man is a misogynist,” she explained, “you’ve got to go back to those Early Childhood experiences.” Data, particularly in Black communities, reveals that women disproportionately perpetrate child abuse and related fatalities. These formative experiences—laden with violence—can manifest later as rage and aggression, redirected not at the mother but at other women.

[Below, I include about thirty resources (books and articles) related to the topic of mothers who abuse their sons and reflections on why pastors who never discuss this issue are either negligent and/or cowards.]