YouTuber Shaun put out a video a while ago discussing Andrew Tate and his arrest over the suspicion of human trafficking. He spent the entire video describing how much harm Andrew Tate has done to the male gender. Within 26 minutes into the video, he talks about asking a question on his Twitter account about what positive masculinity looks like; or essentially what it means to be a man.
That was part of the reason why I started writing this article about the concept of new masculinity. However, I still have problems contending with it, since there continues to not be a clear definition of it.
Also tying in with this article, there is an essay that Embe wrote that was broadcasted on MSNBC which I have strong opinions about, which deal with what a newer form of masculinity would look like.
The Problem With Defining Any Form Of New Masculinity
The problem that I have with Embe\’s essay is the way she completely reframes the patriarchal concept of masculinity as though it is about protecting men and not women. Clearly, any conservative like Josh Hawley who specializes in the discussion of masculinity would object to such a statement, since they would argue that patriarchal masculinity is all about protecting and providing for women. Of course, not as individuals who agree to do the same to the other party, rather as property.
In fact, when you really think about it, if I am tasked with protecting and providing for someone, they are essentially children. In order to guarantee their full protection, I have to set their curfew and make sure that they have a specific amount of allowance. This is the problematic slippery slope that Emba is apparently unaware of. If women agree to be equal to men, then they would have to agree to their own protection and providing.
The reality is, as Shaun references from bell hooks, is that most men are disadvantaged by patriarchy, because they are expected to meet high bars of qualifications in order to be considered men. So, instead of men protecting other men, patriarchy would be the exact opposite. It is about a never-ending competition among men.
So, you cannot argue that patriarchy is not about men not protecting or providing for women when it was already the baseline in the first place. Of course, you could acknowledge it while arguing that it is really a protection racket. This was done by historians Sturtevant and Kaufman when examining the concept of chivalry in Medieval Europe.
With that being said, if chivalry is a protection racket at women\’s disadvantage, then surely it must also be at men\’s disadvantage as well?
It does not matter how much crap you will go through for a woman, she can always rebut with \”So, you think I owe you something now?\” How many men would be alive or free if they just realized that traditional masculinity only has to offer a bill of sale. It offers one of the greatest scams in human history which is: women want a man to protect and provide for them.
The reason why masculinity is not a strong suit among left-wing commentators like Embe is the way they constantly refurbish the subject of masculinity. This includes shallow talking points like how society always uses the phrase \”Boys will be boys\” to excuse any act of criminality by men; and yet never give one specific example of that phrase used word-for-word as a credible defense.
Therefore, it is that reason why people like Josh Hawley and Andrew Tate are getting this attention from men in the first place.
I will say that Embe does acknowledge that most men and women prefer–or at least don\’t have a problem with–the traditional biological norms that they have been born into. People need to emphasize that when they say how gender is a social construct, since bad-faith commentators will cynically put words in their mouths with claims like \”So, are you saying it\’s all subjective? Are you saying I can wear a wig and a dress and be automatically considered a woman?\”
Gender is a social construct, but the social construct of cis heterosexuality is the one that most people don\’t have a problem identifying themselves with on a daily basis.
Not to get too in-depth with this material, but the point I am trying to make is that so long as cis heteronormativity is the default norm, then how can modern people navigate it under egalitarianism?
As mentioned in my previous post, if masculinity must work with modernity, then modernity must work with masculinity. You cannot expect men to be receptive to the contradictory messages that \”Women are strong, independent, and they don\’t need men\” and \”Men should protect and provide for women.\” It contributes to that confusion that Emba is seeing. How can you expect men to step up when society keeps telling them women don\’t need them?
I have no interest in Emba\’s idea of New Masculinity, much less see her in a debate with conservatives like Josh Hawley. They will simply argue that traditional masculinity already offered everything Emba\’s New Masculinity offers young men, making Emba\’s argument completely null and void. I will, however, try to offer my opinion of what a form of new Masculinity would look like.
To Be A Man Of New Masculinity Is To Be Secure With Oneself
My definition of positive masculinity is the concept of not always seeking the validation of women. It is about believing that you should not live your life always having women on your mind. If a woman is having problems, she always has a sisterhood to help her. Not only that, but there are women who will not value you and will treat you like a small, helpless child, who are not worth appealing to anyway.
He does not allow either women or men to lecture him about what \”true\” masculinity is, because there is no one \”true\” masculinity. If he is emasculated in anyway by them, he can simply rebut \”You cannot emasculate me into compliance because you\’ll continue emasculating me anyway.\”
Positive masculinity is also about acknowledging that when red-pilled men are mocking vegans, feminists, and \”beta males,\” they are simply projecting whatever insecurities they have onto other people. When they themselves surround themselves with Bugattis, Versacis, and Cuban cigars, it is all overcompensation.
It is also the reason why I don\’t engage in gossip. I could talk about all of the flaws of everyone around me, but I should not be surprised if people start talking about my own flaws.
Another aspect of positive masculinity is honesty. A man never lies about who he is just to gain approval. An honest man understands that good sleep is better than good social standing. If living inside of one\’s own buffer zone means security for oneself, then come what may.
New Masculinity As Opposed To Tatean Masculinity?
