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Throw the Book at Him
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Obama’s Imbroglios
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My Rahm Reunion
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The Current Crisis
The Male of the Species (American)
So what is the evidence that the young men of our country are subpar?
WASHINGTON — In recent years when I have heard the ongoing dirge about the deficiencies of America’s young men I have had my doubts. The army that we have sent abroad to confront some of the most barbaric enemies Western civilization has ever faced is superb. Confronting savages — usually on their own soil — our forces have been professional to the utmost — the Wehrmacht but with democratic values! Withal, they are brave, spirited, manly.
As for my personal experiences with the men of the younger generation, I have found them for the most part to be first rate: intelligent, diligent — again — manly. Admittedly the cohort I have encountered is not vast. Most have been young writers and reporters, or the young men introduced to me by my youngest daughter. As they were often young men in the service of her employer, Blackwater, their high quality is not surprising. All are retired special ops guys, and once the lurid canards about Blackwater collapse from lack of evidence, their bravery and devotion in protecting American diplomats will stand as another splendid chapter in American soldiering.
So what is the evidence that the young men of the country are subpar? Well, apparently they compose less than 50% of the college population. Why worry about that? Most universities are simply pretentious extensions of high school, presided over by a professoriate that is — with heroic exceptions — mediocre, tedious, ill-informed, bovine, and anti-intellectual. Better it would be for young men to take a couple of years of business courses and join the adult world. Yet there apparently really is evidence that many young men are loath to join the adult world. The demographics suggest as much.
From an unexpected source I recently got a sense of those demographics, namely, the ads televised during the Super Bowl. The clever minds that create those ads have obviously studied the characteristics of the audience they want to snare, which appears to be an audience of young men. All the ads I saw depicted young men who were stupid, giddy, neurotic, and adolescent unto middle age. They were charmless, often dressed like school children, and clueless as to any of the serious or sophisticated matters of life. All seemed to be the kind of lout who would break into a sweat trying to read, say, the Declaration of Independence or the language on a speeding violation. These are the kind of consumers many American corporations want to market their products to, though apparently their products are basically beer and junk food.
Often the Super Bowl ads depicted these patheticoes in humiliating states of catastrophe. One promoting a disgusting snack called Doritos — an inescapable insult to Latin cuisine — ended with a loutish young man wearing a dog collar and writhing on the ground — supposedly another exemplary Doritos customer. Would you buy Doritos if you were depicted in such an undignified way? Are sensible adult viewers supposed to conclude that because an obvious idiot adores Doritos we will too? I am told there is also a wave of films whose protagonists are such coarse and stupid louts. My movie-going confidants speak of Step Brothers and Knocked Up. Perhaps I shall order a copy of each if I am laid up long enough with the flu.
Now every generation has its allotment of poor souls. Yet I can think of no generation that has cast the poor soul as the norm. In fact, there was a day when young men were seen as young gentlemen. They aspired to being intelligent, hard working, interested in a variety of exacting pastimes: sports, the outdoors, music, reading. In its early days Playboy magazine was marketed to just this sort of discerning young man, one interested in jazz, sports cars, what then passed for high-tech consumer goods, what are now called careers, and, of course, women undraped. Believe it or not, in the 1950s and for a while thereafter Playboy was an intelligent — if amoral — magazine. Today, of course, it is coarse and stupid. So maybe Playboy too is evidence of young American men’s failings.
The pathetic young men depicted in the Super Bowl ads at least do not appear dangerous. Crapulent after a few beers and a sack of Doritos, they probably pass out and catch colds sleeping on park benches in their shorts and sandals. At some point a few years from now they really will enter middle age, at least physiologically. Their sad condition will not inspire emulation. An even younger generation of men will aspire to manliness, and American history abounds with examples of manliness for them to imitate. Young women, do not despair! Help is on the way.
About the Author
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is the founder and editor in chief of The American Spectator. He is the author of The Death of Liberalism, published by Thomas Nelson Inc. His previous books include the New York Times bestseller Boy Clinton: the Political Biography; The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton; The Liberal Crack-Up; The Conservative Crack-Up; Public Nuisances; The Future that Doesn’t Work: Social Democracy’s Failure in Britain; Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House; The Clinton Crack-Up; and After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (128) | Leave a comment
More Articles by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.
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Jamie W.| 2.11.10 @ 6:47AM
My three oldest children are boys, not a lout among them. There is, however, one US Marine and one who aspires to be an Airman. The difference: their rapidly-promoted Navy stepfather and Bronze-Star-decorated Army uncle are their heroes. Surround your boys with real men to look up to, and you wind up with wonderful young men.
PJ| 2.11.10 @ 8:58AM
Jaime,
To continue w/your posting & agreeing w/it, my 3 oldest children are girls. Daughter #1 who is a senior in college: pretty, extremely intelligent, fun, & generally kind. Throughout her 1st 3 yrs in college, she was disgusted w/the college men who expected her to "jump into bed" by the 2nd date. Now, she only has platonic male friends who enjoy her casual company & conversation. This may be best for all college students so they can concentrate better on their schoolwork & learn a little self-discipline.
When daughters #2 & #3 are old enough, I will encourage them to attend colleges near military bases. I have a feeling that's where most of the real gentlemen live.
Like your boys, my young son has plenty of real men, to look up to including his manly college educated father, my husband. My little guy aspires to be like his father one day. Little boys are great imitators!
I wonder if "stupid, giddy, neurotic, and adolescent" men mentioned in the article had any positive male influence when they were young. Heck no!
Sheila Muroski| 2.14.10 @ 11:37AM
I, too, am a senior in college, and I have platonic relationships with men--gay men. I have found that the gay men here at Yale are far more intelligent and cultivated than the straight men I dated. In addition, most of my gay male friends are so good looking and sexy--sexy in the style of Anderson Cooper. But I keep a cool head, knowing I cannot be invovled romantically.
