Guys: What do you think it means to be a man?

Kodachi

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Jun 6, 2011
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Things that make a person respectable go beyond gender. Intelligence, wisdom, empathy, logical, among other traits are often what I would mean if I described someone as a "good" man or a "good" woman. The only reason I would use man or woman to define someone is to help another person physically identify the subject (i.e. "Where would I find Michael?" - "Go to that building and look for an Asian man")
 

Johann610

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Nov 20, 2009
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Can't say about the MALE aspect--y'all covered that pretty well--but you also have to be an ADULT, which means you have to provide for society as a whole and also for your family and your bros. MALES who act like CHILDREN don't earn the distinction of being MEN, simply because they are a drain on their friends and others.
 

Adam

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Apr 28, 2009
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For me being a man means having a penis...And that's about it really. Im looking forward to the day when 'man' and 'woman' becomes meaningless and all the gender boundaries are brought down.
 

Alphakirby

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May 22, 2009
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Nick Stackware said:
Having a penis and male chromosomes make you a man.
Pretty much this.

I mean,in the eyes of the public this isn't the case(The public vision of a man is a muscle bound meathead pelvic thrusting and telling his "bros" about how much he loves tits and beer),but in reality all you need is the parts and the genetics.
 

AstylahAthrys

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Apr 7, 2010
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It means that you are a male, who has gone through puberty, who can act like an adult. That is really what it boils down to, isn't it? Also, I love all the Mulan references. Made my day.

(I suppose my opinion doesn't necessarily count, since this was a question to guys, which means it's a self-analysis and not a spectator analysis, but whatever. I still answered!)
 

Angerwing

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Jun 1, 2009
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I think I'm masculine. I'm well-groomed, well-dressed, intelligent, financially self-sufficient, funny, reliable, I have a career planned for the future, and I work out at a gym 3 times a week, so I'm in great physical condition.
 

teisjm

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Mar 3, 2009
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When people talk about "beeing a man" they're usually talking about it in a possitive way, talking about the positive characteristics, most often associated with men, as opposed to "uh, men..." So looking at what popular culture sees as the male "idol" (i lack a better word atm.) might tell a bit, since it's probably the closest we get to a reflection of the publick majortys view at an idealised idol.

Look at a 90's tv/movie hero. A lot of hard-headed testosorone dudes, duke nukem beeing the prime example, since he's a caricature of others. Cop shows usually involve some bad-ass dude, more brawn than brain, but with street smarts, or whatever you'll call them.
Think arnold-style action heroes.

Now look at the last decade, CSI and all the shows like it, are at least where i live, very dominant in the cop-shows. There's still dudes with brawn, but also a lot without, and even those with brawn make more use of their keen mind, than raw muscle power. The lines between males and females and what roles they fill in these shows are also more blurred.
Look at the decline of brawn-over-brain muscle men as leads in movies, in favor for men still keeping a lot of the formers aspects, but with more thought behind. Think jason borne compared to almost any of arnolds roles.

I know this is tendencies, and not rules, so there are many exceptions, and maybe i've just been looking the places that confirm what i read, and is completely wrong, i'm no tv/movie expert, so feel free to dismiss what i wrote as ignoratn bullshit if you know stuff i don't that de-validates my points.

As for my personal oppinion, male genitals, gender is not important to me as in what values a person posesses. Almost any possitive value i can find mainly seen as masculine/feminine would also IMO be a + in the otehr gender.
Beeing strong, tough (the good parts, not beeing dumb, easily fooled etc), Like an action movie hero is usually seen as a mainly masculine trait, but i find it an admireable trait in women as well.
Beeing careing and compasionate is often a value associated more with females, but males showing these traits also come off as better people.
I can't think of any value, i would consider a plus with one gender and not with the other.
So to sum up, "beeing a man" if meant as a possitive thing, and not just objective description would in my head be beeing a good person.
 

Extasii

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May 22, 2009
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brunothepig said:
Everything I was gonna say about gender roles and expectations and fuck all that has been said, so instead, I give you this.
An appreciation of Disney to go along with most other responses.
 

CarlMin

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Jun 6, 2010
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When the gender roles lose their relevance there is really no point keeping them either. This is not the stone age. We don't have to go hunting or do hard work so whatever advantages or responsibility males had over females due to their physical strength is more or less gone.

For me, being a man means that I was born with a cock. Nothing else.
 

Hosker

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Aug 13, 2010
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Ryan Kerr said:
brunothepig said:
Everything I was gonna say about gender roles and expectations and fuck all that has been said, so instead, I give you this.
Everything I was going to say about how much I hate gender roles and posting "I'll make a man out of you" from Mulan has already been done. Gender roles suck.
Not when they're used to make such an awesome song!
 

Kais86

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May 21, 2008
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That's based on your personal definition of being a man. Such is a philosophical quandary beyond any single definition.
 

Spitfire

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Dec 27, 2008
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Rylot said:
To go off on a tangent, I've always hated the movie/book 'Fight Club'. I always felt that the equating of masculinity with punching random people was pure unadulterated stupidity.
Which was kind of the whole point of Fight Club. I can't comment on the book, as I haven't read it, but in the movie, both Fight Club and Project Mayhem were, in essence, the products of misplaced aggression on the part of men who have lost their sense of masculinity. The whole movie is a commentary on men's place in modern society, and while most of that is courtesy of Tyler Durden, his and his followers actions are not something that the movie endorses; they're not the "good guys", and the Narrator eventually realizes this.
 

GigaHz

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Jul 5, 2011
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I would be lying if I said that to be a man comes without real meaning.

Political correctness and gender roles aside, there are characteristics that separate the men from the boys.

The more you fall under the stereotypical example of a man, the more likely you are to receive female attention. Argue this point all you want, biological fact says otherwise. The ideal man is tall, fairly muscular (but not overly so), confident, handsome, intelligent, bold, commanding, and independent. I'm willing to bet that most of you only have a few of these characteristics but some men are fortunate enough to have all.

However, it could also be argued that being a man is more about attitudes and approaches rather than characteristics. For example, Men are expected to be humble and respectful. Things such as sportsmanship, fairness, persistence and admitting fault relate to a man's pride and confidence in themselves. But also that they are willing to extend this attitude to their fellow men, whether or not they possess it. Things like being a liar, cheater, abuser, or manipulator is a sign of a 'weaker' man who is unable to deal with and manage the reality around them without playing dirty.

As for conventional family roles, it is generally expected for the Man to be the provider in a marriage. Though that is starting to change with the increased appearance of dual-income earners. When it comes to raising children, Men are expected to be tough leader types for their sons and attentive, compassionate role models for their daughters. This is to ensure that the boys grow up strong and independent while the women grow up to expect a certain standard of men in their lives (they gain their independence from their own character or maternal influence).

These are the most important areas where being a man is important. Every other aspect of life is completely dependant on who they are as individuals.