Men being men - a good idea!

Via several other bloggers who've linked to it, I became aware of a magnificent article at North. Here's an excerpt.

I grew up with sitcoms that bashed the cigar-smoking, poker playing man. Tide commercials with women wrinkling their noses at the presence of a man's laundry. What was communicated was that there was something wrong with men in general. Or at least that was what was driven into me.

But the caveman was fixed by making him a sensitive wimp. The gruff man was emasculated. Cut down, not improved. Man became polyester disco weenies, man became preppy effeminate pansies. And now what does the world have as a result?

The caveman could be called upon to change the oil in your Chevy. The caveman would repair a woman's roof, build things. Kill spiders. The caveman might have grunted too much, may have drank too much. Wasn't polite in mixed company. But the caveman was a man.

A transition occurred. It was once that the "Wifey" served up a steak meal for her man. Unfair and sexist, and fuel for a positive change. The change, though, turned modern man into a weak passive herbivore. Modern man was forced to fix his faults by no longer being a man.

The fix to 'improve' man took away too much. Watered a strong man down to a woman that could grow facial hair - but wouldn't of course. Men were conditioned to be sensitive, but as a result became nonsupporting. Men would cry with you, but no longer have a shoulder to cry upon.

It is the passionate carnivore that is needed. Modern man needs to be a man. A man that is masculine, but still a gentleman. A man that will show strength FOR a woman, not just TO a woman. A man that will work not for a wage, but for a family - for the honor and integrity of completing an honest day's work to provide and protect.

You can be a gentleman that has the caveman's masculine skills, but not bluntly delivered. Strength, not aggression. Character, not abruptness. Polite presence, not boorish intrusion. Persevere, don't retreat.

Step away from what others have defined for you. Don't be the man watered down by political correctness. Be an improved man for your wife, girlfriend, lover, friends, and family. Define your masculinity by the strength of your character.

There's more at the link. Excellent reading!

I guess I don't altogether 'get' the anti-masculine emphasis among feminists and their ilk. Perhaps that's because I come from Africa, where to be 'manly' (in the classical sense) is rather more important than it is in other parts of the world. Sure, you can be a 'metrosexual' in a big African city (if you don't mind being laughed to scorn) . . . but drive a few miles out of town, where there are things with teeth and horns and hooves that don't like you, and see how far your 'metrosexuality' will get you (and your loved ones) as a survival skill!





Peter