Guestateria| 2.14.10 @ 6:34PM
Way to go, Sheila. I'm a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, and I have also cultivated deep friendships with gay, intellectually astute males.
And ,yes, sometimes I have to fight off my romantic inclinations because some of these guys are so hot! And . . . I get a little jealous, but you're right--gay males seem to be more interesting and more stimulating.
Caroline| 2.15.10 @ 2:31AM
The grass is always greener?
You're young and so are your hetero male companions. Give them some time, they'll grow up--and in the meantime, develop your own talents and your own character.
Try to attain the attributes of the person you most admire.
Good men are worth the wait.
Guestateria| 2.15.10 @ 8:16PM
The person I most admire? He's a hunky business major who just happens to have many interests and talents, and I am most happy when I am with him. But since he isn't hetero I will never be as close to him as I would like to be. Sigh.
Lisa| 2.16.10 @ 1:41AM
He's just not into you; perhaps that's what makes him attractive.
It sure wouldn't do anything for my feminine self-esteem if a guy I liked preferred another guy.
Ouch!
John Navratil| 2.16.10 @ 2:39AM
Ladies !
Forgive someone who is old enough to have a daughter heading off to college next year, but you are scaring the hell out of me.
Let's start with a common thread. Guys are in it for the sex. An earlier poster referred to a daughter who was fed-up with two dates and the expectation of a romp. The gay guys wouldn't be gay guys if it weren't for the sex (don't tell me all gays are sensitive platonics). And now I hear lamentations that you can't get close enough to a guy because he's gay? How close do you want to get? If it's that close, I'm sure there are hormone-raged straight guys who can get pretty close, don't you?
Is there some role that's being played out here that I need to know about?
Lisa| 2.16.10 @ 6:53PM
John, they know hetero guys are out for sex, why do you think these young women feel more comfortable around gay men who aren't interested in them? A little lonely, perhaps?
Sad and a little twisted, I agree--but true just the same.
Duked| 2.11.10 @ 6:50AM
Unfortunately I believe what you saw in the Super Bowl ads is a bit more sinister. Have you noticed how men (both young and old) are portrayed in most visual media these days? Take your average sitcom today. The men are portrayed as idiots, silly and child-like. The wives are smarter and much more adult. Even the children in the "family" mock the father and chide him for his stupidity. This is but one example of the bias against men that seems to be so popular in much of the media lately. Men are stupid, incapable of good judgement, have generally questionable character and not to be taken seriously when dealing with important matters. Nah..... just sit them in front of their TV's and give 'em a beer and bag of chips and the women and children will make the important decisions. Talk about models affecting our young men...........
Crusader| 2.11.10 @ 8:10AM
Your sitcom description ONLY applies to hetero white men. If the men in question are gay or black, they will be portrayed as sophisticated, educated, and worldly. Hetero white guys in sitcoms are usualy stupid, wear dirty ballcaps and their 1980s-era beer-league softball t-shirt, and can't relate to their own kids.
My wife and I even joke about it. A month ago I was all alone (gasp!) with my 2-month old in the car waiting for my wife when she needed a diaper change. My wife came out while I was changing her and I told her that if I were a sitcom dad she woulda found me standing around saying "duh, duh, duh" instead of changing the diaper, which to sitcom dads is akin to doing advanced calculus or quantam physics or something.
re: Crusader| 2.11.10 @ 12:52PM
So true! In both sitcoms and films all of the straight people are hopelessly messed up and need their gay friends to bestow their homo-wisdom upon them.
wwwexler| 2.11.10 @ 5:38PM
Agreed, Crusader; the disgusting ads pertain mostly to white hetero males. Usually, they're fat, too.
Ticks me off!
I've pointed this out to my son so he could see it for himself.
RJ| 2.12.10 @ 10:43AM
Responding also to certain other comments on this thread: Well, but this is not confined to the U.S., nor to "today's" men. See the British sitcom of 20 years ago, Keeping Up Appearances.
Back to the U.S." What about The Honeymooners? Most men at that time were not overweight and were not bus drivers.
I do not judge Americans by the most offensive and idiotic productions (not including the two just mentioned) of ad writers, screenwriters, and their mostly corporate producers.
There has been a feminization of men, for sure, but for a long time and for many reasons. Maybe the "declawing" of men would be a better choice of words.
It started, and can only end, with one set of ideas or another, according to which the majority of men (and women) come to see and think of themselves and each other.
Are humans helpless buffoons; or if not helpless, then at least buffoons, and if not buffoons, then at least helpless---or are they, to make a really dated reference, the captains of their souls and the masters of their fate?
CAN they be and WILL they be?
wwwexler| 2.12.10 @ 2:20PM
Disrespect for white hetero men is a lot more pervasive today. You pointed out one television show--I can point out numerous examples in commercials and television shows that ridicule men. It's everywhere.
The culture has changed and white men are treated as jokes.
I'm sick of it.
Petronius| 2.12.10 @ 1:39PM
Is there one tv sitcom that doesn't show middle aged white males in diapers? Not even CSI is immune from this fetishist Writers Guild cant. It started when Father Knows Best went off the air. And I refer to my post last week, in re: Obama's dilemma. Obama has no Men, just commissars and supplicants.
buzz kimball| 2.15.10 @ 9:33PM
Wow ! way to go white heterosexual male conservative, your life is a sitcom.
Hope your job doesn't get shed in the next company downsizing, because then you'd be a LOSER and living in a soap opera.
Nobama| 2.16.10 @ 1:43AM
I bet you know a lot about being a loser, buzzerd.
