By Robin of Berkeley
July 22, 2009
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/are_men_obsolete.html
When I snapped out of my left wing trance last year, I was lost in space. I had no conservative friends and was clueless about web sites and books.
I had heard something vaguely about Talk Radio. So I scanned my AM dial and found Michael Savage. (It took several months, and a chat with a rather bemused new friend, before I even realized there were other hosts as well.)
Being a lifelong liberal, I'd never heard anybody like Savage in my life. He yelled; he called people "vermin." He was unbridled masculinity, not the touchy feeling kind I was used to. And he totally accepted himself: his moods, passion, temper.
But what shocked me the most was his saying that men have become "feminized." I'd never been so offended. "Well, what's wrong with men being more feminine?" I shouted back at my radio. "Is there something wrong with femininity?" Men being way more in touch with their yin and less with their yang sounded good to me.
I hadn't exactly been a big fan of masculinity. Like any good feminist, ranting and raving about men were two of my favorite pastimes. Men frightened me. Testosterone fueled types like Michael Savage scared the bejeezus out of me. I had good reasons, of course, given episodes of harassment and abuse.
I couldn't tune Savage out because he was the only game in town (or so I thought). Also, he was spot on about Obama, and his show was a rich tapestry of politics, philosophy, history, and religion. So I stayed glued.
What a difference a year makes. Now I see Savage as a seer warning us of the dangers we were in for if men went the way of the dinosaur. I had thought taming men's animal nature was a win-win for everybody. Now I realize it was tampering with Mother Nature.
And I have to wonder whether the feminization of men has been an unforeseen result of liberalism or some twisted scheme hatched by the left. In some ways, it feels paranoid to even go there, like I've watched too many sci fi flicks. But at the same time if Professor Bill Ayers and his ilk could plot infiltrating the schools with all things Marxist, why stop there? Why not engineer a designer man who would go along with the liberal flow?
Step one: loosen men up through psychotherapy where they can get in touch with their inner child. Have them exchange their arms for drums that they can pound in the woods with groups of brothers. Teach them to reject logic and lead with their emotions.
Idolize gayness, because after all, aren't gay men just XY versions of the superior women? Degrade anything masculine. Marginalize and vilify the macho types like Savage, by banning him from the U.K.
Hike up the costs of SUV's and trucks, and squeeze men into deracinated cars like the Prius (notice how prissy even the name sounds?) Even better, herd them to work in buses and trains to save the planet (and control them).
Ask the question, as Maureen Dowd did in her bestselling book, "Are Men Necessary?" Answer in the negative by glorifying single mothers and supporting sperm donors. Why bother with a bossy husband when the government can put moms on the dole? And anyway, with gayness being the next big craze, there may be fewer straight men out there.
On the horizon: making the notion of gender arbitrary anyway. Allow people free and easy access to sex change operations (I'll bet good money they will be readily available under ObamaCare.)
Allow children to choose their own sex. (By the way, the fad is already in vogue and called "gender neutrality." Parents don't inform their child of his or her or its gender and let the little mutant choose one.)
Even better, have your child be Bob one day and Becky the next, another hot trend called "gender fluid." It's already happening at a few San Francisco Bay Area schools, where bathrooms are unisex and children get to alter their gender as the mood strikes them.
The piece de resistance of feminization: wreck the economy. If you want to cripple men, rob them of their life spring: their ability to provide for their family. No worries: the government will step in as a worthy substitute.
And the final stroke of genius: disempower the true symbols of masculinity: the military, police, and intelligence officers. Investigate them, sue them, protest them with riots in the street. Make them feel intimidated about doing their jobs. Require them to attend plenty of sensitivity workshops.
So, after decades of my going along like an automaton with the liberal program, I finally got it. As people like Savage have warned us about for years, tampering with gender is a disaster. And not just for men.
Because society shrinks when we are forced to give up who we are, and we become shells of ourselves when we're robbed of our birthright: dignity, freedom, individuality. We become cloned people, with this part and that part, never discovering who we are.
We become what the Tibetans call "hungry ghosts:" tormented beings looking all over for happiness but never finding it because we've forgotten the only place it lives -- in our spirit, which is connected to forces Beyond. We lose forever the knowledge of our true nature that we first glimpsed when we were knee high.
Because the fact is that humans cannot, should not, fool with Mo Nature, shouldn't take nature in our hands and play God. To do so can unleash madness and danger as we know from every horror movie.
