When an American considers a hero who personifies a real man, he will often ponder the great deeds of Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, or George Washington, to name a few. Both on and off the battlefield, these men showed a remarkable amount of courage and dedication to their country. But despite their admirable qualities, both the memory and the virtues of these heroes have come under attack. Not only are we told that our heroic ancestors were bigoted men, those who try to emulate them are viewed as a danger to society.
The U.S. military, which was once the most manly institution in the world, has been infiltrated by drag queens and critical race theorists. Additionally, men who mutilate themselves in order to look like women are praised much more than veterans who make sacrifices for this country. After all, we have an entire month of pride but only a single day is devoted to memorializing our fallen soldiers. Manliness used to be considered an admirable quality, now it is labeled as “toxic masculinity.”
Sometimes, manly virtue is even met with legal consequences. This was clearly illustrated when Marine veteran Daniel Penny restrained a violent lunatic on a New York subway. Not only was Penny indicted, his alleged victim- a man with over 40 prior arrests who tried to kidnap a minor and assaulted an old woman- was lauded as an integral community member.
It seems that our society is incapable of honoring or even accepting manliness. It is either scorned as being unnecessary or actively reviled for its supposed danger. On the occasion that a manly hero is injured while performing a heroic deed, our elites often bestow him with pity rather than gratitude or reverence. In our society, effeminacy is more esteemed than manliness.
It is clear, however, that a society without manly men cannot survive. Free societies require the assertion of rights. Manly men must call for these rights to be respected. They must fight and even kill, if necessary. Right now, the Ukrainians understand this better than anyone.
No doubt manliness can be used for bad ends. But so can any other good quality including persuasiveness, athleticism, and even compassion. Yet our society has a unique dislike of manliness.
This dislike of manly prowess stems from the desire for complete equality which has overtaken our country. Writing in 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville observed that “democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom; left to themselves, they will seek it, cherish it, and view any privation of it with regret. But for equality their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible; they call for equality in freedom; and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery.” Our democratic and increasingly irreligious country can not stand distinctions of any kind. This is clearly illustrated by the attack on the distinction between men and women, the refusal to recognize proper sexual mores (think pride month), and the removal of standardized test scores. Each of these developments is a form of cultural upheaval aimed at social equalization.
Standing in the way of this egalitarian onslaught is manliness. As the political philosopher Harvey C. Mansfield observes “Manliness must prove itself and do so before an audience. It seeks to be theatrical, welcomes drama, and wants your attention.” A manly person is assertive and demanding. A man is someone who tries to distinguish himself and looks down on those who don’t display equal manliness. It is not uncommon to hear a real man referring to an effeminate man with inappropriate expletives which refer to the female sex.
Manliness is fundamentally anti-egalitarian. It is aristocratic, seeking to distance itself from others and claim its rightful place in society. Gender-neutral liberals and woke leftists cannot stand such a noble quality, because nobility implies a hierarchy. Manly men are told to be more sensitive and passive in the face of an eroding culture and an expanding government.
Manly virtue, which is undemocratic, noble, and harsh, stands in the way of perfect equality. It maintains liberty, demands reverence, and defends what it sees as valuable. Thus, it is no wonder that our egalitarian, irreverent, and value-neutral society insists on effeminacy.
