Society/Culture What makes a man a man?

[Evolved1]

An exhaustive list of what makes a man a man:
1. Being of the male sex of species homo sapien.

An exhaustive list of what makes a man a good/ideal man:
1. Being physically strong
2. Standing up for what you believe
3. Always being interested in learning
4. A certain degree of stoicism in the face of adversity
5. Treating others the way you would like to be treated
6. Having a hobby you are passionate about
7. Respecting the past without being beholden to it
8. Always being on guard against letting hubris bring you down
9. Compassion for those who aren't as fortunate as you
10. Raising your children to observe the above.

(Note: the above ten points are not exclusively male attributes)

These lists are definitively true and if you disagree, you are wrong.
View attachment 1027568

No true man supports Carlton.

 

[ShanDog]

No true man supports Carlton.

Ahem. See points 2, 5 & (particularly) 9. Ta.

 

[utility]

Masculine activities (as opposed to feminine), rational behavior (as opposed emotional), dominant demeanor (as opposed to submissive). That and a penis.

 

[Toump Ass]

An exhaustive list of what makes a man a good/ideal man:
1. Being physically strong

Weird that "physical strength" is a more important attribute to some than intelligence.

FWIW I'm heaps stronger than a bunch of people- granted, most of these people are disabled, and under 12 years old, but nevertheless they're male and I'm more manly than them because I can lift heavier objects

 

[Toump Ass]

Oh also banging other guys feels pretty macho too*





*No homo.

 

[ShanDog]

Weird that "physical strength" is a more important attribute to some than intelligence.

FWIW I'm heaps stronger than a bunch of people- granted, most of these people are disabled, and under 12 years old, but nevertheless they're male and I'm more manly than them because I can lift heavier objects

Physical strength is something anyone can attain. Or, at least, improve. If you don't win the genetic lottery, there's not a whole lot you can do about your intelligence.

Plus, physical strength is related to all sorts of other health factors and wellbeing blah blah blah...

 

[Toump Ass]

Physical strength is something anyone can attain. Or, at least, improve. If you don't win the genetic lottery, there's not a whole lot you can do about your intelligence.

Ableist.

My buddy with muscular dystrophy's never gonna be strong, doesn't make him less of a man tho.

Re: Intelligence, IMO it's not simply a genetic attribute. Environmental factors huge too, education etc.
Edit: And breastmilk too apparently (I just googled it). Good thing I'm still on that stuff!

 

[ShanDog]

Ableist.

My buddy with muscular dystrophy's never gonna be strong, doesn't make him less of a man tho.

Re: Intelligence, IMO it's not simply a genetic attribute. Environmental factors huge too, education etc.
Edit: And breastmilk too apparently (I just googled it). Good thing I'm still on that stuff!

Sorry, all I'm reading is "Wah wah wah, ima weak ass bitch"

 

[Toump Ass]

Sorry, all I'm reading is "Wah wah wah, ima weak ass b*tch"

Using insults because you post something stupid again, classic.

You're weak as ******* piss mate.

 

[Toump Ass]

Oh sorry one more thing to add:

"Being a forum moderator"

... now that's ******* manly!!!

 

[ShanDog]

Using insults because you post something stupid again, classic.

You're weak as ******* piss mate.

Jesus, it was a joke.

Maybe I should add "Work on your sense of humour" to the list.

 

[Toump Ass]

@Sorry ShanDog didn't realise you were winding me up. My bad.

 

[ferball]

@Sorry ShanDog didn't realise you were winding me up. My bad.

Dunno what anyone else thinks but being able to apologise and publicly own your * ups probably isn't out of place on the "being a man" list.

 

[ShanDog]

Re: Intelligence, IMO it's not simply a genetic attribute. Environmental factors huge too, education etc.
Edit: And breastmilk too apparently (I just googled it). Good thing I'm still on that stuff!

On this, they are all absolutely factors that affect outcomes (if not intelligence directly), but they are all well outside the control of a child. So yes - it's not just genetics that make a difference - but the lottery analogy is still accurate.

 

[M Malice]

The last minute of so of this is about being tough as a man, Steve Hughes hilarious.

Warning- Contains what some might say is foul language.

 

[ShanDog]

Dunno what anyone else thinks but being able to apologise and publicly own your fu** ups probably isn't out of place on the "being a man" list.

Absolutely. (See point 8 of my absolutely undisputed perfect list above).

 

[ferball]

Absolutely. (See point 8 of my absolutely undisputed perfect list above).

I thought it was worth acknowledging.

