Masculinity: We've Lost Our Way

Post by: Kingpin

It became clear to me that I needed to write a mission statement for our blog and our eventual website. What is it we seek to do with our variety of articles? Why do we educate entrepreneurs, discuss sports, provide advice about women, rate beers, clothes, and technology, and tell entertaining jokes and stories? The truth is, we seek to re-masculate men who have been emasculated, and provide an outlet for men whose masculinity has not fallen victim to modern society.  Luckily for we men, masculinity has not completely disappeared from modern society (UFC, entrepreneurs, military men, athletes), but it’s easy to forget sometimes when you see these whiny emo kids with multiple piercings, long hair, whining about how women are out of their league, or these pushover guys who are their girlfriend's or wife's pet.  Let’s take a look at masculinity as it has changed over time. I know I can’t hit every detail, or every period of history, but I’ll hit the most significant ones.

Greek history is full of tales of masculinity—the pride of the Spartans facing impossible odds at Thermopylae, the Athenian defeat of the Persians at Marathon, and the creation of the Olympic Games, among others. However, the story that inspires me time and time again about a man’s drive to accomplish amazing things is the story of Alexander the Great.  Alexander embodied the qualities I believe every great man should have. He inspired confidence in his men to follow him into hell itself, he had honor, he exposed himself to the same dangers as his men, sometimes more danger, he never gave up on his goal, he pushed himself to his limits, and he sought to unite people for a greater good.  Upon taking the throne, he set off with his army to fight the Persians, who had the largest empire in the known world.  After conquering Babylon, capital of the Persian Empire, he continued eastward, his goal being the eastern ocean. He encouraged his men to marry Persian women and raise the children as Greeks in an effort to unite the two peoples. He cheated death when his forces refused to attack a fortress in India, so he assaulted the walls by himself, fighting off numerous men before taking a spear to the chest.  He survived the wound, and then renewed his men’s confidence by hopping on his horse as if nothing had happened and leading his men back to Babylon at their request. He had said that his only defeat came at the hands of his own men, when they refused to fight after many years of war. Unfortunately, he was known for his love of wine and eventually drank himself to death at a party in Babylon. I would not recommend making the same mistake.

Regarding masculinity in medieval times, we look at the stories of Beowulf and King Arthur. We can tell much about a society’s view of masculinity by the stories they tell. Beowulf was an embodiment of masculinity. He always bragged about his feats, but when challenged in sport or battle, he backed up his words with action. He would emerge from a contest victorious, with no lingering questions about who was in charge. He fought dangerous beasts to save other peoples, and was fearless and confident in his actions. King Arthur embodied similar characteristics, but his story also encompassed chivalry, the natural desire of men to protect women, the “fairer” sex.

As far as masculinity in society goes, the nuclear family after World War II is an excellent example. The man, devoted to his family, was the breadwinner, while his wife would run the house and raise the children. This traditional model indicates why men feel emasculated when they cannot provide for their families. I am not saying women do not belong in the workplace, in fact I am impressed by independent women. I am simply discouraging men from being deadbeat househusbands while their wives earn all the money. It is a disgusting role reversal.

What is the common denominator in all these past examples of masculinity? Duty, honor, a lack of selfishness, confidence, reliability, competitiveness, persistence, and, ultimately, success.  That’s what being a real man is about. Now, I’m not saying that in order to be masculine you must join the military, become a UFC fighter, or be a violent person at all. The essence of masculinity is a commitment to excellence. This includes sports and competition, providing for and defending your family, accomplishing great things, not behaving selfishly (true alpha males are not selfish, even when they help  themselves, because they are naturally inclined to do what is best for the species), and earning what you have, not taking it from someone else.

Modern society seeks to suppress your masculinity. Politics aside, here are the facts. Progressives constantly push for tighter gun laws, limiting your ability to own a firearm and defend yourself and your family.  In divorce cases, men get screwed over. Whether the man is responsible for the end of the marriage or not, he generally must give half of what he has earned (if he is the bread winner, of course) to his ex-wife, as well as sizeable alimony checks. Easily corruptible hate crime laws force men to hesitate to defend themselves in the instance of an attack. If a man is attacked by a man of another ethnicity or religion, should he have to worry about being tried for a hate crime if he successfully defends himself? To be fair, religious conservative laws also seek to emasculate men. In some states, premarital sex is illegal. Just think, through these laws society attempts to repress the most natural desire of humans in general, let alone men. Also, sexual assault cases are easily corruptible. In some areas, all that is needed for a conviction in sex offense cases is testimony from the alleged victim. Now, by NO MEANS am I defending true sex offenders. Rape (extreme statutory and aggravated) and sexual assault are horrible crimes, and those who are truly guilty of it are despicable human beings. However, all it takes is one jealous, irrational girl to point the finger at an innocent guy, and suddenly the man is thrown in jail. The same goes for domestic violence cases. But what does this mean for society? It means that the balance of power in relationships has shifted to the women, as she can have you arrested with one phone call if she likes. When you give women that kind of power in the relationship, they can emasculate you all they want, because one wrong move and suddenly you’re in cuffs for something you did not do.

 Here on our blog and on our website, we do not seek to correct these societal problems, because we cannot. That is the job of your congressman or woman. However, through our posts and forums, we seek to provide men with an outlet for their masculinity and help them harness their own commitment to excellence. If you follow our blog and eventual site and provide constructive feedback, you can help us build something we can be proud of.