Signs of True Manhood

Don’t hear it or see it so much anymore. Two words accompanying a gesture. Both the words and the action spoke volumes.

After you.

Words most commonly spoken while holding open a door for someone. Words saying you first, I come second. Words meaning a whole lot more, carrying with them the full weight of civil society’s norms and expectations. Be considerate of others, lend a helping hand.

In this age of growing incivility, it’s unsurprising that such expressions are rarely heard, the accompanying gestures scarcely seen. “After you” has given way to “every man for himself.” Those four words sum up the spoken part of the law of the jungle that’s reasserted itself in today’s America, the unspoken part being every woman in her place. Typically unspoken, not always.

Oh, how masculinity has been cheapened, how mangled is the current conception of manhood.

Strength and toughness are the characteristics most associated with masculinity. These attributes have been reduced to a pose, a flex. Out on…