Because while we've been engineering a kinder, gentler man, much of the world has been doing the opposite. Countries like Iran and North Korea have been building nuclear weapons and poisoning their young men with hatred of the U.S. They have been making their men stronger, meaner, and better armed.
Liberals: be honest with yourselves. In the end, if the worst case scenario happens (God forbid) and we are attacked, who will you run to? Will you scream out for the Green Czar?
No; all of us, liberals and leftists, conservatives and feminists, we will go where we have always gone from the beginning of time; we will search desperately for the big, strong men to protect us, the ones who have always had the guts, the courage, and yes the cojones, to put their lives and limbs on the line.
The question is: by then, how many will be left?
A frequent AT contributor, Robin is a recovering liberal and psychotherapist in Berkeley.
Paul's Boutique
i don't like Michael Savage but i agree that society has emasculated men
1A friend asked me this morning about Robin of Berkeley and I had to admit that I hadn't read her in a while. However, after perusing one of her late columns, I couldn't help but identify with many of her though processes about things, including my rather difficult change from liberal to conservative. This blog was so close to home that it made me laugh and I hope everyone else enjoys it also.
2More importantly, I gave up the ancient tenets of classical feminism grudgingly, feeling I would be giving up something important, like Israel giving back the Golan heights to Syria. It hasn't been the case and I was never re-subjected to the secretarial pool or working in the basement.
I hope others can read this without rancor because I think it's pretty astute.
metrosexuals annoy me.
3OMG I never thought of it this way. She kinda opens your eyes a little. The tag at the end had me rolling
4"Robin is a recovering liberal"
I wasn't really aware this was a liberal problem. I mean, I know more conservative guys than liberals that take to the stage in glittery costumes, which I wouldn't consider a model for masculinity. Personal experience
5""Well, what's wrong with men being more feminine?" I shouted back at my radio."
Yeah, You tell him!
6"all of us, liberals and leftists, conservatives and feminists, we will go where we have always gone from the beginning of time; we will search desperately for the big, strong men to protect us, the ones who have always had the guts, the courage, and yes the cojones, to put their lives and limbs on the line."
I think I'd run to Rahm Emanuel or Barack Obama before I'd run to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
7I would run to Rahm, but for a different reason....heh heh.
8Only if he is in his dance shoes and does all the positions.
9Mmm--positions?
10Nothing is as sexy as a sweaty hot man with muscles bulging in all the right places...darn--when does he get home today?
Seriously--Robin makes me laugh, giggle and shake my head. I think we were separated at birth...and she just happens to be the insightful and wit-filled twin as I sit and struggle to be even a Net-Wit.
I was raised among women that were consistent in sneaking feminism into my daily diet. Yes-they had to sneak... married to strong religious men from Texas means you must perfect sneakiness until it is an art form.
While the men in my childhood shunned men "in touch with their feminine side" the women in my life quietly pointed out their good points while reinforcing our need to be independent. Men in touch with the feminine side were a bit more conducive to women being stronger.
Ultimately I demanded a real man. One that could stand in both of those places, brute and sensitive, while supporting my need to think I was in charge. Damn he is smart. We take turns being the smart and strong one.
Now...about those positions...details please.
11"Nothing is as sexy as a sweaty hot man with muscles bulging in all the right places...darn--when does he get home today?"
Cheeky you must be trying to get me fired,
12This article is so sexist it's making me sick.
Being strong both mentally and physically are not 'masculine' or 'feminine' traits. And they are certainly not traits that are limited to conservatives.
13Thank you, Mich!
14It's interesting that Robin the psychotherapist thinks women need to keep brutes on hand, in case we need to throw their lives at an enemy.
15What the ****? This article...I'm with Mich.
16"Being strong both mentally and physically are not 'masculine' or 'feminine' traits. And they are certainly not traits that are limited to conservatives."
Mich.
17"Are men Obsolete?"
Yes! Now that that's settled, I'll be on the golf course.
18I am with Mich on this one as well.
19LOL... I know it is hard sometimes to weed the serious from the side-winded sarcastic wit. Robin is funny... well... her own special version of humor.
I'd like to encourage those who may have taken everything in this article seriously to re-read it with a smile.
We really wouldn't replace men in our lives so easily...even when at times it may seem a good idea. They do have their strong points and we appreciate every single one. I make it a point to appreciate mine often.
20This post is ridiculous.
21Post A Comment
To post comments, please log in or register.