Rocco| 2.11.10 @ 9:58AM
Precisely why I do not watch network TV and little to no other cable TV. Nor do I patronize many of their sponsors for peddling such crap. It's amazing what you can get from a good book, a garden and a good local butcher - good food and no junk, and good health - physical and intellectual as a result.
cuban pete| 2.11.10 @ 11:32AM
End of discussion.
Thank you,Rocco.
Kitty| 2.11.10 @ 6:58AM
It's not just the Super Bowl ads, either. I've noticed radio ads which advise the listeners to check out irs.gov. In one ad, a man tells a woman he's been assured of a big tax refund. In the other ad, the man tells the woman he's getting more in his paychecks but doesn't know why. In both ads, the woman is the 'smart' one and the man is the 'dumb' one. She seems to delight in making him look stupid, too. These are insulting ads, and they're from the government.
...
Melvin| 2.11.10 @ 7:44AM
I have forgotten where I read this but an article that was in some magazine in the doctors office is that the majority of P.R. and Advertising agencies are run by women.
More in likely these women are basing their commercials on their college experiences where many males do act infantile, when they are not glued electronic games.
Young males are portrayed as blubbering
mommas boys, who don't know where to put their dirty clothes in the washing machine and just take them home to mom, or portraying older males as hiding in the shadows pedophiles.
I met one young man and reached to shake his hand and his grasp was flaccid and weak, and he smelled like a French whore.
I remarked to my friend, "I didn't know whether to shake hands or have sex with him", because of his less than male behavior more akin to being effeminate."
Blaviod| 2.11.10 @ 2:15PM
It's not so much that ad agencies are staffed/run by women, it's that the commercials target women. They are the ones "holding the purse" and have the purchasing power in the household. The ads are designed to flatter them.
I don't find the "dumb dad" ads any less offensive though.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 2.11.10 @ 7:46AM
Let's face it, it's the white male who has been under attack for decades, all under the auspices of equality. It's not about equality, because all collectivist actions, including the feigned equality in our society, lead to racism.
Patrick| 2.11.10 @ 9:07PM
Agreed. The central theme in all Leftism is envy. They loathe the happiness in others, and seek to violently destroy it in every way. Failing that, they will seek to eat it away, bit by bit.
Wire Cutting Machine | 2.11.10 @ 8:06AM
Fivestar Tools,Manufacture Wire Cutting and Stripping Machine in China,Offer from automatic terminal crimping machine,computerized digital cable cutting machine.
Ryan| 2.11.10 @ 8:08AM
It's the same situation that we saw in the WWI generation - men too accustomed to leisure and work that isn't quite hard enough, where they don't have to fight for much in their lives. Combine that with the emasculation of the "real man" (think John-Wayne types here) into the Orlando-Bloom types.
I don't watch TV anymore - particularly sitcoms. Rare is it the TV show where men are presented as reasonably competent outside of Pro Wrestling.
Maybe there's a reason that we're telling Chuck Norris jokes. In a sense, he's the man we want to be right now.
Cause, you know, they were going to carve Chuck Norris's face into Rushmore, but the granite was too soft for his beard.
Conan the Grammarian| 2.11.10 @ 10:56AM
Poor Orlando. He typifies the modern male, only because he isn't beefy. I'll give him one thing though: he killed more orcs in three movies than John Wayne killed his enemies in all of his movies.
Patrick| 2.11.10 @ 9:13PM
I believed he achieved parity with John Rhys-Davies' character - Gimli.
Liberty or Death| 2.15.10 @ 6:14PM
Chuck Norris also had a fist in his beard.
Nicely said Ryan.
Becky| 2.11.10 @ 8:26AM
Ditto, Duke.
The boy bashing has been going on for years, starting with ritalin in grade school at the recommendation of female teachers. The grown up attack continues with the advent of the woman who brings home the bacon and fries it up in a pan.
Now that a lot of women got what they think they wanted, what they have discovered is going to work and coming home and working some more.
The trend among my son's friends is to invest in the girlfriend or wife's education and they bum around.
There is a book and I don't know the name of it, but there is an idea that the chivalrous male is out of date, yet that is the male the new woman really wants. The men in commercials, tv shows, and movies are being slammed for being like little boys, not men. (By the way, Bill Cosby did not let himself become the butt of the jokes in the family, in the end he proved to be the man of the house)
Finally, I did see the two raunchy movies noted, and in defense of Knocked UP, the male lead actually has the redeeming quality of wanting to be a family man even if in a clumsy, oafish way. Like Juno, the lead female choses to not only have the baby, but to try to get to know and have a life with the father she hooked up with. There are other good scenes especially where the sister and her husband get in an argument about the dangers facing kids today (she watches too much nancy grace).
Tyrone| 2.11.10 @ 9:08AM
We live in a society that demonizes men and has been doing so for a long time. MEn are being chased from the family and marriage by Feminism and a Leftist philosophy that regards them as pathological and responsible for all the world's problems. For an excellent article on these subjects check out this blog below as well as the cover story for this weeks Weekly Standard.
http://www.singularity2050.com/
Tim| 2.11.10 @ 9:33AM
"the Wehrmacht but with democratic values! "
Uhh. Respectfully sir, WTF?
Robert Pinkerton| 2.11.10 @ 2:45PM
Sorry, but usage of World War Two German military nomenclature in anything other than a pejorative tone is as much of an attractant of irrelevant critical commentary as fecal waste is of flies. I doubt you intended even back-of-the-left-hand praise of the Hitler government's army, but use of such terminology is unnecessarily imprudent.
Reinhard| 2.12.10 @ 12:12PM
Gotta love it when the Germophobes come out of the closet. Ohhh, run... hide... the big bad Germans are being mentioned.
