Saturday, August 16, 2008

Why Is It So Taboo In Our Society For Men To Act Like Men?

Earlier today I saw a comment that said "Personally I would consider it an explicit insult if someone called me a manly man." While that would be understandable if the poster was female, this was an 18 year old guy. So it got me wondering, what would be so "explicitly insulting" about being called a manly man? Would he rather be a girly man?
Why is it so taboo in our society for men to act like men?

A lot of magazines and news articles that I have read say that "traditional gender roles are becoming blurred." There are more stay at home dad's than ever, and men are no longer the traditional bread winners of the family. Most men don't want to protect women anymore, it isn't necessary in modern society. More and more women are paying for dates, ( also being forced to kill their own bugs now more than ever! lol ) and it is a common belief now that "men can't fall in love with a woman until they have had sex with her." Most men aren't men anymore, they're guys.

The typical story of a damsel in distress who is rescued by the knight in shining armor is looked down upon nowadays. Women are supposed to rescue themselves, or in some cases rescue the man. Most movies these days reflect this attitude. Take for instance, the movie The Last Legion. I went and saw this in theaters a few months ago, and while I enjoyed it, I found it to be a little unrealistic. There is a female character from India named Mira, who was trained in combat from birth, and I swear there was a scene where she fought off what must have been 10 soldiers by herself, then she went on to rescue the Roman Commander Aurelius from more soldiers. While I enjoy it as much as the next girl when a woman kicks butt, I didn't find this particular scene to be very feasible. ( Or romantic for that matter! haha But that is just my personal opinion, and has nothing to do with this blog. ) It seems like people are expected to act against nature, biology, and basic human instinct to to fit in with what is considered politcally correct. The empowered strong career woman, and the sensitive, stay-at-home dad. The question I am asking though is, why is it admirable for a woman to rescue a man, but sexist for a man to rescue a woman?

Lately people are even saying that women are as big of perpetrators of physical abuse as men are. This is not the same thing. Everybody knows it too. Men are physically stronger than women are. It is a much different and worse thing for a man to hit a woman.

I think, inadvertantly, radical feminists may have caused more harm than good. They have ensured that women have the right to vote, the right to have whatever job they want, and the right to equal pay. All good things there. Also, however, with the advent of feminism, homemakers and stay-at-home moms are looked down upon. Instead women are expected to have careers, take care of the children, do all or most of the housework, and in some cases pay their own car bills or even for the groceries. Even acts of common courtesy, such as a man opening the door for the woman, can be misinterpreted now. Men used to treat women like they were special, and they wanted to protect them and take care of them. Now men say that they want a smart, independent woman, who is successful in her career. There are even examples of this in popular culture, take for instance, the song "Why Don't You Get A Job" by the Offspring. Men feel free, and do call women things like "bitch", and "whore", on a regular basis now. Most men would not have done this a hundred years ago, fifty years ago, or even forty years ago. Women were something to be cherished and were considered special, and yes, maybe even delicate. Now, the former sentence is considered highly politcally incorrect.

You can't even mention Cinderella half the time without someone complaining that it is "misogynistic." ( Really, if you think about it though the Prince didn't do anything except meet her at the ball. He never slayed a dragon or rescued her. WHICH-WOULDN'T-BE-A-BAD-THING. But I digress here though. ) Girls are taught from birth that they should be independent strong women, and that they can protect themselves. Which is by all means true, do not get me wrong. But why is it considered so bad if a guy protects them? Even just in a movie or a story? What is so wrong with being chivalrous now?