So with the lefts continuous attack on masculinity, manliness, and traditional gender rolls...it got me thinking, just what does it mean to be "manly"?
now when you look at the dictionary, you are met with the following definition:
well thats not a terrible help...basically, "manliness is having qualities of a man"...but what are those qualities?
and i think ive narrowed it down to a few key tenets:
Self Sacrifice:
She first thing we need to remember, Men are disposable...its not very flattering, but historically, it seems to be true...just look at any major war throughout history that led to large depletions of the male population, the civilization seems to pop back in short order.
so once weve realized we are not the masters of the universe....where do we fall in the evolutionary pecking order?....well, that i cant say for certain, but i do know that we rank below Women, Children.....our families.
I feel it is imperative that Self sacrifice in the name of our families should be key to being a "man"....putting your families needs before your own....working 2-3 jobs if need be....forgoing luxuries to provide for your family....and changing your behavior if need be.
which segways into me next point...
The Ability to use violence:
Since we have accepted that we are merely disposable meat suits, it is only natural that it is then our role to protect those around us. A knowledge and willingness to do violence on behalf of our families is critical....manliness has no room for pacifists, if you are not willing to engage in violence, when necessary, you are not willing to engage in self sacrifice for your family. Physical conditioning, and training in a martial art is a necessity...
which leads to my next point...
Self Improvement:
We have now acknowledged that Self sacrifice requires the potential use of violence...which requires lifelong training. However, we must also strive to better ourselves in all areas. We must strive to better ourselves in Education, Tradecraft, Social interactions....self improvement is the path we take to grow from Children into Men, not being complacent, and trying to better our selves so we can better serve the needs of our families, and more importantly, we must possess the humility to accept that we are not perfect as we are.
so how does this jive with "toxic masculinity"...well, lets take a look.
So toxic masculinity is defined as
well, isnt that just a natural byproduct of "self improvement"?....if you continue to better yourself, you are going to eventually going to gain influence and power over those that have not put that effort into bettering themselves...
how about "Self-Reliance"?...Self reliance is defined as "reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others."
again, isnt that also a byproduct of "self improvement"...and more specifically "self sacrifice"...you are not placing burdens on others to achieve what you should be able to do for yourself...bettering yourself, and occasionally, working harder, so that you are able to provide for your family.
How about "competition" ?..is competition not a tool for achieving "self improvement" ?...how do i know what to improve unless i can measure myself against my peers?
and then finally, "controlling of emotions"....should we not act rationally?...should we let our emotions drive us?...more specifically, if we are overcome by our emotions, how are we able to properly use violence when necessary?...anyone that has been in a fight will tell you that there is an element of fear there, but it is our job to suppress that fear, not succumb to it.
It is clear, that "toxic masculinity" is aimed as destroying ALL tenets of masculinity...as what they define as "toxic", are the very aspects that make masculinity valuable to society.
now when you look at the dictionary, you are met with the following definition:
well thats not a terrible help...basically, "manliness is having qualities of a man"...but what are those qualities?
and i think ive narrowed it down to a few key tenets:
- Self sacrifice
- The ability to use violence
- Self Improvement
Self Sacrifice:
She first thing we need to remember, Men are disposable...its not very flattering, but historically, it seems to be true...just look at any major war throughout history that led to large depletions of the male population, the civilization seems to pop back in short order.
so once weve realized we are not the masters of the universe....where do we fall in the evolutionary pecking order?....well, that i cant say for certain, but i do know that we rank below Women, Children.....our families.
I feel it is imperative that Self sacrifice in the name of our families should be key to being a "man"....putting your families needs before your own....working 2-3 jobs if need be....forgoing luxuries to provide for your family....and changing your behavior if need be.
which segways into me next point...
The Ability to use violence:
Since we have accepted that we are merely disposable meat suits, it is only natural that it is then our role to protect those around us. A knowledge and willingness to do violence on behalf of our families is critical....manliness has no room for pacifists, if you are not willing to engage in violence, when necessary, you are not willing to engage in self sacrifice for your family. Physical conditioning, and training in a martial art is a necessity...
which leads to my next point...
Self Improvement:
We have now acknowledged that Self sacrifice requires the potential use of violence...which requires lifelong training. However, we must also strive to better ourselves in all areas. We must strive to better ourselves in Education, Tradecraft, Social interactions....self improvement is the path we take to grow from Children into Men, not being complacent, and trying to better our selves so we can better serve the needs of our families, and more importantly, we must possess the humility to accept that we are not perfect as we are.
so how does this jive with "toxic masculinity"...well, lets take a look.
So toxic masculinity is defined as
- Dominance
- Self reliance
- Competition
- Limiting of Emotions
well, isnt that just a natural byproduct of "self improvement"?....if you continue to better yourself, you are going to eventually going to gain influence and power over those that have not put that effort into bettering themselves...
how about "Self-Reliance"?...Self reliance is defined as "reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others."
again, isnt that also a byproduct of "self improvement"...and more specifically "self sacrifice"...you are not placing burdens on others to achieve what you should be able to do for yourself...bettering yourself, and occasionally, working harder, so that you are able to provide for your family.
How about "competition" ?..is competition not a tool for achieving "self improvement" ?...how do i know what to improve unless i can measure myself against my peers?
and then finally, "controlling of emotions"....should we not act rationally?...should we let our emotions drive us?...more specifically, if we are overcome by our emotions, how are we able to properly use violence when necessary?...anyone that has been in a fight will tell you that there is an element of fear there, but it is our job to suppress that fear, not succumb to it.
It is clear, that "toxic masculinity" is aimed as destroying ALL tenets of masculinity...as what they define as "toxic", are the very aspects that make masculinity valuable to society.
