Beware: possible misogyny ahead...
We are the lost boys, "young men stuck in neutral", children in mens bodies forever clinging to our sophomoric antics and nostalgic sheened pasts, afraid that the throes of modern adulthood may one day swallow us up entirely. Alternatively we may assimilate into the feminine imperative adopting traits of the fairer sex, ignoring our proud heritage. The blood of monkeys runs in these veins (and testosterone through my balls). Can we not be equal and different. The anima is not the animus or vice versa. I am a man's man. I will conquer. I will create. I will destroy. As soon as I finish this level of Call of Duty.
I am not a man because of what I am (a disappointment). I am a man because I ask the question: What is manliness?
*stole this line from someone, can't remember who
8 comments:
Fascinating post!
My father died when I was two years old. Growing up, I knew few adult males well enough to find in them role models. I didn't get much in the way of guidance in how to be a man, as opposed to guidance merely in how to be an adult.
Are men suppose to be a different kind of adult than women are supposed to be? I wouldn't know. My mom and aunt who raised me didn't try to raise a macho man, they tried to raise a responsible adult.
A part of me has always wondered if my upbringing lacked anything because it lacked a male presence and role model.
cheers Paul,
this is a topic that's always on my mind. What does it mean to be a real man? There are a lot of varying opinions on this, I'm not even sure of mine.
Sorry to hear about your dad. I don't know, he possibly could have influenced you in a different way if he'd been around. It's an interesting question. I want to try and figure out if the more traditional type roles are essential parts of our gender. Did they happen, because of evolution, social conditioning or something else?
Justin Said...
There are very significant pysiological and anotomical differences between a man and a woman. Inevitably these play out into our modes of thinking and behaviour, and role in Society.
Unfortunately(?), the environment we life in has changed so much in the last 100-200 years that we find ourselves asking such questions about what it mean to be a man. We (both men and women) now find ourselves trying to fit the mould of a highly unnatural society.
Yeah, our lifestyles are outpacing evolution. I've been looking at material that goes along with a lot of the stuff that you used to tell me about health. So, I'm incorporating some of the old hunter-gatherer practices into my lifestyle. As much as that's possible in the modern world.
I think it's always good to question. Personally I think the differences in our physiology and chemistry distinguish the sexes enough for us to be able to say that men are more likely to be xyz and women abc, but I don't know where physiology ends and sociology begins.
Justin said...
If you're male and not waking up with a woodie in the morning (as I suspect is happening with a lot more people these days), then that's one sign that your environement is definately messing with your physiology, and that will bleed into your sociology.
hmm your suspicions may be correct in this instance
Justin said...
Ahhh, here ya go Loren...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PZD8AEHm0A
http://www.chivalrynow.net/intro.htm
http://www.rmdk.com/
Good stuff, I think a personal code of ethics is in order. Time to brain storm.
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