Understanding the function of the military (to wage war...so you don't need to look it up), being compared to the the Wehrmacht is an extreme compliment. I understand the typical desire to blend the crazy Nazis and the tool they used, but that's like saying all U.S. military are now democrats.
Besides, the comparison is skewed. The Wehrmacht was allowed to do it's job and truly defeat the enemy. No offense to our U.S. forces, but they are trapped in waging a PC war(s) that will never allow it to truly win. The "wars" in both Iraq and Afghanistan seem like endless uber-patrols (oops...sorry Germaphobes ) that will never defeat anyone. Viet Nam sound familiar?
On the other hand, if you truly want a world-class military comparison of success, consider the Soviets...they beat the Wehrmacht... the U.S. won second place.
Suzanne Rhoades| 2.11.10 @ 9:34AM
My 16 year old daughter is a huge NFL fan. When the "idiot man" commercials come on she always asks her dad "Is it working on you, dad? Do you want to be that guy?" Unfortunately, my attorney husband often laughs his head off at these ads. I agree with all previous postulations about why white mean are shown to be such doofuses; women in charge of ads, chickification of culture, white men are evil and must be emasculated and my three daughters get it. My husband, however, still has a silly boy sense of humor. I don't see him running out and buying Doritos or Miller Light but he definitely gets a kick out of their ads.
Liberty or Death| 2.15.10 @ 7:38PM
Suzanne,
I am a 33-year-old male, and found most of the Super Bowl ads funny. Sans the green police ad; that one was just frightening. I do not believe I am perpetuating the male stereotype, or, that have a juvenile sense of humor. They are funny, precisely, because they are so over-the-top. Also, some of the characteristics of men ARE true. Here is an enlightened truth- most REAL men love beer and women. The things we do to impress, and possess, both, are often times funny. This does not make a man milktoast when he laughs at the obvious. Frequently, it is women, who want a guy not to be a guy. Therein lies some of the problem. A commercial pointing out an obvious, male trait, is more freeing and honest, than one that attempts to neuter them.
Granted, not every commercial fulfills this criteria.
I agree there is a deep bias when it comes to the portrayal of men. I did not like the the Dodge Charger ad where the guy is basically a stepping stool to his wife, but draws the line at his choice of automobiles. I do not like TV programs portraying men as neanderthals, unable to think independently, or string a sentence together. And it troubles me greatly when college women (like those above) are completely satisfied in the company of gay men, over straight men. Something is wrong with THAT picture. A woman looking for a man who knows more about fashion, shopping, home decorating, and manicures, than they do, is not looking for REAL men, but another girlfriend.
This is another byproduct of our chickified culture. Women interested in guys like these, are perpetuating the limp-wristed, Hollywood, stereotypical male image.
Do not get me wrong, women are not the only ones to blame for the feminization of men. Men are just as guilty. Schools are teaching our boys there are no winners- but all, are winners for simply running the race (horse s#$t). The military has even lowered performance standards in Basic Training. Just months after I made it through Basic, recruits behind me were given "stress cards" to stop training if they felt stressed or tired. For Pete's sake!!! The destruction of the family (2 parents) has hurt the male image. The lack of accountability of fathers, has left our boys struggling to find their identities. Feminism has taken the role of men completely out of mens' hands and placed it in women. And our immoral society, in general, has had a very low opinion of REAL men, which pervades every aspect of our popular culture.
Despite all of this, there are still men out there who love beer and women, and they are not afraid to say it.
Lisa| 2.16.10 @ 1:53AM
The girls above who prefer gay men are just afraid of intimacy with REAL men. Gay men aren't scary. lol. Trust me on this one.
Granted, many young men are total asses, but there are also lots of great guys out there, too.
Who prefers to hang out with guys who aren't attracted to you? It's like having more girl friends. Do they paint each others' fingernails on weekday nights, too? Something's wrong there.
Liberty or Death| 2.16.10 @ 1:51PM
Dittos Lisa:)
Many of these women, clinging to "hot" gay guys, have this image that men should love to shop with them, braid hair, wear more eye shadow than they do, and dress in crotch-hugging jeans while asking if their butts look good. They want "sensitive" guys who cry on the couch and belong to Oprah's book club. Yeah, that is not happening.
I'm not saying real guys are stones, without feelings. We are just wired differently than women. A really good guy will challenge his mate, not be a doormat for her, or "one of the girls."
Not all hetero guys are complete morons either. We are "cultivated and intelligent." LOL. Maybe the straight guys at Yale aren't- BIG surprise there.
Those types of over generalizations are both juvenile and short-sighted.
Lisa| 2.16.10 @ 8:33PM
Yeah, "Does my butt look big in this?" is hardly a turn on. Haha.
Copyleft| 2.11.10 @ 9:46AM
The latest incoherent rant from Tyrell reinforces his image as a befuddled old crank.
"the ongoing dirge about the deficiencies of America’s young men"--WHAT ongoing dirge? Who's been saying this? Tyrell doesn't say.
He instead complains that Superbowl commercials are silly and stupid. Well, duh. They're fill-in empty entertainment during breaks in a bigger fill-in, empty entertainment event. What did he expect?
And how are TV commercials supposed to be indicative of some overall "dirge" about the pathetic state of American men, anywhere but in Tyrell's fevered imagination? Talk about a tempest in a teapot--couldn't think of anything useful to write about, Mr. Tyrell? You'd be better served waiting until a real inspiration hit.
C'mon--SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS? That's the latest threat to democracy and freedom? This is just sad.
Tim| 2.11.10 @ 10:55AM
"The latest incoherent rant from Tyrell reinforces his image as a befuddled old crank. "
Ain't nobody gonna dig on a pastiche of insults.
Drew | 2.11.10 @ 11:16AM
And you are surprised by this?
