During the last two winter weather events, I started to watch the TV series Mad Men and one aspect of the show really appealed to me; the men on the show acted like real men. There is an overtly sexist atmosphere as the show is set in the early 1960's America, but that doesn't appeal to me. The characters in this show are strong, confident, decisive men who are very adroit and assertive; essential qualities in my opinion. They don't spend an inordinate amount of time talking about their feelings, looking for the approval of others, or second-guessing themselves. They are not whiners, they are not excuse makers, and they are not sniveling, weak men.
Maybe I've been watching too much figure skating, but it seems that 2014 version of a man is anything but those things. They're are exceptions to everything, but men today just seem weaker and less-manly then they used to be. Less decisive, less confident, more egotistical, more feminine, more whiny, more needy, less assertive, and less self-assured. Just ask yourself who is more manly, you or your grandfather? Society has changed and continues to devolve to some strange unisex being. To win his woman, your grandfather probably fought a bear with his bare hands and on your first date with your woman you probably both wore the same unisex perfume. I know some ladies like the sweet, sensitive type guys who are in tune with their feelings and femininity, just don't expect them to kill spiders or snake the toilet.
That's not to say men can't be compassionate or caring, introspective and of high emotional intelligence. I think men can be all of those things. In fact, they should be all of those things and more. But first, above all else, they should be self assured, confident, and brave. Maybe this is just me aging, getting old, and working on my "GET OFF MY LAWN", but I found it funny that we don't identify with the portrayal of men from the '60's. It probably started when we stopped keeping score and started handing out participation medals; when we started valuing participating over winning. When we as a society learned that saying, "I did my best" was the Get Out of Jail Free card for failure, we became Pavlov's dog in our expectations of ourselves and others. Often we exchange our expectations for the fear of hurting someone's feelings.
I'm sure by the time I die, I'll probably be buried in a skirt at the rate we are going, but at least my tombstone will carry one of my more prominent mottos: "Be a Man, not a [wuss]".
