The Feminization of Masculinity

While in college I studied Sociology and concentrated on Criminology.  Many of the core classes in Sociology focus on various forms of Social Inequality and varying theories as to their development and longevity in a number of different cultures.  One of the most unique subjects to discuss in these classes was Gender Inequality, especially in a class (major) dominated by females.

Throughout history, men have been writing and documenting, well, history.  All accounts of religious figures, civilian rebellions, civilizations rising and falling were documented by men.  Such is the reason why men are held higher in the eyes of God in many of the major religions.  In our nations most prevalent religion it is said that Man was created first, and Woman was created from the body of Man.  In theory, this would appear to be odd since it is the Woman who bears the child.  As time goes on, it is Man who is King with a Queen by his side, a Woman who causes the war between the Trojans and Athenians, and a Man who is appointed as “closest to God (Pope).”

It appears that the roles have been defined in history, so for many centuries they were not challenged.  Women became submissive to men, and sons were raised to be honorable and respectful to their elders (men).  With the industrialization of the world came a need for more human capital.  Factories sprouted up in place of vast fields and more than ever, men needed bodies to fill those factories; even if it meant hiring children and women.  As women and children entered the workforce they began to shed light on the indiscretions of men and their policies towards “non-men.”  Legislative action was taken and rights were given to women and children for the first time in history.  With their foot in the door, women took their shot and began to build their own power.  Within a generation women were voting, working full-time jobs, and attending colleges and universities.

As businesses grew and businessmen grew smarter, they began to realize they would need to align with the women if they ever wanted to truly dominate; so they began offering jobs to women out of college, working as the right hand of the big boss; working as their secretaries.  It didn’t take long for women to make their presence known in the work place and before anyone could react, women running their own small companies and earning their own income.

Another generation later and women are competitive with men in many aspects.  While the gender inequality still exists, women are becoming more and more powerful in our society.  Women can now make as much if not more money than many men.  Women now can choose a career over their domestic role as housewife.  No longer can men drive around in their flashy cars and be revered for being successful, a trait formerly associated with only men.  Today, women drive their own flashy cars and park them in their own garages.  With this development, and the ever-growing power of women in our society, men began to reach for something to call their own.

Men began to look to the classics in hopes to restore what once was.  Quickly they realized that the women outnumbered the men, and men could no longer marginalize the women of their society.  Men then began to look up, and build bigger, drive bigger, earn more.  Capitalism flourished beyond any wildest dreams as billion dollar men were born and nations were bought and sold.  But still, the power was not enough and men continued to look for more.  Nowadays, men have begun to take on characteristics in their behavior which was once associated with femininity.  Men are groomed regularly with hair stylists, not just barbers.  Men go tanning to achieve a golden-bronze tone and opting to extinguish the once manly “farmers tan.”  Men shop for the newest clothes and accessories to compliment their body shape, which is now carefully designed in aerobic exercise where body building was once the domineer.

But as man continued to build on these characteristics, some began to denounce them for their effeminate nature.  An upheaval began and men began looking even further back, beyond the classics and all the way to the antiquities.  The new trend growing today is the development of the “true man.”  A man with honor, dignity, power, one who yields respect, and fear.  This can be obtained through shear strength and overpowering dominance and destruction, as well as embracing the manliness of the man’s body.  Full grown beards and scars with bulging muscles are on display for all to marvel at, especially for women to adorn as they dwindle in the shadows of the new “giant man.”  A man who embodies everything it means to be manly, not from one generation, but from all generations. 

The one manly characteristic that can never be taken or overshadowed by the success and power of woman is history.  History is written and cannot be undone.  Man has made their lasting impact on society as they have decreed what it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman.  As long as history is learned and accepted, this trend will continue and live on.  Much like a Yankee fan, unwilling to let go of the past, men will always have history.  Men will always have the 8 wonders of the World, huge theatres in Greece, giant pyramids in Egypt and timeless art in Paris. 

The Lost Cause

I was recently perusing some articles and comments on our favorite news site Digg. I read a great article that was written by Ben Stein. The article addressed some tips on how to have a successful business conversation. The tips were very generic for those of us who engage in these conversations each and every day, but for those who have not been exposed to the business environment, this could really be a big help.

