While the ever prevailing image of the “plaid-clad,” mustachioed brawny man may be gone (as he has “cleaned up his act” since the late ’90s), manly men still exist. Where did they go? They were forced out of society. They were nearly rendered extinct by politically correct thugs.
The struggle of the manly man can be paralleled to that of the American bison almost being destroyed. I place the blame for the loss of the manly man, in his once great numbers, solely on the shoulders of women and the politically correct revolution of the ’90s.
With the notion of everything being made equal among the sexes the manly man has lost his place in society. The manly man embodies, I should say embodied, values and ideas that most people consider outdated.
The role of the manly man of yesteryear was to protect the woman he loved and provide for her and their family. This idea of a man caring for a woman in a wholesome and “old fashioned” way is now almost taboo and, depending on how “feminist” a circle you happen to be in, offensive. If women no longer need men to care and provide for them, the mantra of the manly man, what is he supposed to do?
All the manly men have gotten bored and been forced into hiding. Where once there was Steve McQueen or John Wayne with their default determined scowls, there now stand veritable women like Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp with their foppish mannerisms and gaunt, womanly looks.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, there has been a backlash to the P.C. attitude. With “men” being so frustrated and pumped up on creotine and Rockstar Energy Drinks, they had no choice but to succumb to the allure of assholes like Fred Durst. This spawned a new breed of “man” who cares nothing for values that are not closet racism, homophobia and/or oppressive behaviors. These are the “men” society is left with as a result of years of suppressed testosterone. These, also, are the men who women flock to because they’ve forgotten that real manly men respect women and love them, not just use them for a quick “lay” when they’re drunk and “in the mood” after a heated night of beer pong and hooting and hollering at Ultimate Fighting Championship on Spike TV.
While I am certainly not built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I consider myself a manly man. I would love nothing more than to meet a woman who wanted a simple way of life and would let me take care of her, respect her, and provide the “American dream” for her.
Men in the modern age have a sense of nostalgia for a world we never knew. If women want to see the return of the manly man, I suggest they shed their double-breasted pantsuits and butch attitudes and open their eyes to the fact that they are primarily to blame for our scarcity.
With men not trying to take care of women for fear of their character being defamed by that career and life ruining, all too liberally applied, label of “sexist” maybe people should take a look at how things have changed and ask themselves if it was worth it.
Will Vigliotti
English sophomore