Lads: Learn to be Men!

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I had a chance to browse this site earlier today called the 'Art of Manliness' - love it! Lots of really neat articles, a good dose of humor in the right places, overall I think its a really wonderful resource:

http://artofmanliness.com/

On a slightly more earnest note though I'm really happy that sites like this are springing up. It seems like our culture has been lacking guidance for guys for quite some time now, and one of my favorite radio talkers Dennis Prager often talks about how our society needs more coaching and role modeling for young adult males, especially in that we don't have an innate sense of how to cross that bridge and it generally needs to be taught. The more I see guys coming around and realizing their own inter/intrapersonal growth needs and getting well thought out guidance out there the better.

Wow... I've been using Altoids tins for many things, for many years now. I must be one hardcore macho manly bastard! Haha.

I had the horrible misfortune of hearing Mr. Prager speak in person. It was at a dinner honoring my mother, and if it weren't for that, I would have walked out. Other people in the audience did. His religious views were, for me, incredibly offensive. Be warned, should you follow that link, that you are likely venturing very far to the right. I will never forget that night, having to stay there and listen to him. I was full of rage.

Men in tights more like

That was a funny site! Thanks for sharing!

What about Marc Rudov?

Ok, well, before everyone decides to tar and feather me as a neocon I might just point out that they have a lot of neat articles on conversation and fashion.

Naahh no "neocon" here.
I like the macgyveing going on with
the altoids tin.

I'm not the macho type, I am more of
the Nerd type.

I belive in true equality, I "go dutch"
on dating (when I used to do that kind of thing),
we held the door for each other when needed,
we were a good tieam.

As a woman, I'm a little off-put by the idea that the site is providing these tips as just "being a man" or "manly man" or "the manliest way to be a man among all manly men ever". Articles on communication, grooming and fashion are cool; but there's this propaganda with "restoring Manhood" that really doesn't make sense to me. I wouldn't want a website dictating what is and is not Womanly behavior. Sources that do try to return women to a gender role that's based on servitude tend to be rejected because it provides a horrible lack of options. I don't see why we would be accepting of a source that's trying to return men to a gender role that's equally limiting.

Yeah, I think this is just another example of how some people miss the good old days. Instead of "learning to be men" we should be learning how to be assertive and confident, which is sex-neutral.

That much is really tongue in cheek humor, its an inside joke as far as I can see. I think what its really about - a lot of guys do feel cut adrift, feel like they have no one to relate to, no one to talk about certain kinds of broader male issues with, even perhaps among friends, and that's what I actually like a lot about a lot of the blogs and/or articles in the 'A man's life' area of the site.

Then again any site like this will have some authors you agree with, some you won't, I'd take that as the nature of any site that's devoted to what seems to be a hot button issue. If its written by a far-out masculist, I probably can't relate to much. If its an article written by a guy about certain strange feelings about life that guys get often but rarely get any discussion, that's where the added value really comes in.



As a guy it does to me. The more wishy-washy and asexual guys get, the worse they're treated, and yet society is telling them often these days that macho is wrong. In that sense there is a lot of conflicting information out there. I'm not suggesting that all guys should be macho by any means or that it should be a high ideal, just that life has really gotten complicated for guys, as guys we need information and structure, and the more we can understand our worlds as they work the better. Restoring manhood means guys being confident in themselves as guys, for being guys. Its not just fingy sorts of people who are noticing that male identity is falling apart.



That's just it, they're not trying to do any such thing. Its guys talking about masculinity, in today's society - 2010/2011 - as it is, as the world works today and not trying to throw back to 1950. If we do agree on that though I'm not sure what the objection is.

Glad to see someone saying that. I always tell people "chivalry isn't dead, it's just stupid". I've upset some people before by saying that, but oh well, too bad. XD

Awesome. You ready to tell women who believe in chivalry that they're biggots?

Sure, I have no issues with doing so. I've told several of them that they're misandrist hypocrites. I respect women who want to be treated fairly, and not like stupid helpless babies.

In that case I respect it. However, I think our society needs a LOT of changes.

Two major umbrella issues:

1) If we're living in a modern age where the male provider has become the office peer - most things generally should be made equal, both ways.

2) We really need to get over this crap notion that if we abolish gender in our culture that we abolish inherent gender altogether and that there's no such thing anymore. Women still have distinct developmental needs, men still have distinct developmental needs. To be brought together successfully we need reality not impressionism. To have that is a happier and more efficient society.

This is why I brought the site up - it deals with point 2 from the male side and, despite the tongue and cheek pretentiousness I've seen some pretty good articles.

I've snipped down your comment. I hope you don't mind.

For 1... how do you believe "most things generally" should be made equal, both ways? Can you start to peel away the layers on this so I know how you're seeing this issue?

For 2... I wholeheartedly agree. Such a website that you posted would be good for men as well as FTM transpeople. Grooming, fashion, health... all relevant to those who are male-identified. However, we have to get out of gender stereotyping. The altoid tins is a perfect example of gender stereotyping that goes a little deeper than to merely hook the site's demographic. I just wish it was better tailored for what we both seem to want to from society based on your comments here, instead of the direction it took.