This new masculinity would have to be in stark defiance to the Tatean masculinity which is–essentially–being a pimp in the relationship. Also, you will notice with every video Andrew Tate talks about women, he talks about a specific type of woman. He never has in mind the adventurous women who want to go everywhere, whether it is a vacation resort, a theme park, or a national park; or the quirky singer-songwriter playing guitar at public venues who could easily be portrayed by Aughts-era Zooey Deschanel; or any other type of woman.
Tate has in mind the floozies. These are the type of women who see the Maserati, the \”Buga\’i,\” the Versaci, the big house, and the Cuban cigars; but they don\’t see you as a man worth respecting unless you backhand them with your ring-studded hand. These are the type of women who are so narcissistic, they will immediately start physically assaulting you with a machete over the mere, yet-to-be-substantiated accusation of you cheating on them.
I personally don\’t need that crap in my life. Good looks can only do so much. No amount of make-up or filtering can hide a crappy personality.
As such, toxicity attracts toxicity. If you go about in the Tatean masculine way, then these are the type of women you will attract.
To Be A Man Of New Masculinity Is To Suffer
A katana does not get its shape without being put into intense heat and having the impurities beaten out of it. However, you will still need to cool it off and polish it.
You will always encounter hard times and you need to adapt to them. That is the one precept of masculinity that red-pillers are not wrong about. Of course, it is not just the hard times, such as a potential recession or a global pandemic, but also anybody in your personal life who do everything they can to make you feel small and helpless. It\’s very easy to cut them out of your life when you\’re an adult, but you should always keep in mind that you will always come across people like that throughout society.
As a man, your life is nothing but shame and humiliation. You always have an Officer Krupke to answer to.
To Be A Man Of New Masculinity Is To Thrive
A part of my definition of masculinity is the idea of radical gratitude. The idea that you owe to many people in the past who are the reason why you exist today. You owe to the Founding Fathers who helped create the great experiment called American democracy that you benefit from, just as much as you owe the indigenous tribes of America who allied with and fed the colonies during times of tribulation. If you have European ancestors, then you owe them since they survived the Black Plague, since 1/3 of all Europeans were wiped out. If the rest could survive and live on, then there is no excuse for you to not take advantage of the opportunities of life itself.
As far as how this would tie into masculinity, think about all of the men in those times who had to physically and mentally reckon with those tribulations. If they can adapt and thrive, then there is no reason why you cannot.
It is also that reason why I find the characters Metalbeard from The Lego Movie and Franky from One Piece so fascinating. They literally rebuilt themselves when they were torn asunder.
Of course, I do not believe in calling men \”kings\” just as much as I don\’t believe in calling women \”queens.\” I consider these words very distancing. Instead, we should consider ourselves artisans of any or multiple trades. Japanese samurai Musashi Miyamoto described a king as being a carpenter who plans a building and has workers build his plan for him. It should be no different from any other trade.
As such, I especially apply this precept to Millennial and Gen-Z men. If you can survive a global recession, a global pandemic, and entire generations of people gaslighting you, then you can survive anything.
To Be A Man Of New Masculinity Is To Be A Storyteller
Life can only be meaningless if it is not a story worth passing down. In some ways, the stories we tell each other–whether factual or fictional–are what keeps us together and helps us experience the Aristotelian catharsis.
In the case of the Ynkawenian man, his own life is a story in itself. His goal is to make it scrimshaw with Dorean detail, intricate in its design upon any artifice it is carved upon.
The Problem I Find With The Other Responses
Of course, I find seeking out personifications of positive masculinity like Uncle Iroh or Aragorn to be too simplistic, as did Shaun. He argued that his criticism was because the responses he got were about a particular male figure and not positive masculinity in concept. It was for this reason why I listed positive masculinity, that argued for, in the previous points.
I tried not listing specific male figures because the reality is that men as human beings are not perfect–even the positively masculine ones. My best way to seek out personifications of masculinity is to find male historical figures that have desirable traits worthy enough to attain; but also reconciliating with whatever negative traits they had. Therefore, they would be more akin to guardian/tutelage spirits than as demigods. Examples include Leonardo da Vinci\’s brilliance, Joseph Conrad\’s literary flare, Ataturk\’s governance, or Sequoyah\’s innovation.
These are figures of the past, so obviously Shaun will object to such figures as representatives of positive masculinity, since they were born in the patriarchal time periods he criticized. Once again, as mentioned before, they are not beacons of absolute guidance, rather conditional guidance. I use guidance rather than authority, to differentiate, respectively, between seeking help when needed as opposed to seeking help indefinitely.
As Far As It All Applies To Me
I make sure that I follow my own points throughout this article as much as I can. In fact, the points I made are directly inspired by my observation of the world.
Even in high school, I was not concerned with girls or dating. I was more concerned with my own creativity and becoming a game designer. I would have told you that my own sense of masculinity involved relaxing in the weekends or in the summer with Disgaea 2 and a bottle of VitaminWater, and not having irresponsible sex.
As Far As It All Applies To My Writing
I make sure to highlight all of the points of Ynkawenian masculinity throughout the stories I intend to publish.
Sources
- Kaufman, Amy S. and Paul B. Sturtevant. “The Devil’s Historian: How Modern Extremists Abuse The Medieval Past.” University of Toronto Press. 2020.
- Shaun. \”Andrew Tate: How to be a Real Man.\” YouTube. 2023.
- \”Why men have turned to \’awful models of masculinity\’ and how to change it.\” MSNBC. 2023.