Most of the articles here seem to be better read as comedy more than anything else. Or, for those of us more progressive in our thinking, at least a window into the dusty basement of toxic nonsense that comprises current conservative thought.
Take, for instance, the description of American universities as: simply pretentious extensions of high school, presided over by a professoriate that is -- with heroic exceptions -- mediocre, tedious, ill-informed, bovine, and anti-intellectual.
Really? If there is one "industry" in which the United States truly leads the world, it would be our post-secondary education system. Our colleges and universities attract hundreds of thousands of students, from literally every nation on earth, who bring with them billions of dollars. Money they gladly spend for an education. Our universities lead the world in creating the technology that has transformed virtually every aspect of our world.
But no matter. This whole piece seems to be but another chapter in the current narrative of Conservativism: a pitiful whine about the on-going "victimhood" of the white American male.
John Wayne (noted draft dodger, but prototypical Conservative American hero nonetheless) is probably turning over in his grave.
Marek| 2.11.10 @ 11:43AM
Our colleges and universities are infested with students engaging in a 4 year or more extended high school experience without parents around. Obviously there are some serious students but way too much time is spent on communications classes and fluff like women's studies. The big shocker comes when they find out that they have to repay the ridiculously easy to get federal loans they (and their parents) accepted to further an education that qualifies them for... nothing that a high school grad can't do. Just look at the 2o somethings around you, they dress like pigs, dwell on their tattoos, work hard at growing their 2 day old beards and not combing their hair. But maybe that's ok. There are plenty of them who are not like that, didn't major in psychology and manage to land good paying serious jobs. How do I know all this- I put 4 kids through college, and I teach in an MBA program full of the motivated non psych majors.
Ryan| 2.11.10 @ 1:10PM
You're right about non-liberal arts classes. Sometimes. Otherwise, the description is DEAD ON. Lib arts doesn't make great producers in "creating the technology that has transformed virtually every aspect of our world."
And John Wayne's avoidance of WWII was GREATLY regretted, to the point that much of his later life he spent trying to make up for it. Any vet of that time will probably deck you for saying otherwise...and they would be right.
Tim| 2.11.10 @ 2:03PM
Actually Drew, I'm not surprised.
stmichrick| 2.11.10 @ 3:29PM
Drew;
Only a slacker leftie would intentionally misunderstand Tyrell's description of the history-challenged void demonstrated by the public utterances of many representatives of the professorial class. Ward Churchill and his defenders come to mind.
On a more personal level, recent college graduates in my family have come back from academe only to tell me that September 11 was an inside job and that Israel is the cause of terrorism in the world.
The political parochialism of the university produces the most foul-smelling perspectives on world events.
Drew| 2.11.10 @ 5:42PM
Only a slacker leftie would intentionally misunderstand
Oh, no. I think the problem is that its hard for any sensible human being to seriously defend statements comparing the US military to:
the Wehrmacht but with democratic values!
A "kinder, gentler" recipe for mass murder, I cannot imagine.
Maybe if Mr. Tyrell et al,/i> had spent more time listening to those Liberal Arts professors he scorns, he might understand a little better why his ideas arouse such disgust among the wider world.
stmichrick| 2.11.10 @ 6:07PM
Drew;
Wehrmacht simply refers to the German army; not the Gestapo. It had nothing to do with mass murder. Again, you demonstrate that American leftist sensibilities have little to do with history.
When the Schroder government of Germany was condemning the Bush adminstration for taking on Saddam Hussein (who was paying them off), were you concerned about agreeing with mass murderers?
Reinhard| 2.12.10 @ 1:19PM
Actually "Wehrmacht" represents the entire armed forces. The Army is known as das Heer.
Oh and Iraq, paying off Germany? Is there a full moon out?
Guy| 2.14.10 @ 3:50PM
Speaking of educational deficiencies....
The German Wehrmacht was understood at the time, and by historians still, to be the finest and most professional army on the field of combat in WWII. Had it the human resources of the Soviet Army and the material resources of the US-supplied Allied armies behind it, the outcome of the war in the European theater might have been quite different.
It's only modern day equivalent might be found in the present day all-volunteer forces of the US military, a point I believe that Mr. Tyrell was endeavoring to make, if not successfully to the more educated amidst us.
wwwexler| 2.12.10 @ 1:06PM
Like Danny Glover and Sean Penn, noted Hugo Chavez close friends and supporters who are prototypical Liberal American(?) heroes, nonetheless.
I'll take the Duke ANYTIME over those two liberal scumbags. Traitors!
Cam Williams| 9.30.10 @ 11:17AM
A lefty canard about the Duke that seemingly will not die: he as NOT a draft dodger -- he was too old to be drafted. He wanted to volunteer, but was talked out of it by studio execs who convinced him he could do more for the war effort by making patriotic movies. He was reported to have later expressed his regret about this decision.
Ryan| 2.11.10 @ 1:13PM
The rest of us said it. If Tyrell is wrong, you have to point out where the American male is being uplifted, his masculinity supported, where men are not being "feminized" and made to behave contrary to nature and design.
And honestly, it IS a threat to democracy and freedom. We saw it leading up to WWI, where the men in America were soft and physically ill-prepared to go to war, and almost got there too late. Were it not for the depression hardening men, there's no telling what position they would have been in to fight there.
It's a matter of culture. Real men are ready to defend themselves and their loved ones and their nation to protect their freedom. The commercials point out otherwise.
Robert L'Heureux| 2.11.10 @ 10:59AM
My youngest son, who aspires to be a Marine officer, reported to me that the applicants for the most recent session of Officer Candidate School from his geographic area (DC/VA) were composed of half who scored 100% on the physical fitness test. In 9 years as a Marine officer, I witnessed very few of such high scores. These kids are not faced with the draft and have few illusions about the type of conflicts they will fact and the dangers that go with them. They are meeting the challenge in huge numbers. They are the Greatest Generation. BTW, my son has a good job, was Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Cappa at a very good school. Neither he nor his comrades are doing it for the money. I hope we are worthy of such men and women.
