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

Dr Snakeman

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TeeBs said:
Dr Snakeman said:
TeeBs said:
All I have to say, Fuck gender roles.

To be 100% honest being a good guy is great, if that falls into your definition of "Masculine" thats great, but im glad the aggressiveness of males is lowering. Call me a weak nerd but we don't need masculinity in todays society.
Huh.

I honestly can't say that I've ever "respectfully disagreed" with anything more in my life. This is, like, as much as I can possibly disagree with you, and still treat your opinion as worthy of my time.

So, yeah. I think you're gravely mistaken. More specifically, I think you're confused on what "masculinity" means.

I don't really want to have to come up with some huge thesis about it here, but I suggest you check out The Art of Manliness. It's a website with a cheesy name, but a really good premise. It's all about helping to recapture the good qualities of manhood in the past, but leaving behind all the racism and misogyny.

Here, to get you started:

http://artofmanliness.com/2009/02/12/is-manliness-obsolete/

A lot of very thought-provoking "man stuff" on that site.
I guess its your personal definition of masculinity is. My beef is with the concept that a sports star should make more then a doctor, that the men on Jersey Shore get idolized and common sensibility is shunned. I guess my view is warped because of where I live. I mean I try to live up to the whole strong, socially responsible aspect, but I feel, at least from what ive read from this article this guy is wrong in some areas. From what I have heard europes population is dropping not from a lack of Masculinity but more of something to be expected of post industrial nations, you can blame it on a lack of masculinity, but isn't Japan having the same problem? and with a nation like Japan, with a strong sense of honor and discipline would probably be the perfect breeding ground for your definition of man.
Nothing is further from traditional masculinity than the Jersey Shore types. That's the warped ideal that has come about in recent decades. They may be men physically, but mentally and emotionally they are still little boys. Manhood is not about fighting, drinking, and bedding as many women as possible. That's the warped ideal that has come about in recent decades. So I kind of have the same "beef" as you do.

But saying that masculinity has no place in modern society is a huge overreaction to this perversion of what a man is.

And yeah, the population thing seemed a little shaky to me, too. This guest author isn't really as good as the guy who normally writes for the site. But the rest of that article was solid, and sort of describes what a man should be.
 

psychodynamica

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Feb 24, 2010
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i don't feel all that manly unless i just opened something that seemed stuck, downed a shot of whiskey or made a woman orgasm. other than that i just feel awesome pretty much all the time.
 

Verlander

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To be a man is just that-be a man. It's pretty black and white, with some grey areas concerning trans-gender people. For the rest of it though it's how you are born.

As for gender roles in society? Luckily they don't exist so much due to the emancipation of women in the workplace. At one point being the boss of a company was a manly thing, but now women can do that just as well, and often better. Me? I'm an accountant, which is a manly sort of job, and I'm also a Special Police constable in the Met, another stereotypically manly role, but many of my contemporaries are women and do the job just as competently.

I think we need to be less concerned about how to be better men, and work out how to be better people.
 

TheRightToArmBears

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Manly? I'm twenty and have a receding hairline. It started going when I was 16. My testosterone levels are A-ok, thanks dad.

For all the anti-stereotype stuff... well, I kinda do think that masculinity is defined by more than just your genitals. Sure, you're still a guy if your not masculine, but you're not manly. There's a difference. Being manly is 50% just being a nice guy anyway. Being manly is about being brave, kind, accepting responsibility and looking out for others (generally, all the virtues espoused by classic westerns). You don't need a six pack to be manly, it's more of a mindset. I guess it's possible for women to be 'manly' too, but you probably wouldn't describe them like that. It doesn't sound so flattering.

I think people who say 'it's your balls that count' or whatever, are missing the point. Being a man doesn't make you manly and being manly is different to having gender roles from the 50's.
 

GestaltEsper

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Oct 11, 2009
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Can't believe no one's done this yet:

Look buddy, I'm an engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "what is a man?" because that would fall under the conundrum of your personal philosophy. I solve practical problems.
 

schiz0phren1c

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Jan 17, 2008
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http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Rudyard_Kipling/kipling_if.htm

Ol' Rudyard got it square on the head.
I think the "nannyfication" of the world is going too far though,
and gender politics are a load of bollix :)
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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Nick Stackware said:
Having a penis and male chromosomes make you a man.
This is all I can come up with other than gender stereotypes. I have no clue what it takes to 'be a man' other than what Nick said above me. I've got the tools but if I had a grandfather or similar older-male-adult-non-dad-but-still-paternal figure in my life I'm sure I wouldn't be considered a man in his brutally honest, time hardened eyes.

As for the decline of testosterone...could it be part of a cycle? I have no evidence other than speculation and a flimsy reference to The Renaissance. Humans went from black death, to Renaissance to, an era of war-after-war-after-war. Maybe we're coming back to a more artsy-fartsy state of mind?
 

The Thinker

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Jan 22, 2011
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I have a Y chromosome! Whee!

In other news: Kilts. They are manly man-skirts. To be a *true* man, you must join the Cult of the Manly Man-Skirts. As their recruitment song goes...

Join the cult of the Manly Man-Skirts/(rest rest rest rest)/We're so manly it physic'lly hurts. /(rest rest rest rest) (repeat from "Join")

[small]This bout of random ravings was brought to you by [Real Name Expunged], your new and extremely manly cyborg overlord.[/small]
 

brunothepig

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May 18, 2009
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Lizardon 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.
I see your awesome song a raise you an equally awesome parody.
I actually saw this one when I was searching for my video. I dunno, I prefer the original, partly because the singing is consistently good (almost), partly probably due to nostalgia. Still, the DBZ one is awesome.
 

ReservoirAngel

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Nov 6, 2010
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To be a man you have to have a penis. That is literally it. Any of these ideas of "how men should act" are stupid in my opinion.
 

Reincarnatedwolfgod

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Jan 17, 2011
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You require a manly beard, to be strong as a bull, and extremely aggressive. you only eat meat(preferably from a animal you killed your self) because real men are carnivores.(bullshit)

even if a man has some or many feminate traits acording to society it does not make a man any less of a man

all you require is y-chromosome.

ok fine you want general trait. being able to take responsibly
oh wait that goes for both genders. taking responsibly is a sign of maturity not manliness or femininity.
there many more examples of maternity i could list but in the end i still applies to both genders

fatal2704 said:
Certainly not the fucking dare sticks commercials. That asshole hipster in his pajamas certainly isn't one to talk about manliness.
yeah the dare sticks commercials are stupid
 

Ruwrak

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Sep 15, 2009
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Well...

"Champion your choices, morals and ethics. If you stand for something, you stand for it."

Or in less floaty language. Stick to your choices when you made them and not cower away from it when someone challenges your points of view. (this does not mean bash his skull in, but have faith in your own views and idea's, instead of following the herd.)
 

Ariseishirou

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Aug 24, 2010
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To be a man you need a y chromosome and/or a desire to be a man. (Some people with y chromosomes want to become women. That's cool. Also, some people with xx become men.)

Being a good man is an entirely different story. So is being a decent person, in general.
 

FalloutJack

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Nov 20, 2008
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I think that it's different for every man, and that it's not a question you should have to ask others.
 

veloper

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Jan 20, 2009
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A man takes responsibility and a man cannot be a wimp.

Having the male genitals just qualifies you to be a boy. Most of you got that one wrong.