So I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a man. I certainly don't want to be like my father, yet I lacked and still lack a decent idea of what to mold myself into. I won't deny the fact that my joining the military has something to do with proving my masculinity. I read an interesting story today. The author talks about why he joined the Navy (Vietnam era). Read it yourself: here. I can sympathize with a lot of his reasons. He talks about playing "war" as a child in the backyard. I did that with GI Joe and sometimes in an Army uniform I got for Christmas (I even had a toy M-16A1). He goes on to talk about how he joined the Navy in order to prove to himself that he was a man. That, I can really sympathize with.
It seems to me that with the female gender transition, the male position is erased or at least brought into question. Women in our society have transformed themselves from housewives and homemakers to stockbrokers and auto parts makers. The gender roles that I grew up with are cast out some obscure Victorian role. With women changing their role, what reason does a man have anymore to complement his female counterpart? What role is left for a man in this society? Are we moving towards a society in which gender has no meaning? Will we eventually become asexual? In the meantime though, what the hell am I suppsed to do with myself? Am I supposed to become a hardass like my dad? What effect will that have on any chance I have for lasting happiness with a woman? Pretty drastic I think...
It seems to me that with the female gender transition, the male position is erased or at least brought into question. Women in our society have transformed themselves from housewives and homemakers to stockbrokers and auto parts makers. The gender roles that I grew up with are cast out some obscure Victorian role. With women changing their role, what reason does a man have anymore to complement his female counterpart? What role is left for a man in this society? Are we moving towards a society in which gender has no meaning? Will we eventually become asexual? In the meantime though, what the hell am I suppsed to do with myself? Am I supposed to become a hardass like my dad? What effect will that have on any chance I have for lasting happiness with a woman? Pretty drastic I think...