Nathan Hall| 2.11.10 @ 11:01AM
RET has hit yet another home run! Who else can match the wit and hilarity? The Spectator is worth the price of admission for RET and Ben Stein alone, although I do wish they would occasionally bring back old friends like Chris Caldwell, the great Matt Labash, and dare to dream Whit Stillman. Long live this sprightly journal!
S.L. Toddard| 2.11.10 @ 11:39AM
"Most have been young writers and reporters, or the young men introduced to me by my youngest daughter. As they were often young men in the service of her employer, Blackwater, their high quality is not surprising"
Mercenaries. Haha.
Tim| 2.11.10 @ 2:14PM
Toddard you are like the Wehrmacht, only democratic.
Faffnir| 2.11.10 @ 2:42PM
The Wehrmacht were honorable warriors. Toddard is more like the pre-war French army, and a Democrat into the bargain.
wwwexler| 2.11.10 @ 5:42PM
Turddard's a bounty hunter--at best.
Dave| 2.15.10 @ 7:13PM
The Wehrmacht were honorable warriors? It is mildly surprising to hear someone make that argument, but not untypical.
While in general the Wehrmacht avoided committing huge numbers of atrocities in North Africa and Western Europe (there are, however, myriad exceptions), the German Army was deeply complicit in war crimes in the East.
Read Wolfram Wette's "The Wehrmacht: History, Myth, Reality" for a more critical perspective on the Wehrmacht's war crimes.
Furthermore, far too many people uncritically accept the line that German generals had after the war that they could have won the whole thing if only Hitler had left them alone. This view ignores the potency of the Red Army and the increasingly sophisticated strategies employed by Stalin, Zhukov, Vasilevsky, etc., and the combined economic might of the Soviet Union and the United States.
I learned this by studying history at university. I did not encounter too many "mediocre, tedious, ill-informed, bovine, and anti-intellectual," professors, and although there were more liberals than conservatives, I found all of them to be of high standard, and I went to a state university.
The most "mediocre, tedious, ill-informed, bovine, and anti-intellectual" people on campus were business students and faculty. Perhaps there is more to life than accounting after all.
wwwexler| 2.16.10 @ 2:02AM
The most intelligent and interesting people I met on campus were the Entrepreneurial Business students looking to start their own businesses.
Smart and curious, their unabashed joy of learning always impressed me. They loved life and wanted to make their mark!
History majors? Not so much.
Pingback| 2.11.10 @ 12:07PM
Finally Schools Catch Up with Kids & Technology links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
wytrapper| 2.11.10 @ 12:18PM
Well, the young men I know are mature and responsible. They start doing men's work in their young teens such as rounding up cattle, branding, and haying. Many have done missions for their LDS church. Nearly all turn out for school sports which the whole community supports. Many are married with fine wives and children. Many are college educated in areas like medicine, engineering, and accounting. Many have responsible jobs in local industry and government. There is never a problem finding young men for service such as in the volunteer fire department and search and rescue.
Maybe, you need to leave the big city.
Steele| 2.11.10 @ 12:57PM
I agree with a lot of the comments on here and the general theme of the article as well.
However, if the "man's man" is still in abundance anywhere it's right here in AMERICA. My travels in Europe exposed me to a male populace which is hopelessly weak and emasculated. Men who live with their parents and stay in college until they are 35, maybe start a real career when they are 37, and try to retire by 52.
Don| 2.11.10 @ 1:34PM
Well, as one very unmanly man, I feel compelled to remind you that despite all your good intentions in studying and evaluating other people's relative secondary sexual characteristics and behaviors....Other people are generally none of your business, I would suggest however that if you dislike what you see, you consider ripping your eyes out of your head :: ))
PJ| 2.11.10 @ 2:48PM
"...studying and evaluating other people's relative secondary sexual characteristics and behaviors.... are generally none of your business."
Oh really! I certainly don't have a problem what you do privately. But when I have to pay for it w/ my tax dollars or see aberrant behaviors encouraged in my children's public school, it is then my duty as an American citizen to voice my opinion to my reps & in the public forum.
Don| 2.12.10 @ 1:20AM
well thank you PJ you have made my point and encouraged me to be a little more articulate. Certainly I am with you on encouraging unhealthy behaviors, in children or for that matter anyone.
but how quickly your mind leaped to private and aberrant behaviors. You display the exact bias I am concerned about, and consider the artificiality of the entire conversation. One entire group of citizens is to be evaluated on whether they are manly or not? And the converse is true, one entire group of women is to be evaluated on womanlyness? This hardly includes character or virtue, this opinion is shallow and obscene. I am not going to let go the implication you manage of homosexuality. this is precisely the sort of sickness I am talking about devise and prejudicial regardless of the facts. I once lived in a town whether my wifes ethnic features compared to the main population seemed masculine and I am as I said petite and unmanly. Exactly, the visual prejudice was only too often an intimidation and annoyance. Because of my size your manliness storm troopers would often mistake me for a woman. Until I spoke..often I was glad I wasn't carrying a gun. and the same goes for ethnicities that send their children to the same schools with large children of the gender police. Harassment.
Finally, I have been listening to this nonsense since the sixties. I assure you invariably there are men who are convinced their generation was more manly than the current one. Nonsense. I do not recall Jesus extolling the virtue of manliness. That is probably because manliness is a sexual characteristic not a virtue. But by all means keep protecting us from all the dangerous unmanly men. :: ))
PJ| 2.12.10 @ 7:54AM
Like I said before I don't care what you do privately but I don't want to pay for it or have it forced "down my throat." Increase your medication & go back to bed!
