Oh, so this is what we're fighting for

Hey everyone.

Check out this article from Men's News Daily, "Saving Our Young Men." If you do, make sure to read the comments.

The article is a tirade about how (white) men get the shaft, while women have it too easy. The most interesting thing about it is that the author appears to be completely unaware of the irony: he is championing the cause of men using the traditionally feminine tactics of whining and childish petulance.

Women know - or should know - that they traditionally only had access to these tactics because they are, how you say?, ineffective.

The article itself is...sad, pathetic, easy to dismiss. But the comments. The comments are incredible. Aside from the fact that they are also whiny and complainy and not very manly, every last paragraph is drenched in an intense hatred of women.

Fundamentally, the problem that these men seem to have is that they want all the perks of masculine power and dominance without having to develop the qualities that guaranteed it.

Consider this paragraph, written by the distinguished "metalman":

"Women love to complain about equality, and once they get it, they shout their grrrlll power and independence to the hills. The minute they start earning their big paychecks, they never let you forget it. But time and again, when the bills come, these same women suddenly become mute and helpless. Whenever an unexpected big expense arises, it's the man who picks up the slack. When money gets tight, it's the man who's expected to put in the extra hours. When it's raining heavily, it's the man who's expected to park the car five blocks from the restaurant so that his woman can sit all safe and dry inside the restaurant sipping her cosmopolitan while schmucko walks in a downpour."

You know what he's describing there? He's describing a situation in which the man has all the power. Why does he have all the power? Because he has all the responsibility - he takes the tough jobs and he watches the bottom line. The woman is enjoying an imagined independence - she's got a safety net in case her man leaves, that's all. The truth is, being in charge and having power really sucks, if you're doing a half-decent job at it. Independence is hardship. Freedom is hardship. That's why so many enlightened women are running headlong into the golden cages of stay-at-home mom-dom. Not to speak of Americans who are willing to trade civil liberties for security on a grand scale.

I don't know whether "metalman" wants to be a tyrant (which would make his life easier), or if he just doesn't want the responsibility of being in charge - of taking the traditionally masculine role. What I do know is that he's complaining about doing the right thing.

There really is a crisis of masculinity, but this spineless, sniveling attitude is an example of it - not the solution.