Wanted: A Few Real Men

As usual, Vox Day is succinct and on target.

After almost every column or blogpost I've written about the various idiosyncracies of women, some woman writes to complain that I never criticize men. Of course, there's not exactly a shortage of male-bashing in the mainstream media today, to say nothing of chick rags like Cosmopolitan, Ms., Self and other variants on the Me, Myself and I theme so popular with women.

And while there is something about the modern American man that is absolutely worthy of criticism, I don't think it's exactly what these feminists had in mind. For you see, the main problem with men today is that they are not men, but frightened little boys – afraid of their bosses, their wives, their girlfriends and their government. They are afraid of their employees, their children and their children's teachers.

What men lack today is a defining point seperating boyhood from manhood. The mere accumulation of years is not enough, for as the saying goes, a woman is, but a man must become. It is interesting to see the difference between one's friends who enter the Marine Corps and those who enter college – four years later, there is seldom a question that the Marine is indeed a man, but far more often than not, the college graduate is simply a post-adolescent version of what he was before.

This also helps to explain a phenomenon I have observed spreading through society: the "Perpetual Adolescent". Today we see retired adults (chronologically, at least) driving their Harley Davidsons, costumed like one of Hell's Angels. We see people (male and female) in their 50's, 60's and 70's, hanging out in bars, drinking like college fools. On one of the morning news shows today, they had a segment on seniors participating in "extreme" sports.

Fathers, I challenge you to make at least two defining points in your son's life. I would suggest the first at his 13th birthday. This is the age when he begins the transition to adulthood. The second, when he leaves home to go out on his own. (This can be after high school, upon college graduation, etc.)
It doesn't have to be anything extravagent; just something meaningful to him.
(For example, I bought my son his first rifle for his 13th birthday...a Ruger .243, complete with a 4-12X scope. Now, he shoots 1/4" groups at 100 yards. The second event has yet to occur.)


The time comes when everyone needs to grow up. How many times have children been told "act your age"? We have a generation of adults who have never made that decision.