Found that exchange quite funny too.

As an aside. You probably can improve your intelligence, by thinking about thinking, how you think and observing yourself. Maybe not to a huge degree but at least a bit. The more connections you make in your brain the more circuitry you have to think with.

 

[ferball]

An exhaustive list of what makes a man a man:
1. Being of the male sex of species homo sapien.

An exhaustive list of what makes a man a good/ideal man:
1. Being physically strong
2. Standing up for what you believe
3. Always being interested in learning
4. A certain degree of stoicism in the face of adversity
5. Treating others the way you would like to be treated
6. Having a hobby you are passionate about
7. Respecting the past without being beholden to it
8. Always being on guard against letting hubris bring you down
9. Compassion for those who aren't as fortunate as you
10. Raising your children to observe the above.

(Note: the above ten points are not exclusively male attributes)

These lists are definitively true and if you disagree, you are wrong.
View attachment 1027568

while I'm at it...

About number 5. So how does this work if you like to be tied up and whipped?






Also - I noticed alot of those qualities on your list could be directly described as some kind self improvement or development. And that 8 and to a degree 7 are concerned with knowing yourself and with 7 especially in the context of where you come from ie your culture and history.

So knowing who you are and trying to be a better version of it? That's actually a pretty fair thing to aim for. Dunno if its specifically a male trait or not but its definitely good.

 

[ShanDog]

About number 5. So how does this work if you like to be tied up and whipped?

The spirit of that saying has always been about the attitudes and rights you afford those around you. So for your example, it's more about respecting that you like being whipped, and you respecting that I like being spat on instead.

Also - I noticed alot of those qualities on your list could be directly described as some kind self improvement or development. And that 8 and to a degree 7 are concerned with knowing yourself and with 7 especially in the context of where you come from ie your culture and history.

So knowing who you are and trying to be a better version of it? That's actually a pretty fair thing to aim for. Dunno if its specifically a male trait or not but its definitely good.

I didn't intend for it to have that undertone but I guess that's actually correct and reflects what I think is important.

 

[Gethelred]

I think this question is silly.

 

[Evolved1]

I have no issue with the question per se.

I shorted bitcoin during the 2020 bull run, and felt the pain of a big green candle. You live and you learn.

 

[ShanDog]

I think this question is silly.

I think it's a silly question in the context of BF. But, it's an extremely important question if you're trying to understand gender and society, particularly if you want to understand the changes over time.

 

[Toump Ass]

IMO Masculinity/"manliness" is largely an outdated social construct.

No reason why women can't be assertive and strong, or why men can't be sensitive and peachy.

 

[Gethelred]

I think it's a silly question in the context of BF. But, it's an extremely important question if you're trying to understand gender and society, particularly if you want to understand the changes over time.

I think the question is silly because over history and through culture, it becomes utterly meaningless to depict manliness or masculinity with any real clarity.

If you're asking what makes a hypothetical person (or myself) feel like a man, then you're going to get thousands of completely different responses, most of which correspond with what makes said individual feel good. Yelling at the umpires while watching the footy on television makes me feel like a man, but also like a dickhead; making bets I'm going to regret while I'm drunk makes me feel like a man; the act of getting drunk, trying to write fiction, doing both simultaneously, having sex, hitting a 4, throwing a punch, getting kicked in the head, getting to the ball first, running someone out, kicking a goal; all of these make me feel like a man, yet none of them are uniquely male experiences. Moana Hope or Tayla Harris could make a case for most of them.

What they depict is more your cultural situation and context more than anything to do really with your gender.

The question is dumb, in the same way a finger painting is dumb.

 

[ShanDog]

I think the question is silly because over history and through culture, it becomes utterly meaningless to depict manliness or masculinity with any real clarity.

If you're asking what makes a hypothetical person (or myself) feel like a man, then you're going to get thousands of completely different responses, most of which correspond with what makes said individual feel good. Yelling at the umpires while watching the footy on television makes me feel like a man, but also like a dickhead; making bets I'm going to regret while I'm drunk makes me feel like a man; the act of getting drunk, trying to write fiction, doing both simultaneously, having sex, hitting a 4, throwing a punch, getting kicked in the head, getting to the ball first, running someone out, kicking a goal; all of these make me feel like a man, yet none of them are uniquely male experiences. Moana Hope or Tayla Harris could make a case for most of them.

What they depict is more your cultural situation and context more than anything to do really with your gender.

The question is dumb, in the same way a finger painting is dumb.

I think your post demonstrates why the question is such a good one TBH.