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They are not good men, but they are good at doing the kinds of things that have been demanded of men throughout human history. They are not good men, but they are good at being men.
It’s good strategy. Insulting a man’s honor—his masculine identity—is a good way to test him. It’s a good way to get his blood up. It’s a good way to pick a fight.
Men of ideas and men of action have much to learn from each other, and the truly great are men of both action and abstraction.
The repudiation of violent masculinity is the murder of male identity.
The goal of civilization seems to be to eliminate work and risk, but the world has changed more than we have. Our bodies crave work and sex, our minds crave risk and conflict.
Muscles atrophy when improperly nourished and infrequently used. A man who never pushes his strength threshold will never even glimpse his physical potential, as anyone who has achieved substantial strength gains through physical training can attest. Strength is a “use it or lose it” aptitude.
Women are not selfless spirit guides who have no interests or motivations of their own.
If men can’t figure out what kind of future they want, there are plenty of people who are ready to determine what kind of future they’ll get. They’ll get a decorated cage. They’ll get a Fleshlight®, a laptop, a gaming console, a cubicle and a prescription drip. They’ll get some exciting new gadgets. They’ll get something that feels a little bit like being a man. Women will continue to mock them, and they’ll deserve it.
If you decide that true happiness for men lies in the elimination of risk, the satiation of hunger, the escape of labor and the pursuit of “fun,” then our bonobo future may sound like some kind of One World Las Vegas.
Strength requires an opposing force, courage requires risk, mastery requires hard work, honor requires accountability to other men.
In a review of Steven Pinker’s book about violence, James Q. Wilson mentioned that the real change occurs when men care more about getting rich than getting bloody.
Go to the shooting range. Go hunting. Play paintball. Go to the gym. Take martial arts classes. Join a sports team. Take a workshop. Learn a useful skill. Fix something. Build something. Make something. Get off your asses and do something.
