Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Mad (at) Men


What has happened to all the men?! Like, what happened? I mean, I know a lot of guys, but not a lot of men. Old school, real MEN. Like this: 

Robert Redford; Paul Newman

or 
Steve McQueen

or pretty much anyone featured on this site. Rough, tough, smoking, spitting, swearing, drinking, fighting, MEN. They seem to be a dying breed. Their spawn are not the same, and it’s a loss to the world, I tell ya. Sure, they are not without fault – Lord knows they are difficult men to know, but they are the ones with passion and drive. I’m over this whole “metrosexual male” thing. Really.

I heard a theory recently that suggested that the biggest disservice women did themselves was feminism. My instant reaction is to roar “No!” and stomp my boots. But when I sat and really thought about it, I can see how that could make sense, but in a way that I don’t think was considered when it was suggested to me.
The original theory was that we women thought we were so clever by demanding independence and equal opportunity and power and freedom, as much as any man could expect, without having to fight for it. And despite the fact that we finally got all that, and more, we still want to be pampered and provided for like the housewives of the past. The theory suggested that now we want it all, and are dissatisfied when we can’t have it. Which we can’t.
My interpretation, however, was a little different. I agree that since we did start getting the things we demanded, and since the opportunities our mothers and grandmothers fought for are now easily available to us at the drop of a hat, we do expect our men to still treat us the way they did back then. BUT, I think that it’s male psychology that’s shifted more than ours. We still seem to have this built-in expectation that our men are supposed to take care of us and provide for us. Men, however, seem to have found it much easier to let go of such expectations. In fact, they’ve dropped that idea like a hot potato! They want nothing more to do with providing for us. They have all too happily relinquished any such responsibility. In short, the men are ready for a complete role reversal, and we haven’t caught up with them. And we are supposed to be the progressive ones? Ha!

I’m the first to admit that I expect a lot of men. I demand that they be rough and tough and chivalrous and chauvinistic and caring and attentive and selfish and demanding, all at the same time, while smelling like Camel cigarettes, even though they don’t smoke. Note to self: You can't always get what you want. But honestly, if I had to choose one type of man for all eternity? I think I would take the old school man.

Classic Cool
At least they pushed us enough, gave us enough motivation or incentive or inspiration to fight for ourselves, to dream bigger and bolder, and demand the chance to reach our dreams. If we had never had the rough and tough sons-of-cowboys, what kind of women would we be today? How different would society be? If our fathers and grandfathers had been metrosexuals, what kind of women would we be?

* This whole vent was prompted by another rather frustrating incident at work. There seem to be a lot of metrosexuals where I work, and they always prompt me to wonder about the future of the world.
The events are things like this:
·         Two girls changing a tyre. Battling like mad to loosen the bolts. Guy from the office standing sipping his skinny latte or whatever, offering advice. Not offering assistance, no, just advice. And then walking off to giggle with similar metro-moron about how the girls can’t even change a tyre.
·         One girl trying to wrap a package that weighs, easily, about 70kgs. It’s a package of several fiberglass panels, so not a very stable structure. 3 guys walk past and, again, offer advice. And then, when girl asks them if they could help, they huff and puff and grudgingly offer 5 minutes worth of help, and disappear.
·         Coming down with a serious and severe case of the mutters when asked to cover reception for half an hour while receptionist and administration staff (i.e.: all the girls in the office) are in training. “Can’t you get a temp?” For half a fucking hour.

I watched Children of Men again recently, and have decided that it’s not that people couldn’t breed, it’s because the women finally wizened up and chose not to, because the men were all sissies. Ha! (I may have been drunk at the time, though, so it’s not necessarily a valid point).

Okay, my rant is over. I have sufficiently reduced my rage enough to safely go back to work and not rip someone’s arm off, stick it up their ass, and use them as a ventriloquist dummy.


Am I pissing you off-fa-fa?


X

2 comments:

  1. haha i totally remember that first event!!! aka it was my freaking tyre!!! :P lol

    dont forget i still 'heart' you Nu..

    xxx

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  2. haha It leaves me gobsmacked every time I think about it! Freaking hell!
    <3 you too angel! x

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