After I read the article, I decided to read some comments to see how people were reacting. Many of them were calling the article “common sense,” however, there was one person who’s comment struck me.

“wow I am 17 and I can have a better business conversation with some one and I would most likely have more sales then if i followed what that article says.
I own a business yes I’m young yet I still find that if you want to have a good conversation you should get down to the point of what you needs to be said in any business sense time is money and I don’t have time to go and research some one just to make a sale if they were going to spend a lot on my service then I would spend time finding out what I would need to know about them to make that sale. But many people just want what they want and don’t really care about the rest and i make enough to sustain my self pay for a car and invest. And I find that if you really are dieing to have a business conversation no tips are going to help you you need to know what you are talking about and thats it. You could read with all the tips in the world about how to have a business conversation but if you don’t know what you need to know then I am not going to really care on what you say. Now you see why i said you should get to the point you most likely would not have read this so remember always try and keep it as short as possible.”

I had to reread this comment a number of times in an attempt to figure out what this person was trying to say. My curse in life is that when I encounter an error, much like a shitty PC, I am unable to continue my process. The struggle in my head to read this was insurmountable and I felt like my skull was going to tear into 5 parts. Why 5 parts? I have no idea, 5 just sounded like a solid number of parts at the time. Anyways, after reading this person’s comment, it brought me to think about the status of kids his age.

Many of us in our ‘twenty-somethings’ will make comments as to how quickly kids are growing up these days. Kids are getting involved in relationships at earlier ages, having sex earlier and becoming delusional long before their 75th birthday. The one thing that strikes me the most about kids these days in their complete lack of respect for education. Currently, these children are inundated with thoughts of being a rap star, basketball player or lottery winner. Nobody wants to work for a living anymore, they all just want life handed to them.

Before I blame the kids for this, I have to draw attention to the faulty parenting. These kids are being raised by the “Flower Children” of the 70’s and their parenting skills are increasingly liberal and “hippy-like.” The parents are so worried that their children won’t want to be friends with them, that the parents allow their children to walk all over them. I remember nearly shitting my pants when the word “damn” slipped from my mouth. Now I hear kids calling each other “faggots” and “assholes” in front of their family – and nobody seems to flinch.

The other side of this rusty coin is the public education system. Teachers are no longer challenging their students in the ways we were challenged because there is no reward system in place. I remember getting a “C” on a test and thinking “Oh shit, I’m going to never get into college now.” Today, kids spend all of their time focusing on their athletics. Coaches have their athlete-students practicing twice a day with a 1-hour session of homework in the library. Each and every one of these kids thinks they are going to be professional athletes or at least get a scholarship to a great school where they can keep playing.

And that is exactly the problem we have today. Kids are still playing when they should be growing up. High Schoolers come home from football practice at 7pm and go to their room to play Madden 2007 on their XBox 360, and they do their homework in homeroom the next morning. Then when it comes time to graduate and their D1 school rejects them because they have poor grades, they wonder what happened and how they failed. But instead of going to a lower tier school, they avoid college all together.

My concerns are not for these kids, because they won’t amount to shit in this world. My concern is for the kids that are considered bright and successful; especially when compared to these brain-dead fucks. The SAT’s are not based on how many questions you answered correctly; being a standardized test, you’re grade is derived by how well you did compared to the best of the best. If the best score during a SAT period is the girl who got 25 questions wrong, then that person is given a perfect score and all other scores are then based off of that. A 1200 on your SAT’s used to be an acceptable number, nowadays, kids are getting 1200’s on their SAT’s and they still forget to write their name on the damn cover!

How do you respond to children at their age? What do you say to someone who still reads at an 8th grade level, but is about to graduate High School?

I don’t know how to handle these sensitive situations because I fear that I am too brutally honest. I would tell these kids to go to Junior College for two years, get an Associates Degree, and then apply to a 4 year school and transfer in to finish your Bachelor’s. It’s not the degree and the 4 years of school that will make them intelligent; it’s the responsibility and exercises in adulthood during those 4 years that will make them wise.