Don| 2.12.10 @ 1:50PM
Of course...why didn't I think of that? :: ))
JPH| 2.12.10 @ 11:20PM
This is more articulate?
Louis Jenkins| 2.11.10 @ 2:55PM
My oldest daughter doesn't bring her suitors around. In her heart she knows they just don't measure up to the standards I have for her. Nor would they measure up to the standards my friends have for her either. In fact, their standards are possibly higher. Perhaps I'm (we're) easily distracted by the abundant piercings and tattos. They often don't have gas money but apparently have enough to afford metal and ink. Education is great, but I measure them on how or if they can handle an ax, chainsaw, go-devil, a hammer, or how they handle a weapon if I'd trust them with such. I'd just as soon not study or evaluate other people's secondary characteristics or behaviors. They'd be extinct if they didn't rut like rabbits in heat, and today's culture wasn't so soft.
Copyleft| 2.11.10 @ 3:44PM
"Education is great, but I measure them on how or if they can handle an ax, chainsaw, go-devil, a hammer, or how they handle a weapon if I'd trust them with such."
Seriously? You place barn-raising and 19th-century farmhand skills ahead of the ability to actually earn a living, understand the world around us, and plan for a better future?
There's a word for your standards, but it's "backward," not "higher."
stmichrick| 2.11.10 @ 4:51PM
'Farmhand skills'; that's correct Copyleft. Some folk do not live in the rarified urban space that you apparently occupy (mentally), and do not 'call someone' everytime something breaks.
And, guess what? Common sense and judgment spread to those parts as well! And they have the erudition to read the Spectator too!
wwwexler| 2.11.10 @ 5:44PM
"higher?" Only in your degenerate, smoke-hazed world, libtard, is "higher" a good thing.
Copyleft| 2.12.10 @ 7:58AM
Ha! In your rush to sneer at every post I make, Wexler, you screwed up. The "higher" comment was made by Louis, not me.
Better luck next time.
wwwexler| 2.12.10 @ 12:57PM
I knew that, Liberal Reader; I just wanted to see if you were reading my insults. Score!
Mike| 2.11.10 @ 7:13PM
Copyleft
Seriously? You don't place the ability to evaluate and solve problems highly. If you believe that you cannot earn a living with farm hand skills then you are clueless. Most 19th century farmers had better education and more refined writing and math skills than many college grads of today. Take a look at letters written by Civil War soldiers and their families.
Additionally it is not an either/or situation. Warning, I will now break my arm patting myself on my back. I am retired Army, run my own technology company, do most repairs and routine maintenance on my car, can build the addition on the house and cook dinner.
This is the type of attitude and ability that built America. Not the metrosexual who is afraid of messing up his manicure
Mike Johnston
SFC USA (RET)
Louis Jenkins| 2.12.10 @ 8:00AM
Copyleft:
Don't get me wrong Copyleft guy, I do value higher education. I have a little bit of it too and am a medium to large cog in a 150 person company machine. But when the grid goes down, fuel and natural gas can't be obtained, and cyberworld goes off line, some lower "backward" education can go a long way. It may even save you and your family's life. You, on the otherhand, will have to sip your double latte' cold.
stmichrick| 2.12.10 @ 8:05AM
Guess we TOLD him.
Copyleft| 2.12.10 @ 9:35AM
So your self-worth hinges on a total collapse of civilization. Got it.
Well, I guess it beats the evangelicals with their creepy "end times" nonsense.....
Louis Jenkins| 2.12.10 @ 12:17PM
Dear Copyleftist:
Pick any scenario you wish, end of the world, depression, major catastrophy, dogs and cats sleeping together, my self-worth depends on many factors but not solely on a total collapse of civilization. And it certainly doesn't depend on an education from ivy lined halls. Since you are by now so completely familiar with my value system what is yours when it comes "all things masculine?" Standing off and lobbing rotten egg comments? Be careful with those evagelical comments, they could be right. Oh, and have a nice day.
Nobama| 2.12.10 @ 12:54PM
CopyleftLiberalReader is a dumb troll.
Richard| 2.11.10 @ 3:47PM
Ad agencies produce the "weak male" ads to manipulate what they perceive as female insecurities - hoping female viewers identify with the "strong and competent" female character. I believe these ads are really more of an insult to women than men by essentally insulting female intelligence and judgment. The ad agencies are assuming an "easily manipulated" female can be attracted to their product by inserting a "juvenile" male. Ladies, is it true? There are so many of these ads - I assume they have been market tested. Scary.
Missy| 2.11.10 @ 5:49PM
These stupid ads have infuriated me for years.
Divide and conquer, right? Liberals use class warfare to achieve the same ends.
Pingback| 2.11.10 @ 5:57PM
Secret Weight Loss Tips For Women Over Forty! | Women's Health Wisdom links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Seek| 2.11.10 @ 6:55PM
Bob Tyrrell, I am afraid, misses the whole point of "Step Brothers" and "Knocked Up" (and no doubt other Judd Apatow-inspired comedies). In each case, the prospect of manly responsibility concentrated the mind wonderfully and led to, well...manly behavior. In any event, these films were flat-out funny, something I cannot say about finger-wagging moral scolds of Nannyism, Right or Left.
Tassie| 2.11.10 @ 6:57PM
Sadly like everything else these days, men, too, are over sexualized and this thanks to the media and Hollywood.
Missy| 2.11.10 @ 8:48PM
Honey, men have ALWAYS been over sexualized!
