Manliness takes a hit

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It’s been a bad year in Dudedom. Between man/boy sex scandals, familial betrayal and lame Anita Hill jokes, the old boy network is looking mighty limp.

Yup, the father-figures that we know on a first-name basis have taken a kick to the groin — JoePa for pedophilia cover-up, Arnold for denying paternity of his son.

The year started off badly for men when a crazed gunman attempted to assassinate a congresswoman in Arizona.

A weapons dealer in Zanesville, Ohio threatened everyone’s environment when his performance suicide caused the deaths of 49 rare animals, including 18 endangered tigers.

With nearly half of all American men owning guns, compared to 13% of women, one wonders why macho men need so much firepower. Aren’t we women the ones who need personal protection?

Manly political dignity went flaccid in June when Congressman Anthony Weiner sexted his bulging underwear to the delight and tweets of his opponents.

As the Conference of Catholic Bishops celibate men continued to meddle in the political aspects of American gynecology, European Catholics continued to deal with pedophilia and baby-trafficking scandals.

Even brutal dictators like the late Muammar Qaddafi, surrounded by his apparently-ineffective female bodyguards, comes off as a better father figure than, say, sex-scandal ridden Italian PM Silvio Burlesconi.

Did I mention Dominique Strauss ‘Sex King’ Kahn, lousy housekeeping tipper? Herman Cain’s sexual harassment memory loss? This he-said; she-said, she-said, she-said, she-said story amounts to Electile Dysfunction.

Come on, Coach/Father/candidate, we moms know you can do better. Our sons, fathers, brothers, partners and guy friends know how to be respectful of others. Why not you leaders? Dudes, where’s your integrity?

About Post Author

Liz Putnam

Liz Putnam is a retired automotive trade magazine editor from Columbus, Ohio.
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12 years ago

As a mom of two boys, I think it is dangerous to see this as a “male” problem. No one should have their gender, their sexual preference, their race, or their income hung around their necks! That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t acknowledge wrongs, and exactly who does them, and I believe we can make it clearer that honesty, respect and love are higher qualities that strength, power or money. But who sends this message? So many people are corrupt! I want to support women candidates in the next election, but most of our women Senators are just as bought as the next guy. I want us all to be laser focused on issues we can all attack: Corruption, Greed, Secrecy, Bullying, Pollution, and laser focused on that all we can support: Education, Technology, Affordable Healthcare, and Love! Statistics show we ARE getting less violent, we are getting smarter, but we need more FOCUS!! My new mantra (-:

lazersedge
Reply to  Urban Pink
12 years ago

U.P I am with you all the way. But, I think that Liz is right in one respect, the leaders at the top which are mostly male need to be flush out with fire hoses. And yes, the females like them need to go also. If you can focus your laser on how we can take the money out of the political arena I think we are 3/4 of the way there. The honesty and integrity of our leaders is so often bought and paid for before they ever get into office we never really get to know if they really have any.

liz
Reply to  lazersedge
12 years ago

Thanks for commenting. I’m a mom of two young men as well. I don’t see in my sons or their friends the kind of hubris that comes over our sports, business & political VIPs. I meant for this essay to be funnier than it is… Like Bill Maher said, “Football, the Vatican, Middle East — whenever there are no women around, things go to shit.”

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