Maggie's Farm

No doubt.
I came home with a V neck undershirt (nanotechnology that helps warm you on cold days - really works!) and my wife looked at me and asked why I bought it.

Thing is, I didn't even think twice about it being a V neck when I first bought it, I just saw the packaging that said "undershirt" and (being a man) grabbed what I needed. It never occurred to me I might be grabbing a package of V neck undershirts.

That said, it's an undershirt. So hardly anybody sees it, except my kids and wife. And they tell me I'm gay anyway. I'm OK hearing it from them. We give each other the business regularly.

Much like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXD8yOxIPB0

That's fair.
But I don't think anyone felt feminists, when speaking about female characteristics that were actually being denigrated, were wrong. It's a question of how far they took their complaints.

Which is precisely why I stated that I think women and men complement each other, without either having any particular monopoly on a trait.

There are very few strong male characters on TV anymore. I agree with commenter Jim, above, who stated that the only acceptable male is a homosexual. I believe that is possibly quite true, or at least an effete heterosexual.

But I agree with your statement. We shouldn't view ourselves as victims, we should just seek to keep what is ours and complain as little as possible.

Yes, I frequently hear that something or another is 'hostile' toward one group or another. Mostly it's BS.

I'm Irish and I hear demeaning Irish jokes frequently. I laugh, rather than make a claim of hostility toward the Irish (despite a long history of such hostility). I figure it's easier to laugh off stuff like that, and accept it for what it is. After all, most stereotypes have a smidgen of reality to back them up.

I didn't write this to make a claim of victimhood. I wrote it because it's true. While I will not deny that women have, frequently and mostly in the past, suffered from some demeaning characterizations, is there any reason to shift direction and point it towards men?

I agree with your comments. But I think it's important (and apparently a good number of people responding agree with me) to draw attention to an evolving trend.

Bringing down one group or gender does not raise up the other. Yet that is the kind of thing we see regularly in American society. If one group feels put upon, you try to diminish other groups to make yourself seem superior.

I'll be the first to admit I laugh at some of the comedies which have utilized male stereotypes, particularly more feminized versions, to comedic effect. However, in my day to day life, I have had HR people, executives, and a host of other coworkers who belittle many existing behaviors, which have proven successful over the years, as 'hostile' toward (name any group, but in this particular case women). In almost every case, when newer behaviors which are deemed 'fair' are implemented, a host of unintended consequences have flared up. Mainly because what is deemed 'fair' is anything but, or has left someone's particular "group" out.

We live our lives in offices walking on eggshells concerned with whether what we might say is going to 'offend' someone. As I tell my boys, always mind what you say and don't go out of your way to hurt people's feelings, but we all have the right to be offended.

The tough part is determining whether someone says something simply because they are trying to be offensive, or because what they are saying is apt and a generalized statement regarding a situation.

In my post, I pointed out that if you're amle and you're one of these emasculated beings, it's because you allowed it to happen. These men are not victims, but they have allowed themselves to be deluded by a host of society's inputs.

It also doesn't mean I have a particular problem with them, or that I wouldn't be civil, let alone downright friendly with them. I'm simply saying I am concerned about the state of manhood today.

I grew up hunting, hiking, camping, building bonfires, and going to the shooting range. I hung up one of my son's targets in my office, and people whispered about it as if I was some kind of monster. Because, you know, in an urban area anyone who likes guns is crazy. Even my wife said I should reconsider leaving it up. I left it, because I'm not going to let the bastards keep me down.