Pat| 2.11.10 @ 6:58PM
Apparently, this author refuses to join the ranks of those embittered, middle aged, dowager matrons who blame all problems on "men" - modern women are independet and don't need men in their lives, except when it comes time to fix the blame. Young men are universally depicted by the female dragons who guard our cultural standards as living in their parents' basement long after college, playing childish video games for hours on end, dressing up for a night out at the clubs where they pick up young women for one night stands, while avoiding all long term committments.
This article reiterates (and criticizes) a popular caricature of white men, social criticism of minorities, male or female, isn't politically correct. And it's due to equal parts jealousy and frustration. Frustration that men won't make committments when women are ready to settle down, frustration with an egalitarian attitude toward marriage when women consistently prefer to "marry up" rather than settle for the blue collar, working class hero as a life partner.
Jealousy that men can do the "picking" rather than waiting to be picked. And despite the average age of first marriage rising to 26, women haven't learned much with the extra years surveying the market, the divorcees on the prowl in their 30's, 40's and 50's attest to their lack of discrimination in picking Mr. Right, or perhaps to their desperation.
And this latest form of bad mouthing men will pass - men know one thing if nothing else and that is women are never going to be happy with their lot and, somehow, it's all the fault of men.
Missy| 2.11.10 @ 8:50PM
Geez, Pat--bitter much?
Pingback| 2.11.10 @ 7:14PM
Want To Know How To Manage Your College Life Simply & Easily? links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.11.10 @ 7:18PM
William Jefferson Clinton | AXI links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Happy| 2.11.10 @ 9:47PM
Tyrrell has always aspired to being a man like Bill Clinton. It's all very funny when you look at what "conservatives" really want.
Pingback| 2.12.10 @ 1:16AM
Body Modification,Body piercings: Body Piercings Jewelry | Jewelry Beauty Wisdom links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
wwwexler| 2.12.10 @ 1:20AM
A man like Bill Clinton? You meant a 'dog like Bill Clinton'--- there, I fixed it for you.
And, no, RET never had any such aspiration, thank you very much.
Darren| 2.12.10 @ 10:51AM
Even worse then the derogatory way men are treated in the Doritos add mentioned are how they are depicted in Hardees commercials. In them, men are ingorant, sloppy, unfaithful slobs that like to eat food off of their cloths and can't clean up a mess they make all over the kitchen floor.
I won't eat at Hardees again until they stop insultin me.
Darren| 2.12.10 @ 12:29PM
Why do you only notice typos once you hit send?!
"worse than" and "stop insulting".
Maybe I should just shut up and eat my double thick burger.
Josie| 2.12.10 @ 12:52PM
add = ad :)
Darren| 2.12.10 @ 3:27PM
D'oh!!!!
Reinhard| 2.12.10 @ 1:32PM
I suppose, given all these comments, I should consider myself lucky. My younger daughter is getting married and her fiancee fits the manly mold. Not in a military context, but he is confident, respectful, hard working and employed (teaches at a major university). My point is, while the media is flawed, real life shows that there "manly" men to be proud of.
Missy| 2.12.10 @ 2:10PM
You are right, Reinhard; I thank God for American 'manly men' every day. Life just wouldn't be as sweet without you.;)
Angry White Dude | 2.12.10 @ 5:50PM
We at http://angrywhitedude.com have discussed misogynist commercials and tv shows for nearly two years. Our website is "dedicated to the most ridiculed and unappreciated being on the planet..the white male! Join us and voice your opinion!
Angry White Dude
Pingback| 2.12.10 @ 7:57PM
White Sun - Success & Failure links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Mike M| 2.12.10 @ 9:50PM
The sad truth in all this is when the typical young man in question picks up his first issue of Playboy, He soon graduates to Hustler and then on to some "Gay life" publication. Next up is DNC membership and a trip to the Military recruiter of his choice. Don't ask - I think someone once said...
Israeli Soldier| 2.15.10 @ 8:33PM
Mike M, your hateful allusions to gays is typical of many of the ranters on this comment page. But here is one thing I want your dumb ass to know. Having served in the Israeli military with gay soldiers and officers, I know from experience that they as professional as any other military men. Gay soldiers, by the way, impressed me with their superior intelligence and creativity.
Flirty| 2.16.10 @ 2:05AM
I bet that's not the only thing they impressed you with.
Get off it! Gay men are not choir boys and you know it.
Guy| 2.14.10 @ 4:54PM
Random thoughts....
It's a hard time to be a woman, which makes it a hard time to be a man.
Men don't want to be an Alan Alda character over a John Wayne character. The Alda character always requires some type of explanation while the Duke requires none. It's not that the Duke's character is any less complex, there's just an absence of whining over what is essentially duty.
The Super Bowl is the worst football telecast of the year because it's likely the only game of the year that most men are required to separate their partisan football desires from watching a football game as basically a social event. Those commercials aren't aimed at male football fans accustomed to using commercials as bathroom breaks or sandwich-making time. Halftime shows were eliminated during the regular season because men tended to go out and change the spark plug in the snow blower or lawn mower instead of watching. The only halftime show men watch is one with, wait for it.........football in it!
Men pursue education and higher learning, often for a lifetime, but we admire a man who can tune an SU carburetor.
"Duty, honor, country" remains inescapably a masculine ideal. It just resonates with us.
Is the term "silent majority" just another way of saying, "men"?
Absent war, men are probably maturing later. After all, we're living longer so we've got time. In the end though, we still end up fixing the lawn mower.
SoCon| 2.15.10 @ 2:34AM
Eloquent post, thank you.
Graybill Johnston| 2.16.10 @ 2:48PM
You didn't like the anti-bark collar add? I thought it was great, but I'm a dog person.
Pingback| 2.16.10 @ 5:49PM
White Sun - Personality & Fate links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Puma x Alexander McQueen | 8.12.11 @ 11:13PM
is good