Many, observing the plight of western civilization, have focused on correcting the political and social disintegration that has crippled The West in the twentieth century. The fundamental pathology that has corrupted western culture is a disease of gender. The assault on traditional masculinity by radical cultural degenerates has left contemporary men confused about their personal identities and social roles.
Cultural radicals and degenerates from the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s eroded masculinity. Manhood was stripped of its unique role within society. These radicals came baring the half-baked dogma of gender equality. Through this ill-conceived gender doctrine, radicals seduced a generation of men to abandon their posts as keystones of the community and society in favor of self-indulgence in every form. Instead of living a life of duty and discipline, men turned to lives of "self-fulfillment" at all cost. This, combined with the radical new roles usurped by feminists, another teaching from cultural radicals, gave humankind's selfish nature fertile ground in which to root. For two--nearly three--generations, young men have been without necessary models of masculinity. Thus, masculinity has been corrupted into an irresponsible quest to fill ones stomach, wallet, and bed. Is there any wonder our civilization is in a tailspin?
Media outlets portray contemporary man as tyrannical, half-witted, perverted, or effete. These outlets do not present men with duties to society, community, or family. Instead, we are bombarded with scenes of absentee fathers whose former roles in our young men's lives are filled by mothers and grandmothers: a job for which these, often extraordinary women, are ill equipped. These same media agencies fill the imaginations of our young men with visions of metrosexualism, homosexualism, and polysexualism. Recently a film was scheduled for release at the Caen film festival exploring bestiality as a normal and legitimate lifestyle. All of this occurs while we ask our young men to do that of which they have no model: be a man. Meanwhile if we turn our young women out into society without understanding true masculinity we leave them susceptible to hate for, usurpation of, or abuse by false masculinity. Russell and Frank Lay eds. argue in Subverting Masculinity (West, Atlanta, 2000):
Contemporary Western societies are currently witness to a crisis of masculinity but also to an intriguing diversification of images of masculinity. Once relatively stable regimes of masculine gender representation appear to have been replaced by a wider spectrum of varieties of masculine "lifestyles" taken up by the media and the market, to produce new and immensely flexible forms of consumerised gender hegemony.
Considering the abysmal state of affairs, what is masculinity? Why is it an important facet of any self-sustaining potent civilization? What can WE, as men, do to improve the state of affairs?
Well, being of the generation of blurred masculinity one might wonder if anything can be done. However, if we understand masculinity, in its purest, un-propagandized form, we can make some personal adjustments. For those of us with children we have a responsibility to show, both our young men and women, true masculinity and thus make great strides toward the preservation of our civilization.
Categorical definition of Masculinity
Some of these attributes are common among men and women...BUT NOT ALL!
Western Masculinity is...
1. Physical: strong, potent, athletic...one might not be the pinnacle of any of these and yet exhibit all.
2. Practical: breadwinners, providers, purposeful agents working in economic systems
3. Privately Heterosexual: Sexually active within an private dependent relationship.
4. Emotionally balanced: capable of overwhelming emotional phenomena, but always attempting the sublimation of those emotions.
5. Intellectually balanced: logical, rational, and calculating but often surrendering these ideals to higher moral principles.
6. Assumes Leadership: no matter the level, masculinity exhibits some form of this attribute. false masculinity exhibits this trait through violent aggression, selfish domination etc. this attribute must be sublimated
7. Moral: religion, work-ethic, social mores etc. necessary as the higher principle through which selfish urges are sublimated.
