Today's Gentleman

Generally I like to post about positive things, discussions that are focused on making society a better place, and I don’t feel the need to criticize others’ points of view…. Having said that, there is a group out there that I am very concerned about.  Their ideas, I feel, are not only outdated but quite dangerous, particularly for gender relations.

They call themselves Manhood Academy and they have created an eBook entitled The Principles of Social Competence, not that I want you to download it but it is here: http://manhood101.com/ebook.html. They claim it is written by a Doctor and a Professor (but no other information is given on their credentials).

The book discusses a few matters, but central is the notion of men taking back their rightful authority which has been robbed from them by feminism…..

There are a few notions which rub me the wrong way in the book, central to this is the authors’ penchant for blaming feminism for almost everything which they have seen happen to men over many decades.  Although there have been some unwise acts committed in the name of feminism, I think you can say the same for religion, politics, environmental protection and any other institution or movement you can name.

Disturbingly, they perpetuate the notion that feminists destroy relationships by trying to “defy her husband’s authority” which leads to single mothers “creating a future criminal” because they can’t fulfill the role of a father.

They then follow this by condescendingly comparing a female to a child by stating that women lack foresight and they focus on themselves way too much.  In fact they suggest that “without male guidance” women will not consider others’ viewpoints.  Also that women seem to have lost that “most essential feminine value – their submissive attitude”.  While men have maintained their “superior mental prowess”.

Frankly, I had to stop reading, but it disturbed me greatly that this book has been promoted as a definitive education text for being a man.  It is full of stereotypes, gross generalisations, unsupported assumptions, all based on their clearly bigoted views.  They seem to be coming from a position of feeling extremely threatened.

This, in my view, is not the path to positive balance in gender relationships.  We must understand each other without bias (particularly historical bias) and empathetically move forward being conscious of everyones rights.