Wimps And Barbarians, The Sons of Murphy Brown

Below is a URL concerning the male in today's society. A little long, but very interesting, whether one agrees with the conclusions or not.

I spent some time pondering where to locate this thread. It actually appeared at first that it would fit right in on the 'Men's Issues? thread. But then thinking about it, this topic is a heavy one, and so I figured it would be better to put it in maybe the political forum. The problem with that was that it is not really political, and the things it discusses affect everyone, regardless of their political leanings. Well, logically, that left this forum, and maybe under the auspices of 'Philosophy' it will fit in here just fine. At any rate, it is an interesting article which appeared online in the Claremont Review of Books.

Wimps and Barbarians
The Sons of Murphy Brown

http://www.claremont.org/writings/crb/wint...2003/moore.html

Leo

Well, I am not wuite finished reading this article, but from what I can tell the author makes an interesting point.

There is a lack of positive male role models in many young men's lives, and many of them do lack manners, but there are some changes that have been good. For example, I do not want to be treated as a member of "the fairer sex". I want to be treated as an equal human being. Men today are more willing to treat a woman as an equal, not some fragile creature who needs to be treates as if they could break at ay moment. Also, I think many young women of today could learn some of these lessons the author wants the young men to learn.

Well, speaking as a member of "the coarser gender," I can treat a woman as a lady, not just a female human, and not view her as anything other than my equal. There are rules of civility that have sadly gone to the wayside. I will always give my seat on a bus to a lady. I will always open the door for a lady. I will always remove my hat when I am talking with a lady. I will always allow a lady to precede me when entering a building. These are little things that make the world a much more civilised place. Of course, I have been flayed alive by "women" who feel that I think them too weak to open the door, when I opened it for them and held it. But that is a rare occurence. Most ladies take it for what it is, a gesture of chivalry in a world where chivalry may not be dead, but they have notified the family, contacted the coroner and called for a priest.

I try to instill this in my son, even at the age of 5, because one can never learn to be a man too early. Stand up for what you believe to be right. Stand up, admit it, and take your licks when you do wrong. Always be there to defend those who cannot defend themselves from attack. Tell the truth. In short, to be an honorable MAN, not some fangless, castrated, genderless wimp, which is what our sons today are being molded into by society.

Just my tuppence.

Andy

One of the insights my 17-year-old daughter has gained from her War Between the States re-enacting is that when men are expected to act like men and women are expected to act like women is that the men are much more likely to act like gentlement and the women like ladies, and that everyone treats one another with a much higher degree of respect and equality than is found in much of modern life. The civility encountered at a re-enactment frequently makes it difficult to return to our modern mundane world.

I couldn't agree more. It is sometimes a culture shock to return to the 21st century after living for 3-6 days in a culture where men are expected to behave as gentlemen and women to behave as ladies. The coarseness and mundanity of the culture sort of grates for a while until one gets numb to it again.

Just my tuppence.

Andy

I don't know, I might be sending mixed signals to men out there, but I actually think that if I am treated nicely as a lady I feel valued as female, which I undoubtedly am.
I don't mind people holding the door up for me, it doesn't make me feel less equal.

I don't mind a man opening the door for me, but I do the same for a man sometimes. I see it as common courtesy rather than gender roles.

okay.. true

Actually I think I have to re-write my above post (I must have been tired). What I don't like about those times is that females are confined into certain role models. In cabinetmaking I'm in a course mostly done by men (we are 3 women) and the workshop is in the woodworking tract in college and there are only men around...
I did work in a shipbuilding company for sometimes (I was busy fitting interiors) again, a male dominated area, but I always had to prove my worth as opposed to my male collegues that started in the same time...
I think that should be different, just the picture in peoples heads...

But I think women played a great role in the problem some are faced with while finding an identity, we pray equality and stuff and read romance novels filled with the macho-softie thingy. I guess we're all just sending mixed signals...