- Joined
- May 24, 2007
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- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
This topic came up a few weeks ago in a discussion I was having regarding my rather useless son-in-law (I have nick-named him “Left”…’cause he ain’t “right”).
Anyway, it was noted in this discussion that my idiot son-in-law really has no idea of what it means to be a “man” and since I’m a “man’s-man” then I owed it to my son-in-law to teach him how to be a "man".
I found this to be a rather interesting proposition since, frankly, I am under no obligation to teach him anything (and I don’t particularly care for his company, either. Let’s face it, his favorite TV show is Spongebob and he is 31 years old. We really have nothing in common except for my daughter).
However, this proposition has given me pause and actually think about what it means to be a man. For me, it’s rather inherent and nothing I ever really had to put into words before and so now I find myself attempting to define what it means to be a “man”.
It does strike me that it’s rather obvious when you have a “grown child” (i.e. my son-in-law) vs. of a "man". It's easy to identify or even define a "grown child". But how do you define a "man"?
For examples of my son-in-laws idiocy, please consider:
1. my son-in-law's word means nothing. If he tells you he will do something you can not rely on it.
2. he is unable to keep a job. He and my daughter have been married about seven years and I really couldn’t tell you how many jobs he has lost during that time. Certainly more than I can count using all my fingers and toes!
3. he has no boundaries in my home. He thinks nothing of ransacking my pantry for food or my personal belongings to see if there is something that he can borrow (DVDs, etc.). I view this as incredibly disrespectful.
4. he recently borrowed our truck and got into an accident. I realize that accidents happen but he returned the truck for me to pay to have repaired.
5. He is a high-school drop-out who has squandered every opportunity. He won’t get his GED making the excuse that he doesn't study or test well (Remember Henry Ford’s quote? “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right).
Obviously if you take the opposite of each of the traits my son-in-law has exhibited in the examples I have cited above then you certainly begin to define my idea of a “man”.
I would also add that since men are generally stronger than women it is their job to protect / defend women and not dominate them.
I will also add one more caveat to my definition of man before turning this discussion over. To be a “man” you have to, as a minimum, be born a male. Regardless of what you may try to convince yourself, sex-change surgeries do not make you a man. It makes you a rather confused woman.
So how do you define a “man”?
Anyway, it was noted in this discussion that my idiot son-in-law really has no idea of what it means to be a “man” and since I’m a “man’s-man” then I owed it to my son-in-law to teach him how to be a "man".
I found this to be a rather interesting proposition since, frankly, I am under no obligation to teach him anything (and I don’t particularly care for his company, either. Let’s face it, his favorite TV show is Spongebob and he is 31 years old. We really have nothing in common except for my daughter).
However, this proposition has given me pause and actually think about what it means to be a man. For me, it’s rather inherent and nothing I ever really had to put into words before and so now I find myself attempting to define what it means to be a “man”.
It does strike me that it’s rather obvious when you have a “grown child” (i.e. my son-in-law) vs. of a "man". It's easy to identify or even define a "grown child". But how do you define a "man"?
For examples of my son-in-laws idiocy, please consider:
1. my son-in-law's word means nothing. If he tells you he will do something you can not rely on it.
2. he is unable to keep a job. He and my daughter have been married about seven years and I really couldn’t tell you how many jobs he has lost during that time. Certainly more than I can count using all my fingers and toes!
3. he has no boundaries in my home. He thinks nothing of ransacking my pantry for food or my personal belongings to see if there is something that he can borrow (DVDs, etc.). I view this as incredibly disrespectful.
4. he recently borrowed our truck and got into an accident. I realize that accidents happen but he returned the truck for me to pay to have repaired.
5. He is a high-school drop-out who has squandered every opportunity. He won’t get his GED making the excuse that he doesn't study or test well (Remember Henry Ford’s quote? “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right).
Obviously if you take the opposite of each of the traits my son-in-law has exhibited in the examples I have cited above then you certainly begin to define my idea of a “man”.
I would also add that since men are generally stronger than women it is their job to protect / defend women and not dominate them.
I will also add one more caveat to my definition of man before turning this discussion over. To be a “man” you have to, as a minimum, be born a male. Regardless of what you may try to convince yourself, sex-change surgeries do not make you a man. It makes you a rather confused woman.
So how do you define a “man”?
