(no subject)
An Article that caused quite the stir in THE BAYLOR LARIAT
Feminine aspects endanger men's traditional role
Oct. 5, 2004
By ROBERT SHAW, photographer
Something I've noticed recently in our culture that is quite bothersome to me: men are doing things and acting in certain ways that are more appropriate for women. As I look around campus each day, I see there are many guys that are beginning to lose their masculinity starting from the clothes we wear to what we're talking about.
Shaw
This leads me to believe the male population is heading in a downward spiral to depths of being less masculine. So I feel something needs to be said before our society is overrun by "girly men," as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., would say.
There are men in this world today who are putting themselves in masculine jeopardy by doing certain things that were intended for women, or acting in certain ways that make them less manly.
This kind of behavior probably isn't as evident here on our conservative Baylor campus as it probably is in other parts of the country, but it's becoming more a part of our culture today.
You can look at this sociological malfunction anyway you choose, but it is detrimental to our well-being. Men and women inherit certain characteristics in order to provide both leadership and sensitivity in situations. Although we are individually different, I believe the traditional male still holds an important role in society.
Men were not meant to bond over manicures and facials. Neither were they meant to gossip like suburban housewives.
Some people say acts like these are part of the modernization of men.
Well, that totally defies the definition of a man. A man should be absolutely timeless. There are certain characteristics that men have always had, and should always have. Qualities such as zeal, truth, courage and toughness with a gentleman edge are just to name a few. Then, of course, there are those who make the argument that men are just getting in touch with their feminine side. Well, I don't exactly buy that either. Men are born with a certain amount of testosterone to block out that temperament.
It's OK for a man to be sensitive at times, but to be consumed by sensitivity is a whole other issue. As men, we have an obligation to be exactly that -- men. Play tackle football, grill a burger, chop down a tree or kill an animal.
I am not saying men should be totally uncivilized, but I think there is potential masculine improvement in our society. Plus, the above activities that I mentioned are wonderful for male bonding.
Hopefully, this confusion of men carrying out the acts of women is just a brief fad. For the sake of our society moving forward, I encourage men to live like men again.
I felt the need to write a response:
To Whom This May Concern,
Upon completing the article by Robert Shaw: Feminine Aspects Endanger Men's Traditional Role, I was surprised he did not mention clobbering women over the head with clubs and dragging them back to our caves. In a world where shows like Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and books on Meterosexuality are on the top of consumer’s lists it’s interesting to call a man a football, burger flipping, and tough guy. In my year spent at Penland you would have to get up at least an hour early in hopes of getting a spot in front of the mirror or one of the shower stalls to "gussy up" before class. A lot of these men in the bathroom lines encompassed everything Shaw considered Masculine in this article. There should be no definition of a Man by the way he acts. In fact Men in Europe openly show affection to each other. If anything I'd call Shaw's definition of a man a fad. These "traditional roles" are a part of MODERN American society not the world's history. Men like Mark Maguire and Michael Jordan will be forgotten as the page of history turns. It is the "sensitive" men who will be remembered... Artists like Mozart and Bach men who probably never touched a football, shot an animal or flipped a burger in their life are the ones who will withstand the test of time. It sounds to me like the author in some way feels threatened by the evolution of man and is not ready to keep up with changing times. It is not fair in any way to rate what makes and individual a man based on a loose set of ideas. To quote the movie Saved! "Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?"
Alex Box
Telecommunications 2007
Feminine aspects endanger men's traditional role
Oct. 5, 2004
By ROBERT SHAW, photographer
Something I've noticed recently in our culture that is quite bothersome to me: men are doing things and acting in certain ways that are more appropriate for women. As I look around campus each day, I see there are many guys that are beginning to lose their masculinity starting from the clothes we wear to what we're talking about.
Shaw
This leads me to believe the male population is heading in a downward spiral to depths of being less masculine. So I feel something needs to be said before our society is overrun by "girly men," as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., would say.
There are men in this world today who are putting themselves in masculine jeopardy by doing certain things that were intended for women, or acting in certain ways that make them less manly.
This kind of behavior probably isn't as evident here on our conservative Baylor campus as it probably is in other parts of the country, but it's becoming more a part of our culture today.
You can look at this sociological malfunction anyway you choose, but it is detrimental to our well-being. Men and women inherit certain characteristics in order to provide both leadership and sensitivity in situations. Although we are individually different, I believe the traditional male still holds an important role in society.
Men were not meant to bond over manicures and facials. Neither were they meant to gossip like suburban housewives.
Some people say acts like these are part of the modernization of men.
Well, that totally defies the definition of a man. A man should be absolutely timeless. There are certain characteristics that men have always had, and should always have. Qualities such as zeal, truth, courage and toughness with a gentleman edge are just to name a few. Then, of course, there are those who make the argument that men are just getting in touch with their feminine side. Well, I don't exactly buy that either. Men are born with a certain amount of testosterone to block out that temperament.
It's OK for a man to be sensitive at times, but to be consumed by sensitivity is a whole other issue. As men, we have an obligation to be exactly that -- men. Play tackle football, grill a burger, chop down a tree or kill an animal.
I am not saying men should be totally uncivilized, but I think there is potential masculine improvement in our society. Plus, the above activities that I mentioned are wonderful for male bonding.
Hopefully, this confusion of men carrying out the acts of women is just a brief fad. For the sake of our society moving forward, I encourage men to live like men again.
I felt the need to write a response:
To Whom This May Concern,
Upon completing the article by Robert Shaw: Feminine Aspects Endanger Men's Traditional Role, I was surprised he did not mention clobbering women over the head with clubs and dragging them back to our caves. In a world where shows like Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and books on Meterosexuality are on the top of consumer’s lists it’s interesting to call a man a football, burger flipping, and tough guy. In my year spent at Penland you would have to get up at least an hour early in hopes of getting a spot in front of the mirror or one of the shower stalls to "gussy up" before class. A lot of these men in the bathroom lines encompassed everything Shaw considered Masculine in this article. There should be no definition of a Man by the way he acts. In fact Men in Europe openly show affection to each other. If anything I'd call Shaw's definition of a man a fad. These "traditional roles" are a part of MODERN American society not the world's history. Men like Mark Maguire and Michael Jordan will be forgotten as the page of history turns. It is the "sensitive" men who will be remembered... Artists like Mozart and Bach men who probably never touched a football, shot an animal or flipped a burger in their life are the ones who will withstand the test of time. It sounds to me like the author in some way feels threatened by the evolution of man and is not ready to keep up with changing times. It is not fair in any way to rate what makes and individual a man based on a loose set of ideas. To quote the movie Saved! "Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?"
Alex Box
Telecommunications 2007